B&S 3137L - Trumpet
Disclaimer: Please note any reviews on this site are purely of my own opinion.
I recommend you check other sites or Google for additional information on products when trying to make a purchase decision.
This trumpet model is a 3137L Bb Challenger Trumpet
Essentially these horns are a Bach Strad clone using a #37 Bell and a #25 Leadpipe - which was basically the most common and popular design of Bach Strads for a long time.
So in essence they are trying to improve on an age old design and challenge Bach that they can make a better horn for less.
A lot of people say they succeeded in doing this too - especially over the recent Bach's.
The Bach Loyalist website has a very good summary on Bach Bell options that I suggest you check out if you are interested in learning more about the differences available in Bells.
The B&S in the Challenger I series only comes with this #37 Bell - but the Challenger II series you can have any combination of finish, leadpipe configuration and of course bell types)
This horn was developed to be an all-round player and should slot well in any setting.
The sound of this horn does leans towards the 'brighter' side in tone but a more focused projection.
(Well at least for what I am used to playing as I have Yamaha's mostly)
I played this horn in a jazz group the other night and was playing second against a guy playing first on a vintage silver Bach with the 37 bell I was definitely tending to ring out further and have a fuller sound than the older Strad.
PROS:
Price: The price is about the same as some other brands intermediate horns.
This means you can save yourself about $1K on buying a Bach Strad and put the money towards the other accessories you are going to need - mutes, stands, mouthpieces etc.
This is especially good for a younger player who is just starting the musical journey.
Accessories: When you purchase a horn it comes with a basic accessory pack. This includes a cloth, slide grease, valve oil and a push me pull me aluminium rod for going through valves etc with the soft cloth and a B&S 7C Mouthpiece.
The horn comes complete with a traveling canvas case (Codura but with reinforcing to make it almost like a hard case)- which is a lot better than a few I have seem recently.
It also has a neat feature where you can unzip the back and it has backpack straps build onto the case.
If they really wanted to impress I would have recommended they add wheels and an extendable handle - then the case would be near perfect.
Valves: Vented and fast! These guys know how to put together a nice valve set to go into their horns. I have seen other reviews stating that you should replace the springs as they are too soft - but I think this is a very personal preference.
Nickel Silver Sections: Apparently the original Strads had the nickel silver trim but no longer.
The durability of the horn is slightly increased with these elements and gives it a more solid fell.
Clear Lacquer: It just looks cooler than a horn plated with Gold Lacquer. You can see the different leadpipe and valve sections.
CONS:
1st Valve Slide: I did note that with my particular horn when I use the 1st valve and no part of my hand is touching the thumb saddle I can hear a vibration.
I suspect that this is merely the saddle vibrating on the side of the horn or a slightly loose fit that can be fixed with a little slide grease.
Alternatively just leave your hand where it should be (That means the Chris Botti one handed High G might be out of the question)
3rd Valve Slide Stop Nuts: This was may first experience with the stops nuts and I can tell you I personally don't like them. As with the Strads etc be sure to tighten these as they will vibrate and potentially fall off.
Personally I fail to see the point of these - Yamaha has been using a single stop nut and it works great.
Mouthpiece: It's a 7C. Not actually the ideal mouthpiece for a beginner - but then again this is the basic size for most new horns.
If you go for a Challenger II then you get a 1 1/2C instead.
HOW MUCH WOULD I EXPECT TO PAY?
This is a professional horn make no mistake - it has now been proceeded by the Challenger II series in the market and there are split opinions about which one is better.
This horn in NZ retails for between $1850 and $2395.
From 2009 expect them to be around the $2395 mark an increasing hard to find as more people switch fully to the II models.
The good news is even at $2395 these are still about $1000 cheaper than most of the Bach Strads.
OVERALL RATING:
All in all it's very good value for your money.
If you want a nice quality horn that will last you a while and you can use in a variety of settings and genres then this would be a good choice.
The build quality is good, and you can be reassured that you will be able to blend in most sections/groups that you might be playing in.
*B&S horns are made in Germany by a company called JA Musik GmbH.
They are situated in an area that is steeped in tradition with manufacturing instruments that dates back 100 years.
As such, the B&S range in NZ is still relatively an unknown to the market that has traditionally been dominated by the other "Big' brands - such as Yamaha, Schilke and Bach.
Disclaimer: Please note any reviews on this site are purely of my own opinion.
I recommend you check other sites or Google for additional information on products when trying to make a purchase decision.
This trumpet model is a 3137L Bb Challenger Trumpet
Essentially these horns are a Bach Strad clone using a #37 Bell and a #25 Leadpipe - which was basically the most common and popular design of Bach Strads for a long time.
So in essence they are trying to improve on an age old design and challenge Bach that they can make a better horn for less.
A lot of people say they succeeded in doing this too - especially over the recent Bach's.
The Bach Loyalist website has a very good summary on Bach Bell options that I suggest you check out if you are interested in learning more about the differences available in Bells.
The B&S in the Challenger I series only comes with this #37 Bell - but the Challenger II series you can have any combination of finish, leadpipe configuration and of course bell types)
This horn was developed to be an all-round player and should slot well in any setting.
The sound of this horn does leans towards the 'brighter' side in tone but a more focused projection.
(Well at least for what I am used to playing as I have Yamaha's mostly)
I played this horn in a jazz group the other night and was playing second against a guy playing first on a vintage silver Bach with the 37 bell I was definitely tending to ring out further and have a fuller sound than the older Strad.
PROS:
Price: The price is about the same as some other brands intermediate horns.
This means you can save yourself about $1K on buying a Bach Strad and put the money towards the other accessories you are going to need - mutes, stands, mouthpieces etc.
This is especially good for a younger player who is just starting the musical journey.
Accessories: When you purchase a horn it comes with a basic accessory pack. This includes a cloth, slide grease, valve oil and a push me pull me aluminium rod for going through valves etc with the soft cloth and a B&S 7C Mouthpiece.
The horn comes complete with a traveling canvas case (Codura but with reinforcing to make it almost like a hard case)- which is a lot better than a few I have seem recently.
It also has a neat feature where you can unzip the back and it has backpack straps build onto the case.
If they really wanted to impress I would have recommended they add wheels and an extendable handle - then the case would be near perfect.
Valves: Vented and fast! These guys know how to put together a nice valve set to go into their horns. I have seen other reviews stating that you should replace the springs as they are too soft - but I think this is a very personal preference.
Nickel Silver Sections: Apparently the original Strads had the nickel silver trim but no longer.
The durability of the horn is slightly increased with these elements and gives it a more solid fell.
Clear Lacquer: It just looks cooler than a horn plated with Gold Lacquer. You can see the different leadpipe and valve sections.
CONS:
1st Valve Slide: I did note that with my particular horn when I use the 1st valve and no part of my hand is touching the thumb saddle I can hear a vibration.
I suspect that this is merely the saddle vibrating on the side of the horn or a slightly loose fit that can be fixed with a little slide grease.
Alternatively just leave your hand where it should be (That means the Chris Botti one handed High G might be out of the question)
3rd Valve Slide Stop Nuts: This was may first experience with the stops nuts and I can tell you I personally don't like them. As with the Strads etc be sure to tighten these as they will vibrate and potentially fall off.
Personally I fail to see the point of these - Yamaha has been using a single stop nut and it works great.
Mouthpiece: It's a 7C. Not actually the ideal mouthpiece for a beginner - but then again this is the basic size for most new horns.
If you go for a Challenger II then you get a 1 1/2C instead.
HOW MUCH WOULD I EXPECT TO PAY?
This is a professional horn make no mistake - it has now been proceeded by the Challenger II series in the market and there are split opinions about which one is better.
This horn in NZ retails for between $1850 and $2395.
From 2009 expect them to be around the $2395 mark an increasing hard to find as more people switch fully to the II models.
The good news is even at $2395 these are still about $1000 cheaper than most of the Bach Strads.
OVERALL RATING:
All in all it's very good value for your money.
If you want a nice quality horn that will last you a while and you can use in a variety of settings and genres then this would be a good choice.
The build quality is good, and you can be reassured that you will be able to blend in most sections/groups that you might be playing in.
*B&S horns are made in Germany by a company called JA Musik GmbH.
They are situated in an area that is steeped in tradition with manufacturing instruments that dates back 100 years.
As such, the B&S range in NZ is still relatively an unknown to the market that has traditionally been dominated by the other "Big' brands - such as Yamaha, Schilke and Bach.
