My GAS has met its match.

[SteveC]

We are lucky. For $3K we get a heck of a bass. That gets you an "ok" bow in the "classical" world. Or a "good" high school violin. It's kind of apples and oranges but it's a little perspective. $300 gets is a pretty usable instrument. Not so much with others.

 

[BassBrass]

He's playing a Stomvi. I don't remember what model. Forte, I think, but I'm pretty sure whatever model it is has been discontinued. It has lots and lots of character. It started out silver plate. It is now mostly black and splotchy. My main concern is that he keeps the inside clean so he avoids respiratory problems over time. I assume the valves are OK, although I saw him pull one and oil it on stage a few weeks ago. He had just come off a three week tour, so it's understandable that he may not have it completely clean inside, but I really don't like seeing a sticking valve bad enough to need mid-performance maintenance.

Well Stomvi was unexpected, but I know and love Stomvi stuff, very fine Spanish craftsmanship. I've used their mouthpieces and still use their gig bag for trumpet... but I imagined a Brass old horn, not a tarnished silver plate instrument, there is no excuse for that. Yikes. Tarnish is nasty and unnecessary and I would volunteer to do some polishing with Happich Simichrome polish, it's very easy to use. Expect to spend a peaceful hour starting with the bell. Wash your hands a few times during the process. Get him a silver polish cloth for fast road use.

 

[Gaolee]

Well Stomvi was unexpected, but I know and love Stomvi stuff, very fine Spanish craftsmanship. I've used their mouthpieces and still use their gig bag for trumpet... but I imagined a Brass old horn, not a tarnished silver plate instrument, there is no excuse for that. Yikes. Tarnish is nasty and unnecessary and I would volunteer to do some polishing with Happich Simichrome polish, it's very easy to use. Expect to spend a peaceful hour starting with the bell. Wash your hands a few times during the process. Get him a silver polish cloth for fast road use.

He lives in LA and we live in Washington, so getting him to clean it is unlikely. I am mostly concerned about its insides. We get it chemically cleaned out, get the dents fixed and all that when we can get our hands on it, but that is rare. I hope he at least runs a brush through it. He has one. Ah well. We are parents.

 

[BassBrass]

He lives in LA and we live in Washington, so getting him to clean it is unlikely. I am mostly concerned about its insides. We get it chemically cleaned out, get the dents fixed and all that when we can get our hands on it, but that is rare. I hope he at least runs a brush through it. He has one. Ah well. We are parents.

He's the germ carrier not the trumpet (unless he lets sick people play it) Inside the horn is a less survivable environment than just inside one's own mouth, germs die quickly in the air or in condensation-oil-goop, the trumpet is at least as germ free as he is, and on the road that's relative, but he has youth, ay? What he NEEDS is more horns to spread the liability around, a flugalhorn and a trumpet in a different bore than the one he has, like a 6 year old Yamaha Z Bobby Shue. If he's playing shows everyday he'll love one of those. this video will explain exactly why.

 

[Gaolee]

He's the germ carrier not the trumpet (unless he lets sick people play it) Inside the horn is a less survivable environment than just inside one's own mouth, germs die quickly in the air or in condensation-oil-goop, the trumpet is at least as germ free as he is, and on the road that's relative, but he has youth, ay? What he NEEDS is more horns to spread the liability around, a flugalhorn and a trumpet in a different bore than the one he has, like a 6 year old Yamaha Z Bobby Shue. If he's playing shows everyday he'll love one of those. this video will explain exactly why.

He has another trumpet, an earlier Stomvi, and a flugel, which is yet another Stomvi. I bought all of them except the flugel, which he paid a bit of. He's 28, so in theory, he's a free-standing adult, but I still pay for this and that whenever I can. Funny thing about it is that he got his first trumpet in 4th grade. It was a bottom of the line something or another. My initial thought was that it was a boondoggle, because sports were his thing at the time, and he was good at several of them, even as a 4th grader. When he got to sixth grade, the middle school band director stuck a pin in him in just the right spot. That band director might be the most influential person in his direction of all the people my son was ever around, because he set my son on the path he's on now. By seventh grade, it was pretty clear that the kid had some ability, and the band director thought he should have a better trumpet. He managed to finagle a Stomvi (my son's current backup trumpet) out of a local music shop as a demo/loaner. The kid wouldn't play it until the band director took away his cheapo. In high school, he pretty much had to have a flugel, and so we went shopping for one. He tried out a lot of different ones, including Yamaha, and decided he liked the Stomvi, without knowing which one was which. During college, his first Stomvi trumpet started requiring a lot of maintenance, and we got him another trumpet of his choosing. It just happened to be another Stomvi. I can't say what it is about Stomvi instruments or about him, but they get along very well. I think he should ask them if he could be an endorsing artist. He certainly likes what they make. The worst they could say is no.

 

[BassBrass]

He has another trumpet, an earlier Stomvi, and a flugel, which is yet another Stomvi. I bought all of them except the flugel, which he paid a bit of. He's 28, so in theory, he's a free-standing adult, but I still pay for this and that whenever I can. Funny thing about it is that he got his first trumpet in 4th grade. It was a bottom of the line something or another. My initial thought was that it was a boondoggle, because sports were his thing at the time, and he was good at several of them, even as a 4th grader. When he got to sixth grade, the middle school band director stuck a pin in him in just the right spot. That band director might be the most influential person in his direction of all the people my son was ever around, because he set my son on the path he's on now. By seventh grade, it was pretty clear that the kid had some ability, and the band director thought he should have a better trumpet. He managed to finagle a Stomvi (my son's current backup trumpet) out of a local music shop as a demo/loaner. The kid wouldn't play it until the band director took away his cheapo. In high school, he pretty much had to have a flugel, and so we went shopping for one. He tried out a lot of different ones, including Yamaha, and decided he liked the Stomvi, without knowing which one was which. During college, his first Stomvi trumpet started requiring a lot of maintenance, and we got him another trumpet of his choosing. It just happened to be another Stomvi. I can't say what it is about Stomvi instruments or about him, but they get along very well. I think he should ask them if he could be an endorsing artist. He certainly likes what they make. The worst they could say is no.

You're a good dad. It's not fair to have to choose one make over another based on that one try (although I'll give you that Stomvi's FEEL great because that's how they build them) but a player needs to Live with an assortment of horns Over Time to find out the benefits of each. He needs a Yamaha New York Wayne Bergeron as well as the Shue horn I mentioned above. Also a Kanstul Chicago for those Tijuana brass gigs. He (or she) also needs a cornet in case street bands come back (they will after the grid goes down in about 10 years) I recommend a Schilke or a Getzen. Go American on the cornet.

 

[Vinnie Boombatz]

This is why I got a vasectomy just shy of two years ago!

All joking aside, you're a good dad!

 

[White Funk]

I was driving with my oldest daughter today, and I told her I was going to look in the local music store today. She said fine because she needed a mouthpiece for her alto sax. I was having a ball playing an Ibanez four with the reverse split pickup/single configuration that has such a great slap tone. I was sitting thinking how I could buy it when my daughter told me how much she liked the sax she had just been playing. I already knew she needed a better sax for her senior year, plus she wants to be in marching band in college, so goodbye bass and hello professional grade alto sax. My big girl plays soprano too, I better put aside some money for one of those too.

Good man. I had a similar experience when my son was younger - I went into Guitar Center with him to by ME a guitar, walked out with a guitar for him but none for me. Well worth it though!!

 

[Gaolee]

You're a good dad. It's not fair to have to choose one make over another based on that one try (although I'll give you that Stomvi's FEEL great because that's how they build them) but a player needs to Live with an assortment of horns Over Time to find out the benefits of each. He needs a Yamaha New York Wayne Bergeron as well as the Shue horn I mentioned above. Also a Kanstul Chicago for those Tijuana brass gigs. He (or she) also needs a cornet in case street bands come back (they will after the grid goes down in about 10 years) I recommend a Schilke or a Getzen. Go American on the cornet.

I'll let him figure out what he wants, but I'll sure let him know your suggestions. Right now, he decided he wants to add trombone to his repertoire. So, there's another one I'll probably end up helping him with eventually. He has a student model right now that he got for free. I don't know how long that will last before he gets frustrated. On the other hand, he picked up a plastic trumpet and played that for a while, just to be ornery. It sounded far better than it had any right to, but he admitted that it was hard to play.

 

[BassBrass]

I'll let him figure out what he wants, but I'll sure let him know your suggestions. Right now, he decided he wants to add trombone to his repertoire. So, there's another one I'll probably end up helping him with eventually. He has a student model right now that he got for free. I don't know how long that will last before he gets frustrated. On the other hand, he picked up a plastic trumpet and played that for a while, just to be ornery. It sounded far better than it had any right to, but he admitted that it was hard to play.

Trombone Shorty and maybe Maynard playing valve trombone (which exist btw) did it successfully, but I sure couldn't, the larger mp made me loose my upper register on trumpet, too high of a price. You can go for that doubler's pay increase (which unionized big bands used to pay) but loose the reliable written double G.
Plastic trumpets are dead, non resonant, and seem absolutely pointless except silent frustrating practice for exercise not music. Plastic mouthpieces are fine if you are forced to play below freezing, the only benefit of plastic other than valve guard on the pistons.

 

[bucephylus]

I was driving with my oldest daughter today, and I told her I was going to look in the local music store today. She said fine because she needed a mouthpiece for her alto sax. I was having a ball playing an Ibanez four with the reverse split pickup/single configuration that has such a great slap tone. I was sitting thinking how I could buy it when my daughter told me how much she liked the sax she had just been playing. I already knew she needed a better sax for her senior year, plus she wants to be in marching band in college, so goodbye bass and hello professional grade alto sax. My big girl plays soprano too, I better put aside some money for one of those too.

Props Dr C. Far and away a wise sense of prioritization.

And, not to fan the flames; but, if you think that's a GAS killer, just wait until college tuitions start rolling in... ahhh, the joys of parenting. As Erma Bombeck once said, "the reason you don't kill your kids is for the grand kids." Which, I now have 5 of those; and they were each well worth the sacrifices. So, hang in there. It's worth it.

 

[Gaolee]

Trombone Shorty and maybe Maynard playing valve trombone (which exist btw) did it successfully, but I sure couldn't, the larger mp made me loose my upper register on trumpet, too high of a price. You can go for that doubler's pay increase (which unionized big bands used to pay) but loose the reliable written double G.
Plastic trumpets are dead, non resonant, and seem absolutely pointless except silent frustrating practice for exercise not music. Plastic mouthpieces are fine if you are forced to play below freezing, the only benefit of plastic other than valve guard on the pistons.

He got rid of the plastic one after a short time. I don't know how much 'bone he will play anyway. I think he's doing some experimenting. He already plays keys, drums, and a little bass guitar. And now he wants a sax, too. I have seen him playing keys, trumpet, and hand percussion during the same show. The LA funk scene rewards that kind of versatility.

 

[Maxdusty]

Nothing more valuable than giving the gift of music to your child. Way to go Dr. C. My son started playing trumpet in middle school (yes, those things are pretty darn expensive especially once you go beyond the beginner models) but it's all worth it. My son is a senior in HS now, he doesn't play trumpet anymore but it certainly started his interest in music, he now plays guitar, keyboard and bass - he made his bedroom into a music studio (there's a bed in there somewhere, I think).

 

[Dr. Cheese]

I had to shell out $45 repairing my daughter's alto today. These repairs are way too common I am get new sax around New Year's Day.

 

[Oberst]

Just more proof of how good you are! I get more enjoyment out of getting my grandaughter things that bring a smile to her face than anything I get myself.