Etude ETR-100 Trumpet review, part 3

Well it's been a couple of weeks since I wrote about the Etude trumpet. On December 10th I played a four hour gig using this instrument. Bottom line: an excellent trumpet for the money. Having known people in the band instrument business for years, admitting that you bought a new trumpet for less than $400 was admitting that you had an affinity for buying junk. I'm sure there are some bargain brand imports that may be a crap-shoot, but the Etude is surprisingly good. I don't recommend that you replace your Bach Strad with it, but the Etude would definitely make starting out on trumpet much more affordable than what many of us may have been accustomed to.

One concern that many music dealers will express over such an instrument is that they probably won't work on it if it breaks. This instrument probably won't fall apart on its own. Now if your little 11 year-old drops it or gets the mouthpiece stuck, there are basic repairs that most any repairman can do, such as re-solder joints or roll out dents. I just don't see this instrument needing repairs due to pieces falling apart on their own, though.

Etude ETR-100 Trumpet review, part 2

I took the Etude trumpet to a choir concert the other night. I only had to play a couple of brief Christmas carols, so I thought it might be a low-pressure occasion to perform on it. My first observation was that the trumpet didn't blow as freely as my Benge or Blessing. Also, it seemed like the instrument didn't have much tuning slide to give to play in tune. I guess what I'm saying is that it was only pulled out about half as much as I normally pull out on my main axes. The no-name mouthpiece probably was a factor in how the trumpet felt that night.

Last night I pulled it out again and ran through some technical exercises. I have a Jet Tone Merian mouthpiece that I really like, so I gave that a spin with the Etude. I remember back in college when it seemed like everyone looked down their noses at the mere mention of Jet Tone. I thought Jet Tones were like pea-shooter, screech mouthpieces, but this Merian is not like that at all. I call it my "toilet bowl" because it looks like the inside of one. It is by no means is a screech mouthpiece; rather, it is very open feeling and fun to play on. In fact, I used it with my Blessing ML-1S at a recent symphonic band concert and loved how it felt and played.

So I decided to put the Jet Tone on my etude and practice a while. Once again, it felt real nice, the mechanics of the horn were excellent, plus the tone was very pleasant. I must say that this has been a fun experience because I have not been disappointed.

Tonight I have a gig and I'm definitely going to try it out. I really feel that this will give me a chance to get a true sense of the instrument's strengths and weaknesses. Let's see what happens!

Blowing off some steam with a trumpet review

So I was going to do this pretty large notation project for my wife, spent about six intense hours working on it, and it crashes! I have had similar software glitches before, but this one really got to me. Oh well, that's life. If that's the worst of my problems, I'm doing pretty good.

Yesterday UPS brought me a Christmas present, of sorts. Back on Black Friday I was surfing the net and came across a Chinese-made trumpet for sale at Musicians Friend. They were running a sale on it for $99 (regularly $149), plus I got an $8 promotional discount and free shipping. So, for $91 I got a brand-spankin' new trumpet delivered to my doorstep. The trumpet brand is Etude and the model is ETR-100. It is a very pretty instrument and seems to closely resemble a Chinese-made herald trumpet I bought at Sam Ash a couple of years ago. The only quirky thing is that the case it comes in does not close unless the main tuning slide on the trumpet is pushed all the way in.

All right, so let me see if I can come up with a long-term test ride of my new Etude...

When I got the trumpet out for the first time, the valves were already working fairly well and the 1st and 3rd valve slides moved freely. The finish of the instrument is seemingly outstanding and workmanship appears fine. It feels a touch on the light side, so I am assuming that the brass may be thinner than an experienced trumpet player would expect. If this were in the hands of an 11 year-old beginning band student, that thin metal might show its wear and tear quicker than other brands, but that's just my opinion.

The trumpet also came with a shiny, no-name mouthpiece that actually feels pretty good on my lips. I'm going to practice with this mouthpiece today, so I should pretty quickly be able to give a preliminary analysis on how it responds to my playing style.

I didn't have a lot of time to do extensive playing on my Etude yesterday, but the playing I did felt good. I have played many years on various Bach Strads, a Benge, and even a Blessing, and you know this Etude didn't feel half bad at all! The valves worked well, the instrument responded positively, and it felt comfortable to blow. The only thing I thought I noticed was that a second ledger line D sounded a little flat. Other than that, I was having fun playing my
"cheapie".

I want to report back on how this trumpet works out, so let's see if I do more than give this review more than just lip-service. A lot of complaints about Chinese instruments are that they fall apart or need maintenance and no parts are available. Hopefully I can avoid damaging this trumpet, because I'd really like to see if it has long-term staying power through normal use. I'm betting the lacquer might show some wear faster than other brands, but again, that's just guessing. Chinese stuff will surprise you how good it's getting.

OK, now I feel less stressed about my notation project that went up in smoke, plus I've got the first entry in my Etude ETR-100 trumpet review. Let's see how this goes...

Where did the time go?

This evening at Williams Stadium in Garland, Texas my old alma mater--North Garland High School--will do their usual Friday night thing in the fall, namely play football. Only tonight, though, my classmates from 1981 will assemble and begin a two-day reunion celebrating 30 years since we graduated. I'm not sure how many will make it because I won't be in attendance myself. I've kicked the thought around quite a bit of showing up, but I will be going to Garland in just three weeks to celebrate Grannis' (my grandmother) 90th birthday, so I decided to not make the 1200 mile roundtrip. So I guess if I try to go next time, I'll be 58! Holy guacamole!

So where did the time go?

Well for starters, I have been here in Presidio since 1987. That's 24+ years and counting, meaning that over half my life I've been way out in West Texas. And that's cool because time has just flown by.

What pappened to 2010?

Hey, my apologies to anyone expecting to find something Presidio-related on this page during 2010. What can I say? It's been a great year in Presidio; time flies when you're having fun.

We're almost to November, and what a beautiful Fall it's been. Of course, Fall in Presidio is like late summer in most other places. The mornings are mild and afternoons are still quite warm. But it's usually around this time of the year when we get our first cold snap, so don't be surprised when that happens. On the plus side, Presidio winters are almost an oxymoron. If it doesn't get above 70 F on a January afternoon, that's a chilly day.

Presidio got a new, state-of-the-art sulfur-sodium battery this year (for power outages), along with many new paved streets. We're gettin' there...

On the down side in "things Presidio" I keep watching and waiting for a hopeful sign of Mexico to turn the corner with its internal issues. At least for right now, gone are the days when you could travel Mexico with hardly a care. In the past I ventured into rural areas where most tourists wouldn't think about going. Now even I am nervous. It's not really the cartels that I worry about, because I am of no value to them. It's the lower-tier criminal element who have been emboldened by the general chaos to prey upon others through kidnapping, extorting, and being a general pain in the ass to the populace. It's really unfortunate.

Any up for a bike ride on a sunny Sunday afternoon?

In the Devils' house

Presidio is enjoying an entertaining high school basketball seaon this year. The boys are right in the hunt, and the girls are competitive more often than not. The basketball program is well-coached and the teams are loaded with outstanding players and lots of heart. Going to see the Blue Devil teams play is definitely the most sought-after ticket when the teams are in town.

Part of this year's excitement is the addition of a school pep squad and pep band. When these spirit groups get revved up, the electricity starts to buzz, and the Blue Devils seem to take their game to the next level. It's a different feel because Presidio fans aren't used to being rowdy unless the refs make a questionable call. But now they're learning the art of how to get inside the visiting teams' heads, and it makes for great fun.

Trash in the news

Slow news day, I'm afraid.

First, some non-trash related news. Evidently an individual representing a national chain hotel was in town surveying the landscape for a possible new location here. Presidio really misses out on a lot of tourist hotel stays simply because our current offerings aren't that great. Let's see if anything comes of this business visit.

Probably the biggest news recently is that Presidio will end its contract with Duncan Disposal in April and begin trash pick-up with city-owned equipment immediately thereafter. Solid waste disposal is a headache for cities, and it's a financial pain in the bee-hind for customers. Due to rising prices being charged by commercial trash-haulers, the city opted to give the service a "go." It won't necessarily result in trash fees going lower, but maybe they won't head for the stratosphere quite so fast, either. Another very important consideration will be that the money spent on solid waste disposal may now re-circulate within town.

Finally, a commentary on trash. Presidio has a significant litter problem. Just about everywhere you look, there is either trash on the ground or plastic bags hanging from mesquites. Sadly, I think we locals have just become jaded to this reality. If everyone would just get out and clean up their property from time to time, this blight would cease. The reality is that we will need a coordinated campaign to clean up our town, and guess who's headed to city hall on Tuesday to get this ball rolling...