Featured Review - Getzen 3850 cornet

Model: Getzen 3850
Finish: Lacquer
Mouthpieces: Sparx 2C

Build Quality / DesignLike the Mike Vax series trumpet, the quality and fit and finish of this cornet is beautiful. I tried a silver plated version, but ended up going with the lacquer finish version, with the copper bell. The copper bell is a beautiful contrast to the lacquer and nickel finish. The style reminds me of my Getzen “Copra Temp” super deluxe from the 1960s. Unlike the Mike Vax, it does have amado water keys, and has an extra one in the last turn before entering the 3rd valve. Slides are awesome as smooth as always. The first and third triggers help on intonation and are very easy and comfortable. Again, tried a few different professional cornets, and this cornet plays better than some of the more expensive shepherd crook cornets out there. (Besson, Schilke, Bach, Kanstul) A great performer at a great price. Getzen case is good, but kind of has a tight fit when the cornet is inside. Makes me think if the latch failed it would pop right open. I’m figuring that over time the inside of the case will compress down a little.

Intonation /Tone / Sound
I tried out the Lacquer, Silver plated versions. I ended up with the Lacquer version, as I though it had the "darkest" tone on any of the two I played. Might just be physcialogical, but it does seem to sound darker to me. Have now played a few concerts with this horn, and really like the dark sound in Sousa/Clarke type arrangements. I did try a few different mouthpieces with it, and ended up with my Sparx 2 mouthpiece to get the fullest sound with this cornet. A very full sound, and very classic cornet sound at least for me.


Overall
A 9.0 out of 10. Would have a perfect 10, except for the valve issue that I had due to the red rouge gunk in the horn that my local store fixed. Overall, this was the fullest sounding cornet that I was able to find during my searching over the past 2 months. Intonation is very good in all registers – when not the 1st and 3rd valve triggers take care of that. As I stated in my other review of my Mike Vax trumpet, this further reinforces my belief in sticking with a great horn manufacturer. As other US horn makers go to China (over there striking work force) – it keeps reminding me to deal with a small, family owned and operated business. Finally, this was a great early Father’s Day present, but now my wife (also a trumpet player) now wants to use it in the same concert. Imagine having to switch horns with your wife during a concert…

Finally, don’t think this horn is outrageously expensive. Do yourself a favor and call around to find the pricing on this cornet. It was not nearly as expensive as I thought it would have been.

I would recommend anyone looking for a new cornet, try this one out.

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