I’ve owned my Getzen 3850 for the last 3 and a half years and It has been a pleasure. Because this is my only instrument, I really got to know the instrument inside-out. Also during my time with the 3850 I’ve had the chance to compare it with other instruments and try many different types of mouthpiece combinations.
I’m not simply a trumpet player who plays the cornet once a week or once in a blue moon, the cornet is my main horn and I play it exclusively. I have no desire to play anything but a cornet. The only way I would play a trumpet is for me to get paid, but I don’t mind hearing a well played trumpet.
I checked out a couple of other cornets before I decided on the 3850. In the end, it was the 3850s tone that sold me. Its tone matched the sound concept that I had in my head and all I had to do was just work on the other areas where I was having issues. The main culprit of my problems was the need to fix everything in a hurry, by swapping mouthpieces at an alarming rate. The cornet is the kind of instrument that can trick a potential new cornetist into trying all the tricks in the book in order to get a desired instant result. The problem with this is that there is nothing that is an instant fix with a cornet. You simply must spend time with the instrument before you make any drastic changes to your, equipment, style, approach, and technique. This is a common problem with people who transition from other instruments, and mainly the trumpet. If you plan on ripping off double high Cs, at double forte, you are going to be in for a rude awakening because the cornet is an instrument that requires finesse instead of power in order to make it sing.
After I realized that the mouthpiece safari was hurting my efforts, more than helping, I made the decision to just stick to one mouthpiece no matter what happens. The key to this is again picking the right equipment that can help you accomplish most of what you want to do. Eventually, I chose the Denis Wick 2b and I have been pleased with the results.
When I first received my 3850 I was very impressed with its fit and finish. The horn looked as if it was carved out of a solid piece of brass and it was built like a little tank. The fit and finish was spotless, and because mine was clear lacquer, it looked as it was meant to display in a museum instead of being played. Whenever I play the horn in public the comments are usually about how nice looking the horn is before I would even play a note.
When I bought my cornet I also had a Kanstul Chicago 1001 trumpet that I compared to my cornet immediately.
The first thing I noticed was how heavy the horn was comparison. The Kanstul 1001 felt light as a feather when compared to my 3850. The 3850 does not feel flimsy at all. There have been times when I bumped my cornet into a table or music stands and then frantically searching for any dents, only to not find any at all, to my relief.
One major difference with the getzen 3850 when compared to other cornets is the spit valves. Amado water keys are standard on the 3850 instead of the standard lever type spit valves on most brass instruments. Allot of people hate the amado water keys and complain about them not emptying all the condensation out of the instrument. In fact excess condensation is one of the main gripes about the 3850. I actually like the amado water keys and grown to prefer them over the standard spit valves.
Again this is the only horn I own and I figured out a way to get around the excess water issue. If I want all the water out my horn, I tilt the bell down 45 degrees, at the same time making sure that the amado keys are closer to the ground than any other tubing and press the button and blow air through the horn. With practice I learned to remove all the water.
Getzen is well known for its fantastic valves, and as far as I’m concerned they deserve the reputation. The valves on my 3850 are simply outstanding. At first I thought nothing could beat the valves on my Kanstul but I was totally wrong. This is in no way a negative hit on Kanstul, but the valves on my getzen are just that damn good. The valves on my Kanstul were light and fast, but the Getzen had one extra benefit.… They were insanely smooth and they didn’t make any extra noises, except that pleasing soft thud when they hit the stops on the inside of the top valve caps. The getzen valves felt more substantial whereas the Kanstul valves were so light and fast that they felt as if I were not pressing any valves at all. Also I feel that the 3850 gave more feedback to me as a player. The entire horn seemed to resonate when played.
The 3850 has a smaller bore than allot of other cornets being manufactured today. The bore is .462 However, there are many trumpets and cornets manufactured today that have larger bores than the Getzen 3850. When buying a cornet, one must remember that the bore size is just one of the designs features that affect the way a cornet plays and sounds. You can’t judge how a cornet will play just by bore size and speculation from critics alone. Put the horn to your face and use your own judgment.
When I first bought my cornet I had a 16e Yamaha short shank cornet mouthpiece. The mouthpiece didn’t fit snuggly into the receiver, but with a little scotch tape, I was able to make it fit snug enough to play.
The sound was just so rich and silky and I Was able to make the horn do anything I wanted, but when I played in a live jazz session I couldn’t hear myself. When I tried the 3850 with the Dennis wick 4b clone that came with my 3850 I wasn’t happy with the tone at all but the projection was allot better than the Yamaha. When I played it, my tone was airy and fuzzy and I was exhausted after about five minutes of playing. I didn’t like the wick clone at all. I just couldn’t handle that huge open throat at the time. The horn was so open and free blowing, that I thought my entire face was going to go through the horn and come out of the bell. Today when I play on my Denis Wick 2b I have no problem at all playing above the staff, and the horn just feels perfect for me and what I want to do.
My getzen also features the standard one piece copper bell. The tone I get from my 3850 when I use my wick 2b is just incredible. It can be extremely rich and mellow, but not like a flugelhorn. It can also be brassy without sounding like a trumpet wanna-be. Another thing that I enjoy about my setup is that I have all the power, projection and range that I need. Because I’ve been playing the same mouthpiece for a year I’ve grown into it. The instrument plays evenly and slots very well from pedal F# all the way past high C. The tone is cornetish all the way to the extremes of my range. I personally don’t like to go above high C. Cornets seem to loose their characteristic sound above high C and start sounding more like trumpets unless you use a huge mouthpiece like a wick 2b. Instead of sounding like a screaming cat above high C, my 3850 sounds refined like trained female vocalist.
When I first started to play the wick 2b with my 3850, I noticed that I had a hard time tuning with other people and I had to push my tuning slide almost to the stops in order to tune the horn. Tuning with other people was damn near impossible for me above the staff. Now that my chops are stronger, I have no problems at all with tuning. Also with the added benefit of the first and third valve triggers keeping the 3850 in tune is a non issue. I also like to use the triggers to bend the pitches a little just to add a little subtle spice.
Overall the 3850 is an excellent cornet, and any serious cornet player will be doing themselves an injustice if they do not give one a try. Getzen could have added another 1000 dollars to the price and I still would have bought this cornet.
