Bach strad or yami xeno

trumpeteerdave · Bach strad or yami xeno

as a progressing trumpet player i'm thinking about getting a step-up horn. after playing on several trumpets, i narrowed it down to just two- the bach stradivarius and the yamaha xeno. which would you reccommend?

TrumpetChat

I have a Xeno RGS and all I can say is that it's in a whole different league than the Strad. The Strad's good but Xeno's are much more open and slot very well in all registers. Maybe 3 out of 10 Strads are good but about 7 or 8 out of ten Xenos are good. My point is that the Xeno is a more solid, dependable horn. Go with the Xeno, unless you can find a really good Bach. Test some out and see what works for you,Chris

bandman

I don’t agree with the Yamaha being in a different league. If you find a good Bach, then you found a very good horn. The problem is that you really need to look hard to find a great Bach. I have a Bach that is a 30XXX serial number and I’d bet it is a better horn than any Yamaha ever made. While saying that, I’ll also tell you that 100% of my beginner trumpet players play on a Yamaha trumpet.

Yamahas are more consistent than Bach, but I have never played on a Yamaha Pro-line horn that really had a lot of character. This is the big knock on Yamaha, and it is the reason that they have hired some of the great instrument designers over the past 12-18 months.

Yamaha is working on producing horns with character, and when people like Bob Malone design horns for them with the help of great players like Wayne Bergeron, they will have some fantastic horns, but they are not at the pinnacle of trumpets yet. This will take time, but Yamaha is working hard on it and they will be out soon -- but only when they have it right!

I would suggest that you open your eyes to many of the other great makes of trumpets. The amount of money you will spend is relative to how serious you are as a player, and what you want your future to be on the trumpet. Consider looking at great horns from Eclipse, Kanstul, Lawler, Callicchio, Schilke, Conn (the V1 is wonderful), Callet, Wild Thing, Stage one, and others (I've left off several good horns, not on purpose, but this post is just off the top of my head). You may also consider one of the new Harrelson trumpets, or even consider having Jason Harrelson modify another horn for you.

If all of this sounds too complicated, then I would suggest that you are not ready for a new horn. There are many wonderful horns out there, and if you are posting here looking for suggestions and at the same time saying you are looking only at Yamaha and Bach, then you have not played enough horns.

Don’t get me wrong, getting a new horn is wonderful and it should be a special event in your musical life. I just want you to do your homework and get the very best horn for you as a player, and at the same time the very best horn for the money you spend.

Here are some links to help you out in doing some research.

www.eclipsetrumpets.com
www.harrelsontrumpets.com
www.kanstul.com
www.calicchio.com
www.lawlertrumpets.com
www.schilkemusic.com
www.callet.com

TrumpetChat

Bandman,
Great post! I agree with you totally that if you find a good Bach it's probably better than a Xeno. Like you said though, Xenos are much more consistent. However, I don't agree when people say that Xenos' have no character- I have owned a Strad 37 and a Xeno and can say that the Xeno's sound has at least as much character than a Strad or maybe more.. The Strad and the Xeno have different qualities and my best advice to trumpeteerdave is to just try them out and see what works for you. Chris

JCStites

"different storkes for different folks"

Play them alot, bring an experienced friend along to listen. Check them with a tuner, play some intervals without looking at the tuner and have your friend tell you where it likes to play.

Either one is great, but since ive played on bachs forever i just prefer the feel.