My CUSTOMIZED Yamaha Chicago Gen II Bb Trumpet

[@JessicaGarcia-hg8ks]

Fancyyyy. Great video! Can I make a suggestion? Maybe it's personal preference, but I would lower the backing track about 10-20%. Take care!

[@JonTalksTrumpet]

Thanks Jessica!!! Yes I totally agree and will keep that in mind for the next one. :)

[@maxmeszaros9527]

cool video! I would be very appreciative if you could explain (or show) some of the tradeoffs that are made, especially from the pitch finder and vented valve.

[@JonTalksTrumpet]

Yes, absolutely! In future episodes of this series I will do deep dives into each modification and show more trade offs. Glad you enjoyed the video!

[@maxmeszaros9527]

@@JonTalksTrumpet that's awesome, man! glad to hear it

[@cheknfaks]

Secretly Jon is creating a transformer robot out of that Yamaha...soon It will be able do his own videos for him. Smart guy.

[@johnnylow3295]

I love all the videos as I've just started music college and am really starting to nerd out over this stuff - hardcore style! I struggle to use my tuning slide at a higher speeds have you ever encountered someone who has got the 1st and 3rd slide adapted from ring slides to triggers? Thanks in advance. Ps checked out some of the Charlotte symphony brass quintet stuff and really enjoyed it!

[@JonTalksTrumpet]

Glad you enjoy my videos, Johnny!! I am of the opinion that rings and saddles can be operated more smoothly and quickly than triggers actually, and the movement can be more precise with the rings. People think the trumpet only requires 3 fingers, but really there are FIVE if you include the precise movements needed from the first and third valve slides. Demand speed and accuracy from your slide fingers and eventually they will catch up with you. 🤓 good luck! PS - glad you enjoyed the quintet show!!

[@christopherbaldwin8709]

Hi Jon, thanks for your videos, I really enjoy your content! On your advice I just got my Gen II Chicago C vented - wow, so much easier to adjust the third slide ‘on the fly’! Will have my Gen II Chicago Bb vented soon. Can I ask a question - does your Gen II C have a square tuning slide?

[@JonTalksTrumpet]

Hi Chris! So glad you enjoy my videos. I really do enjoy the vented valves so I’m glad you are finding them useful. For many years I played the semi rounded Gen II slides that came with my horns and was happy with them, but about a two months ago I did get my hands on some Gen III slides (which are square shaped) for both Bb and C and have been experimenting with them. Unfortunately I don’t have the pitchfinders attached to the new ones yet but I also am not 100% decided on which I prefer. It will depend on how it operates in the orchestra whenever we go back to something that resembles normal operations.

[@christopherbaldwin8709]

@@JonTalksTrumpet thanks for your reply Jon! I asked because I used to work at a music store and when the Gen III C came in I really liked it but found it hard to justify upgrading from my Gen II, but I found swapping the slides over made some improvement so I bought a Gen III slide. A few months on I’m still going back and forward between them. For me, I feel like the round slide is more open, slightly warmer in sound, however the articulations aren’t as crisp. The square slide seems to give the notes more pop, but I’m not sure whether I like the added resistance in the high register. What have you found going between the two?

[@Villemtiits]

Cool video! I hadn’t heard anything of vented valves or main tuningslide triggers. Do you happen to own or have owned a trumpet with a tunable bell and came across the sound post concept? All the best and looking forward to your next video!

[@JonTalksTrumpet]

So glad you enjoyed it! I have an entire video devoted to main tuning slide triggers as well - kzbin.info/www/bejne/p3-YdZ2nhL9ggqM In that video you’ll see I have a tunable bell G/F trumpet (Yamaha 9710). Tunable bells don’t have as many firm connections to the bell which in my experience typically makes the trumpet get a bit bright when played loudly, but the benefit of the tunable bell is the taper of the leadpipe from the mouthpiece to the valve casing is not interrupted by a gap or cylindrical section. For my Eb I have a fixed bell, a Yamaha 9636 Eb/D, which I think holds together very well at high volumes due to its number of fixed braces between the bell and the valve casing.

[@davidpuchkoff4300]

Nice video and explanation Jon. What was the ballpark price for venting the 3rd valve?

[@JonTalksTrumpet]

At the time I had it done (2018) the valve venting was only about $40. Of course he may have changed his pricing a bit since then, but it was very affordable considering the utility.

[@jatym8023]

What if you had a carbon fiber bell too? I feel like it might balance out the weight a little

[@JonTalksTrumpet]

Hey Jatym! I see what you mean, but actually, for my uses, a carbon fiber bell would be TERRIBLE! My main job is to blend as easily as possible with my section mates in the orchestra, so to use a trumpet bell with such different sound characteristics would make my job way more difficult. Also, none of these customizations add as much weight as a carbon fiber bell would remove, leaving a lighter overall horn than is appropriate for my uses.

[@andycormier2475]

I played a friend's Chicago Gen II C trumpet once, and all I could say was FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK. By FUCK, I mean it was such a beautifully awesome horn.

[@JonTalksTrumpet]

I definitely love mine! We’ve been happily together for 8 years!!! 🤓💍🎺

[@captainkronker3985]

I cant get the vented thing cause my slide is way to movable. If I hold down the third valve it just moves if it’s pointed downwards

[@JonTalksTrumpet]

Whether you get a vented valve or not, you should consider using a hair band or elastic to hold the slide in if you don’t have a third slide stopper!

[@captainkronker3985]

@@JonTalksTrumpet I do have a slide stoper it’s just it gets dented cause I always push it out. It happened with my last trumpet