TomMapfumo
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 4,360
- Locality
- Skabertawe, South Wales
Hi Folks!
I've spent part of the last two weeks trying out the new Jericho Pocket Trumpet from Academy: http://www.studentmusicsupplies.com/jericho-bb-pocket-trumpet-black-nickel--gold--abalone-211-p.asp
This was kindly loaned to me by Robbie Fraser.
First Impressions: On arrival the trumpet case/trumpet felt very light. The trumpet itself was very light, but also felt very solid. It was a very attractive looking beast and quite comfortable to hold, despite being a lot of tubing in a small space. Despite others commenting that a pocket trumpet can feel too close to the face to hold & play comfortably this did not present any problems whatsoever. I gave the valves a quick oil with my "Blue Juice", and popped on my current trumpet mouthpiece.......
Sound: This was a genuinely satisfying experience. Having never before played a Pocket trumpet and having read the usual criticisms of poor build quality, poor intonation, low volume etc. I can confirm that none of it applied to the Jericho. Having used my Denis Wick tuner the tuning was very accurate throughout. I especially noted the volume was not a problem either, and could play it about as loudly as my trumpets and cornets even though the bell had a diameter of about 3 3/4" (my trumpets and cornets are between 4 1/2" - 5").
Quality wise the pocket trumpet had a very good tone, not bright, and stood comparison with my John Packer JP 171SW cornet. When pushed, and with the right sort of mouthpiece it could produce a lively trumpet sound, without becoming brassy/brash. Otherwise it was pleasingly mellow in its tone.
I tried it on a couple of my Grade 7 trumpet pieces, with backing and improvisation and it did the job very satisfactorily. At the same time it could be played quietly and was good for solo practice. I did not try the stock mouthpiece that it came with. Incidently it could accomodate all my trumpet mutes.
The valves functioned pretty well considering that they will have had no time to bed in. A good oiling - perhaps weekly to start will help them settle in. They were pleasantly fast - needed when playing pieces at 178 bpm (one of my Grade 7 pieces).
Conclusion: at £169 this is excellent value for an instrument that bears comparison with more expensive high brass instruments - the JP 171SW is £228 for example. As a pocket trumpet it is a solid piece of kit and avoids the pitfalls
that exist in that field, where precision and build quality needs to be well attended to.
Lots of pocket trumpets are quite poor quality and some (such as Bessons, which tries to pretend it is made
by the more famous brass manufacturer - without the "s" ) even have an identical serial number on each instrument!
If you want to enter the high brass field without spending a fortune then this would be as good a way as any.
Kind regards
Tom
I've spent part of the last two weeks trying out the new Jericho Pocket Trumpet from Academy: http://www.studentmusicsupplies.com/jericho-bb-pocket-trumpet-black-nickel--gold--abalone-211-p.asp
This was kindly loaned to me by Robbie Fraser.
First Impressions: On arrival the trumpet case/trumpet felt very light. The trumpet itself was very light, but also felt very solid. It was a very attractive looking beast and quite comfortable to hold, despite being a lot of tubing in a small space. Despite others commenting that a pocket trumpet can feel too close to the face to hold & play comfortably this did not present any problems whatsoever. I gave the valves a quick oil with my "Blue Juice", and popped on my current trumpet mouthpiece.......
Sound: This was a genuinely satisfying experience. Having never before played a Pocket trumpet and having read the usual criticisms of poor build quality, poor intonation, low volume etc. I can confirm that none of it applied to the Jericho. Having used my Denis Wick tuner the tuning was very accurate throughout. I especially noted the volume was not a problem either, and could play it about as loudly as my trumpets and cornets even though the bell had a diameter of about 3 3/4" (my trumpets and cornets are between 4 1/2" - 5").
Quality wise the pocket trumpet had a very good tone, not bright, and stood comparison with my John Packer JP 171SW cornet. When pushed, and with the right sort of mouthpiece it could produce a lively trumpet sound, without becoming brassy/brash. Otherwise it was pleasingly mellow in its tone.
I tried it on a couple of my Grade 7 trumpet pieces, with backing and improvisation and it did the job very satisfactorily. At the same time it could be played quietly and was good for solo practice. I did not try the stock mouthpiece that it came with. Incidently it could accomodate all my trumpet mutes.
The valves functioned pretty well considering that they will have had no time to bed in. A good oiling - perhaps weekly to start will help them settle in. They were pleasantly fast - needed when playing pieces at 178 bpm (one of my Grade 7 pieces).
Conclusion: at £169 this is excellent value for an instrument that bears comparison with more expensive high brass instruments - the JP 171SW is £228 for example. As a pocket trumpet it is a solid piece of kit and avoids the pitfalls
that exist in that field, where precision and build quality needs to be well attended to.
Lots of pocket trumpets are quite poor quality and some (such as Bessons, which tries to pretend it is made
by the more famous brass manufacturer - without the "s" ) even have an identical serial number on each instrument!
If you want to enter the high brass field without spending a fortune then this would be as good a way as any.
Kind regards
Tom
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