Posted by Dale on January 28, 2002 at 12:07:26:
nice-sounding little f 4-banger,
1650/offer "must sell" kinda quick
This Ziess was made by Cerveny and is pretty much the same type open-4th valve f they sell now. Its a GREAT horn for high orchestra stuff like the Berlioz Benvenutto Cellini Overture my Saratoga Symphony did last year.
This Ziess is a nice little f, and I like it's sound and playing characteristics better than a lot of older f's which can cost like near a thousand bucks more. I bought it from Ike Harris (another Tubenet BBS'er) in the Nashville area last year. Chuck Jackson (another BBS'er)in Las Vegas plays one just like it also, he had Lee Stoffer put a 5th valve on it and is really happy with his. To use words others have used about this style horn, it does have some oinky notes around the Dflat C and B below the bass staff, my guess is thats why Chuck put a 5th valve on his? Anyways, for people who insist on using big mouthpieces intonation is funny sometimes, but with a properly-selected SMALL mouthpiece it is a very adequate first f with a different-enough character of sound that (for example) if you're a student in a big school studio you WILL be asked to use it in high orchestra stuff. There is no case for it, nor a gig bag, I generally use Amtrak for shipping, and at this price I am really a little leery about "trial periods" and the like. Like the web page said, a little attention to cleaning and a proper solder repair to a weak ferrul (the one right after the valve body, before the tuning slide), maybe even a 5th valve if you want to experiment with getting better low range, and it'll serve really well as a first f on a budget. I'm getting anxious to sell, am open to offers, you can talk with your teacher at school about it and see what they think, also if you have any other questions or want some additional referral to the horn, I'll be happy to reply!