Clint 'Pops" McLaughlin
Trumpet Herald Posted Sat
Jan 13, 2007
Now There Are Two
Different, Exciting Bb trumpets offered by Flip Oakes !!
By Clint 'Pops' McLaughlin
I had
the pleasure to play one of Flip Oakes’ new Celebration Trumpets for a
couple of weeks.
Before I start let
me say that NOTHING will make me change from my Flip Oakes Wild Thing. I
still stand by everything I said about it in my review.
There is a reason why Bach, Schilke, Calicchio……. All make more than 1
model of trumpet. People like horns to respond in different ways.
Areas like resistance, slotting strength, shading of sound,
projection…. are all factors.
I remember the day when EVERYONE had more than 1 Bb and carried them to
the gig.
Well for this reason Flip has added to his trumpet line.
The new Celebration is what he calls a “Classic” design. It is between
the Wild Thing and a standard Bach in feel.
So those that like the Bach-like feel will LOVE the Celebration.
The RICH sound, core, centering and intonation are nothing short of
wonderful. But I would expect nothing less from something Flip put his
name on.
As with ALL of Flips horns they get the Digital Valve Alignments and
Bore Enhancement Process. My understanding is that it is an all day job
to do these to a horn.
I wish to congratulate Flip for yet another GREAT addition to his
FABULOUS Instrument line.
Check them out at
http://www.FlipOakes.com
Clint 'Pops' McLaughlin
30 Minutes a day to better playing, the book of embouchure pictures and
8 other books at:
http://www.BbTrumpet.com
http://www.TrumpetCollege.com
Best wishes
Clint 'Pops' McLaughlin
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Janet842
Trumpet
Herald Posted Tue Dec 26, 2006
There is a new standard for a versatile all
around professional trumpet and it is Flip Oakes' Celebration. This
trumpet has a gorgeous, bright sound and the interchangeable tuning
slide options Flip offers give this horn a tremendous amount of
flexibility. (You can use any of Flip's 8 different tuning slides with
this trumpet -- the #1 and #2 are included with the Celebration.)
Flip sent one out to me in mid-December and it has now been play tested
in a variety of settings:
In a trumpet quartet, it blended beautifully with the other trumpets.
Those trumpets were: a Bach 180/37, a Bach 72/43, and a Selmer Chorus
80J.
I took the Celebration over to have Lynn Zoric, lead trumpet with the
Colorado Jazz Orchestra play it during one of their performances. The
Celebration again blended beautifully, this time in a 5-trumpet section.
Lynn played his normal double C's range (plus some) on it with no
problem, other than to say he thought he was working too hard to get the
notes and still has his heart set on getting a Wild Thing!
As a solo instrument, the Celebration really shows off it's stuff. It
has a gorgeous, brilliant sound with rich overtones throughout it's
entire range and a depth of resonance you won't find in many pro horns.
It can be played in big bands, small ensembles, in classical music, and
as a solo trumpet -- it's that versatile of a horn! It's very smooth in
all ranges, from bottom F# to however high you can play! And it has the
same dead on slotting and ease of high range as the Wild Thing.
When comparing the Celebration with the Wild Thing:
The Celebration sound seems to project forward more than spreading its
sound in all directions right off the bell, as the Wild Thing does.
(That side spreading sound on the Wild Thing is something you just have
to hear in concert!)
The Celebration has the same great slotting, amazing flexibility, and
wide open high range as the Wild Thing, but it doesn't feel like as big
a bore trumpet as the WT when you play it.
The Celebration requires no adjustment period other than what is typical
when switching horns.
Finally, to answer the ever present question about blending and
comparison with Bach trumpets: you will blend in very well with Bach
trumpets on the Celebration. When playing in ensemble situations, people
won't hear that the Celebration has a richer sound than the Bachs -- it
can blend in without standing out. Its more resonate core will enhance
the overall sound of a group without overpowering it. If you have a solo
within a Bach trumpet ensemble, the tone quality and exceptional
intonation of the Celebration really comes out! The Celebration would be
a great horn for those people who are on the hunt for one of those
one-in-a-thousand (million?) Bach horns that come off the Bach
production line far superior to it's brothers.
So, this is my take on the Celebration. I'll have this Celebration for a
while (long while) so if any players in the Denver area would like to
try a Celebration, PM me. If you like it, you'll have to put in an order
with Flip because you can't take this one with you -- it's now mine!
_________________
Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving
in an attractive, well preserved body–but rather to skid in sideways,
chocolate in one hand, wine in the other, body used up, totally worn out
and screaming "WOO HOO what a ride!"
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crzytptman
Trumpet Herald Posted
Tue Dec 26, 2006
It has a gorgeous,
brilliant sound with rich overtones throughout it's entire range and a
depth of resonance
This is what I look for in any horn I play - I totally agree! I have
recently played a bunch of horns - locally, at Dillon, and at the last
NAMM. The Celebration beat everything I played.
The Celebration sound
seems to project forward more than spreading its sound in all directions
right off the bell, as the Wild Thing does.
As
much of a plus as that "spreading" is to Flip and many players, it's the
one quality that has kept me off of a WT. But to keep it in perspective,
the Celebration still surrounds the audience more than most trumpets -
just not as much as a WT.
Its more resonate core
will enhance the overall sound of a group without overpowering it. If
you have a solo within a Bach trumpet ensemble, the tone quality and
exceptional intonation of the Celebration will just make you sound like
a better player than the rest of the group!
HA
HA! Within reason, I'm sure!
When you resume playing with the group after the solo, the
Celebration once again enhances the sound of the group without letting
on where that support is coming from.
Last week I'm playing lead with a Bach 43 on my left and a Schilke B1 on
my right. Sitting back in the pocket, we're nice and tight and balanced.
But when it's time to drive the band, I easily push right to the front
with a big sound. I don't have to work hard to avoid being covered up,
or have to "cut" through. The horn allows me to play like I want to!
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dcstep
Trumpet Herald
Posted Thu Jan 11, 2007
I
tried Janet's Celebration briefly back in December, when she was still
playing another Oakes Bb and had the Celebration in on audition. I've
also tried a Wild Thing or two.
I must say that I was very positively impressed by the Celebration. It
reminds me of a very excellent Bach 72 and it requires no adjustment
from me to play. The Wild Thing, in contrast, required a different
approach. I suspect that I could have adjusted to the WT given a little
time, but the with the Celebration I could immediately enjoy the rich
character of its brilliant tone and even response.
I have what I consider to be three exceptionally fine trumpets, my '60
Schilke B1, my '57 K-Mod and my '03 Concept TT. I got to these great
trumpets through a ton of searching, a little luck and knowing where to
look. If a trumpeter is looking for a fine trumpet and doesn't have
years to search, including buying and reselling the less than stellar,
but still seeks an exceptional trumpet, then they should seriously
consider the Celebration, IMHO. Someone coming from a typical Bach or
Yamaha will find that the Celebration will suit their blow immediately
and the perceptive will appreciate its rich tonal palette and even
response.
Dave
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Now don't you want to call Flip and order your "Wild
Thing - or Celebration"?
(760) 643-1501
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