Posted by Rick Denney on August 10, 2002 at 19:29:40:
In Reply to: Hated my 20J, Blasphemy? posted by Feldspar Slim on August 10, 2002 at 17:11:03:
Well, I have a 20J. I think Steve Marcus's description is best--it's a fun horn to play under certain circumstances.
You used the adhectives warm and fuzzy in reference to 20J nostalgia, but I think it pretty describes how they sound. It's a sound you sink down into, but just as with a warm, fuzzy sofa your back hurts after a while. For playing bass lines in a jazz setting (assuming you get to sit), they work really well, being both bottomless and highly steerable.
But for music that demands a lot of discipline in the sound, it is just too much work for me to control the beastie. This morning, I was practicing some quintet stuff on the F, and played it again on the Conn just because it was sitting there beckoning. It sounded and felt like it was in the next room compared to the little Yamaha. Sousa? Yes. Bach? Absolutely not.
Rick "who played Air and Bourree at contest using a fiberglass King sousaphone" Denney