1/2
Bert Lochs
Dutch Jazz Trumpet Player
When my old Couesnon Monopole Conservatoire started to give up on me, I had to decide which bugle to choose to replace this classic. Nothing came anywhere near it for sound, until I discovered Hub’s bugles.
I was immediately sold and bought one at once. It is so much easier to play than the Couesnon. I have never had better intonation on a bugle and instead of one type of sound, I can colour the sound from very dark to almost trumpet-like bright. No other bugle has that. I now play on a B2.
While trying out the bugles, I also tried out several trumpets, which was something I shouldn’t have done, because it was not so much a question of whether I wanted a Van Laar trumpet, but how soon.
The melodious tone which you have to work so hard to achieve on many trumpets is the basic sound of a Van Laar. Initially, I went for a B5, a real all-round trumpet, but when I first played my present B8 (still in raw brass), I knew that this was my trumpet. Darker than the B5, but for me slightly more open and easier to play. Also a very rich range of tones, just like the bugle, from muffled dark to unexpectedly bright and big. For the first time in years, I enjoy playing a ballad on the trumpet. What’s more, they naturally look fantastic, both in brushed gold. Perfect finishing and friendly, good service from Hub and Heidrun if you want to try something or make an adjustment make the experience complete. Class!
