Yesterday I visited Hub van Laar to say hello and see what’s new in his shop. I had a concert in Maastricht with the Jazzorchestra of the Concertgebouw so could not resist to visit Hub to check out out his latest models. He was busy making some new instruments for the upcoming ITG so after drinking some coffee he displayed a couple of his latest models.
Some trumpets didn’t have a model number stamped on it so I could try them quite open-minded without prejudice. After playing 10 trumpets there were 2 models I liked the most so I asked Hub what model numbers they should have. One of them was the B7 which I also tested last year and liked very much and the other one was a new prototype of the R3. This trumpet is the next generation of the trumpet I have been playing the last couple of years so I was quite interested in this prototype.
One of the big differences was that it had a straight tube (90 degrees) put on the 2nd valve. All trumpets I know this tube is bend backwards (sometimes forwards) but Hub kept this one straight to get a better air flow. After testing the trumpet a while with a D tuning slide, I put a rounder tuning slide on it and for me it even played better due to the better air flow. I guess I’m used to that because my old model has a reversed leadpipe.
Because I had to play in Maastricht later that afternoon I took the trumpet with me for the rehearsal and concert to test it in the real world to give Hub some feedback and to see for myself if I wanted to order one. I noticed it played very open, it had less resistance and was easier to play due to the better air flow. The sound was a bit brighter, which I was looking for and had a nice sizzle when pushed.
The new R3 is lighter but still has the same Bach 72 like bell. It has a new lighter valve block which Hub took from his C-trumpets, and a new straight 2nd valve tube. The prototype I played didn’t have a reversed leadpipe anymore, like my old trumpet. This all gave the trumpet less resistance but a faster response with a brighter sound. It was very easy to hear myself and blended well with the section. So I was very pleased with this new model.
So after the concert I drove back to Hub to give back him his prototype and ordered one. To be continued…
