Mark wrote.......
----- Original Message -----
From: "Mark Louttit" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Friday, October 17, 2003 7:18 AM
Subject: [horn] The Horn To Beat
> Now.....I have lurked on this Conn 8D discussion for awhile. I am
reminded
> of a quote by Mark Twain that "rumors of his death were greatly
> exaggerated." The same could be said for the 8D. Granted, there are a
> number of fine custom makers today and many professionals who can afford
it,
> go that route. Still, the 8D remains a viable choice. Now Abilene 8D's
are
> generally condemned, but not all were bad, nor are the current Eastlake
> horns. I wish Conn would pay more attention to quality control, but I
wish
> the same thing for a lot of other manufacturers of other types of goods as
> well.
>
> If the 8D is dying, then how is it that Yamaha, Hoyer, and Holton have all
> come out with models that are advertised as copies of vintage 8D's ? It
> would seem to me that these manufacturers wouldn't go to the trouble
unless
> they had a market for their product. Even Conn displayed a new "Classic
> Elkhart" prototype at the IHS Symposium this summer. Of course that makes
me
> wonder how they will market it, since they claim that the Eastlake horns
are
> "better than ever."
>
> The simple fact is, is that the Conn 8D is the horn to beat. There are
lots
> of players who use them everyday at all levels of perfromance and
> proficiency. Maybe some of the other companies now build a better "8D"
than
> Conn, but the fact that people purchase these horns as well as Atkinsons
and
> Pattersons only illustrate that the basic design is far from dead or
> becoming extinct. Even Kruspe is in business making horns these days, and
> they produce a Horner Philadelphia Model, although these now have a
separate
> Bb tuning slide.
>
> So before people get in some big uproar about how contemporary Conn 8D's
are
> crap and the ones made in Texas were all dogs, remember that a lot of
people
> play these instruments with great success every day of the week. There
are
> better horns out there, sure, but a Conn 8D that plays in tune, and has no
> mechanical problems will still get one through a performance.
>
> Maybe it's about time we concerned ourselves less with the name on the
horn,
> and more about the individual instrument's playability, and worry too, a
> little more about the player and his or her ability as a performer. Owning
a
> great horn, does not make one a great horn player (it might and does
> facilitate performance) but one has to have talent and the ability to
> practice, practice, practice in order to become great. In other words, it
> ain't the horn, it's the person behind the horn that really counts.
>
> My two euros worth,
>
> Mark L.
>
I've been beating on the overated Conn 8d's for some
time now.
It's time to flee,
That polluted sea,
Of the Conn 8d.
I really liked your last sentence,however, which really
is the essence of this " beat to death " discussion.....
" it's the person behind the horn that really counts " Does
one wonder why Hans is so quiet about this frozen thread?
Laurent
>
>
>
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>
>
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