I've got the horn - a Courtois that is.

[toppy the tenor]

People.

I recently joined a band and was asked to put away my trusted Sovereign horn and to play the band's Courtois. The whole horn section use them and the tone quality is different..blah...blah...blah.

I have been impressed woth the sound production (a bit brighter than the Sov. but still easy to produce BIG sounds) and the valves are fantastic.

Although I do have a real problem with the slides and tuning. The instruments (all three of them) are incredibly sharp and the build quality (especially on the tuning slides) is terrible.

I was wondering if the 'sharpness' is a generic problem across most Courtois horns or did we just get a dodgy batch? The cornet section also have Courtois' but they are fantastic.

 

[McEuphie]

I played horn for a fair few years before moving to the Euph.

Did you play "sharp" on your Sovereign?

I have not come across a horn yet which is not "sharp" or should I say a horn player who doesn't play sharp!

I always had the tuning slide of my Sov out and 1st and 3rd a bit aswell.

I was lucky enough to try a Courtois for a couple of months and still played sharp. I thought the sound quality just as good as my old Sov but the valves were far superior.

If I were to buy a horn, would seriously consider the Courtois (cheaper than Sov) but would need to try out with band first - if diff horns eg Sovs/Bessons or even Yamahas were about

So, is it the player or the instrument?

My opinion - the player but then if you can hear that your out then you can try to fix it!

Don't know if this has helped but there you go!

Cheers

 

[Moy]

The best advert for Courtois Horns.
Someone from Fodens horn section please come and say how good they are.
As most, if not all of the band play on Courtois.
I know there are Fodens folks on tMP so come on let us know what you think.
When I played Flugel I played the Courtois flugel and thought it was ace. I also had the cornet and liked it.

 

[Dawnys_flug]

The Courtois flugel is ace Moy!
I play it along side a Besson Sovereign horn section and a Smith-Watkins cornet section and it never has any problems with tuning etc.
Its valves are also fantastic as is its intonation!
Our bflat basses are also Courtois and they also don't suffer from any tuning problems either so i wouldn't say that tuning is a typical problem across the Courtois range.
Although i think we should get a Courtois horn player to confirm this :wink:

 

[HBB]

Our Flugal Player swears by the Courtois. It looks nice too.

 

[Moy]

The Courtois flugel is ace Moy!
I play it along side a Besson Sovereign horn section and a Smith-Watkins cornet section and it never has any problems with tuning etc.
Its valves are also fantastic as is its intonation!
Our bflat basses are also Courtois and they also don't suffer from any tuning problems either so i wouldn't say that tuning is a typical problem across the Courtois range.
Although i think we should get a Courtois horn player to confirm this :wink:

I tried the Courtois horn and was disappointed with it....sorry. :cry:

 

[Dawnys_flug]

I tried the Courtois horn and was disappointed with it....sorry. :cry:

Oh dear. Looks like Antoine Courtois can't make Horns as good as he does Flugels!!!

Listen to Moy- she knows what she's on with!!
:wink:

 

[Moy]

I WISH :wink:

 

[Okiedokie of Oz]

The test piece "Orgeon" for Section 3 (C grade OZ) starts oin a horn unison A, then moving to a G. The only horn I've seen thus far that has been able to handle that phrase with good allround tuning was the Yamaha with the trigger on the slide.

 

[Moy]

Yammy with a trigger...must have been added by the player.

 

[daisygemma]

I bought my Courtois horn about a year ago and I love it!

In one band that I play with there's a sovereign, a courtois, a yamaha and a besson 700 series and we don't appear to have any problems.

In the other band I'm against 2 sovs. I've never noticed any probs but Mr PloughBoy may think differently1

 

[Aidan]

when i last played with fodens the horn section had 2 courtois (foxy and janet) and me and martin were on sovs. could have been a 1-off for martin though.
definately agree with McEuphie about horn players playing sharp... its so annoying!!!! I don't play sharp, if I'm out of tune it will usually be flat. Sharp horn players make an awful sound, totally out of character with what the instrument is supposed to be about!
All the players who are regarded as having a great sound (i.e. Sheona, Sandy etc.) are "flat" players as I call them.

 

[Okiedokie of Oz]

I don't know Moira. She was 12 when she started playing it, so I doubt she added it herself. She could've bought it like that 2nd hand, I suppose. All I know was Emma was the only horn in the section capable of easily adjusting her note enough to make Oregon sound halfway decent.

 

[grandfilth]

when i last played with fodens the horn section had 2 courtois (foxy and janet) and me and martin were on sovs. could have been a 1-off for martin though.
definately agree with McEuphie about horn players playing sharp... its so annoying!!!! I don't play sharp, if I'm out of tune it will usually be flat. Sharp horn players make an awful sound, totally out of character with what the instrument is supposed to be about!
All the players who are regarded as having a great sound (i.e. Sheona, Sandy etc.) are "flat" players as I call them.

What the fuck is all of this about players being sharp or flat?!! jesus christ!!And how can an entire instrument be sharp!! Just pull the slide out!! Surely some notes are sharp and some flat.?! Can someone please explain any of this to me i'm incredibly confused!!! O and aidan most the time if i'm out i'd normally be sharp, so what u trying to say!!! However at hepworth we play sharp and i'm pushed all the way in, and so i'm flat sometimes nowadays! please explain!

 

[toppy the tenor]

[All the players who are regarded as having a great sound (i.e. Sheona, Sandy etc.) are "flat" players as I call them.[/quote]

All the great players like Sheona etc can afford to spend weeks with the manufacturers who probably painstakingly check every inch of slide before handing over the finished instrument for the 'maestro' to perform on!

I never said I've always played sharp but I find the Courtois a very different animal to my trusty Sov. I just wanted to know if all Courtois horns had the same problem or mine was just poorly made.

Sorry for the rest of my horn colleagues who have labelled as sharp and untuneful players. Maybe it's time a bit of time and money was spent on improving the current design of horns to try and change the age old problems. Every other instrument seems to have been given fourth valves and triggers so why not ours?

 

[Aidan]

haha meow..
(note to mods: can we please get a tongue in cheek smiley, a handbags smiley and an OTT smiley please... they are needed more than the regular 's)
the "maestros" get the same instruments as everyone else, they are sometimes fixed up and added to though if they have the money or sponsorship (for the record sheona has just sent one back to the factory cos it was poo)

im on about timbres pannel.. not actual pitch. by saying they sound flat i mean they have a very mellow deep timbre to their sound, it was the only way i could describe it... sorry to the millions of horn players who i have apparently offended majorly

 

[grandfilth]

aidan, aidan, aidan......Don't apologise for being annoying.......Its only your nature and you shouldn't apologise for that! Well why didn't you say bright and mellow then?!!You were just confusing this whole issue! I know I got confussed(mind you this isnt too difficult)! I disagree I think that the best players are the ones who when they play their sound ripps your hair out! Its the only way!

 

[livyarker]

I play a courtois horn which i've had for about a year. I have had similar problems sounding very sharp. I have had to pull my slides out so much. I didn't have this problem on my previous instrument. Its something thats imporved overtime i think i've just adapted to it. Whenever i talk to people they always make comments about how its known to be a sharp instrument apparently...???