Edwards

Tim Heston from thefabricator.com recently interviewed Christan for a podcast on metal fabrication in brass instrument manufacturing. Soundtrack provided by Joe Alessi.

Michael and Kelly Clobes recently added a 7.14 oz. little girl named Morgan to their family. Congratulations!

Edwards trumpet artist Paul Tynan has recently completed his second album with Aaron Lington. From the record label:

“The brainchild of Nova Scotia-based trumpeter Paul Tynan and baritone saxophonist Aaron Lington from the San Francisco Bay Area, the Bicoastal Collective is a select grouping of musicians from across the U.S. and Canada. Chapter Two finds the ensemble in a quintet setting exploring improvised music inspired by the British Isles. England’s eastern coast folk melodies and their treatment in composer Ralph Vaughn Williams’ early 20th-century works, are adapted by Lington into his suite, The Ravenspurn Collection, and Tynan adds three compositions to the recording with two inspired by his own Irish roots. With a purely North American jazz aesthetic, the Collective here give new life to ancient voices.”

Purchase Chapter Two

Summer is an extremely busy time at Edwards. Since most people are out of school (and because Wisconsin is beautiful in summer), fitting appointments fill up quickly. To ensure your desired day and time, be sure to request an appointment 2-3 weeks in advance. You can do that by using our form or calling us at (800) 562-6838.

Before booking your trip, read our Visiting Us page to help plan your visit (best hotel rates, eating options, transportation, recreation, etc.).

See you soon.

Christan

This post’s title should be screamed like Kirk screamed Khan in Star Trek II. Because that’s how much we hate spam.

Recently, our Google spam filters have grown a little overzealous. As a result, many contact/order/appointment submissions were sent to Christan’s spam folder. He’s sorting it all out now. We apologize for the inconvenience.

May the 4th be with you.

In April of 2000 I first visited Edwards for a T350. Previously I had canceled a few appointments to visit, but finally did show up.

And boy was I glad I did.

That day was amazing and overwhelming as Christan fit me to a trombone that I still play and love to this day. What I never imagined that day was the door that was opened and the great friendship I was in for. After mountain biking with Christan during the summer the opportunity came to work here part-time while finishing my undergrad at UW-Whitewater. After graduation it was a natural progression as Edwards became my home.

At just shy of 10 years with Edwards the amount of great musicians and people I have had the pleasure of fitting makes me smile. I appreciate your trust in us. There are so of many of you that have shaped my life and kept me coming back every day. But let’s face it, playing with trombones and trumpets all day can’t be all work! Some days I would come home and tell my wife about my day. The common response was “Do you actually work at work?”

What will be the most lasting and hardest to leave is all the friends I have worked with. Their kindness, knowledge and generosity of their lives is very humbling.

Thank you all, most especially Christan.
You have been a great friend, mentor and incredibly patient boss. (Let’s continue the first two!)

Wednesday April 7th will be my last day playing with trombones and trumpets. I am off to different pastures and new challenges. I know the future here is in great hands with many new things to come.

Hopefully I will cross paths at gigs(if I write this, then maybe I will practice more) with some of you. I leave you with something that was posted here once before. It is one of my favorite thank you gifts we have received and it is from the trombone extraordinaire, eccentric, avant-garde, super-duper guy Brian Allen entitled “Domogriego”

Listen! (3.9 MB)

I recently just returned from Tuscaloosa, AL where Edwards exhibited at The Trumpet Festival of the Southeast hosted by Eric Yates and the U of Alabama.

Great festival where I was able to attend a great performance by Phil Smith and hang with some very fine musicians. Thanks to everyone who came out and tried our trumpets!

Whenever we travel for shows and conventions we always try to eat locally. What I mean by that is to make every attempt to avoid any franchise or chain restaurant. Not only does this support more of the local economy, but the food is almost always better. Hey if we expect you to support the little guy, we need to as well.

So here is how I do it. In the past I have always asked the hotel clerk, but after some bad meals I find that they may not always have the best taste. So instead I go to Google Maps and find my hotel. Once there I use the Search Nearby. Then I proceed to type in what I am looking for. In Tuscaloosa I was looking for BBQ! Once you enter that in the closest places pop up. You can then sort by how stars the restaurants have and also read local reviews. There is a plethora of info on each place.

So where did I eat?

• Mike & Ed’s BBQ
  No atmosphere, didn’t pretend it needed it. I had the Pork plate with Potato Salad(German Style). Came with pickles and two slices of white bread. Great sauces, I mixed and combined the Spicy and Sweet. Speaking of sweet, their Sweet Tea is great! I regret not taking a bottle of their sauce home with me.
• Los Tarascos
  I realize this is not BBQ, but I have a spot in my heart for Mexican food. Set in a strip mall, the atmosphere is decorated with Mexican art but overall nothing but functional. First of, great salsa! Nice mix of cilantro and various spices. Hard time not just eating the chips and salsa for dinner. At the advice of the waiter I ordered what I remember to be #51. Comprised of small fajitas with guacamole, sour cream, lettuce and carrots. Tasty dish, but not easy to eat. Good food, but maybe not a destination type place.
• Full Moon BBQ
  I was unable to take in the atmosphere of this Tuscaloosa classic as I trying to squeeze this in between packing the show back up and the Phil Smith concert. Drive-Thru! I ordered the pork plate with fries and baked beans for sides. Sauce was just right amount of tang, but plenty of sweet. The fries and beans migrated into the sauce and that was just great! Nothing beats a belly full of BBQ and listening to one of the world’s best trumpet players!
• Chuck’s Fish
  This place was the hang after the Phil Smith concert. Being still full from the Full Moon BBQ I was reluctant, but then Rebecca Wilt informed me that they had great sushi! Big place, separate room for parties which had a jazz combo playing. Upon asking the waitress for recommendations we learned of a sushi roll that was off menu. Called the Screaming O…” it was a great mix of avocado, grilled tuna and various other items that I forget. Expensive little roll, near $13, but after finishing it, it was worth every penny.

Now you know how we gain a few extra pounds on each trip.

Keep this blog in mind and support your local businesses!

We appreciate your business as do all independents.

If you have submitted one of our contact/order/rma forms and have not heard back from us in a timely fashion, we aren’t ignoring you! Our spam filters have been working overtime lately and we’ve been finding quite a few emails in spam folders.

Please feel free to call to tell us that you emailed and did not hear a response. We’ll then be able to find your email and answer all of your trombone/trumpet questions.

Many of you have taken advantage of our two week trial period to zero in on the best components for your Edwards. However, a few of you have returned products that aren’t quite perfect. In those instances, we have to charge you for damages. Some of the most common issues are the result of fast mute changes, careless instrument stand usage, poor packaging, and finger rings coming in contact with nicely finished brass surfaces.

We really don’t enjoy charging customers for scratches and dents, so please take care to baby your horn during the two week trial. And do a thorough once-over before sending anything back to us (we do the same thing as soon as we open the box). If you’re like us, you don’t like surprises on your credit card bill.

We want to work with you but can not be responsible for damaged items that are returned to us.

Listening to stereo recordings is not just a hobby for me, but a passion. Unfortunately, I don’t have enough time to do it as much as I’d like.

Recently, a friend of mine fired up a small pair of speakers. Within a few seconds I could hear that they were ported — the bass was a bit loose and undefined. There was a boost in the lower sound spectrum that was louder than the mids and uppers. That was my initial assessment. Then my friend spoke up and said, “Doesn’t that sound warm?” I agreed with him, but then I started thinking about working with customers, and not just the brass players I see every day.

When I was younger, I used to sell home and car stereo equipment. I did lots of speaker tests with customers. I would usually start by discussing their wants and needs. This would normally lead me to recommend that we find a speaker setup that had equal balance of lows to mids to highs. Each customer would nod enthusiastically and say, “that’s exactly what I want.”

Then the testing would begin…

Many speakers sound “real” in that they accurately reproduce the sounds of drums, pianos, brass instruments, etc. Articulation is clean and even in all registers. When listening to these speakers, these same customers would gravitate away from these setups and would end up going for equipment that was geared towards the lower end of the sound spectrum as they heard this as having “warmth”. Focus would be lost and I would hear the nebulous nature of the sound.

Usually this customer would leave with something quite different than what they initially said they wanted. They loved the sound and that’s the most important thing. But it got me thinking…

• What has the individual been exposed to for equipment/sound?
• How has this skewed their impression of sound/feel?
• Do these influences enable him/her to make the “right” decision?

If a person has never had great equipment (either trombone/trumpet or stereo) then their ears may only be used to processed cheese and not 12-year-old aged cheddar.

I’m not saying it’s not cool to have fundamental (lows) in the sound, but it is also important to have the mids and high overtones to let the sound project cleanly and clearly. Clarity can be compromised by going to an instrument that is fundamental heavy. This type of equipment can override all other sound colors. Warmth and richness are important but should be a part of the overall sound — not the only component. It can also be stated that if clarity is the only thing sought after then the sound can become sterile and brittle in nature.

A decade or two ago people only played heavy bells and slides. A few years later, many complained that these instruments required too much work, that they were colorless and one dimensional. Today people are gravitating back to lighter equipment that allows them more artistic freedom with the full palate of sound colors that are available.

I once heard a tuba player say that you should “play the lightest equipment that you can play dark on.” It’s a great statement because, if the advice is followed, a player will have much more success coloring the sound when needed.

So when you’re play testing new horns, think about…

• Your colleagues. Pick an instrument that will complement their sounds.
• Your hall. That deep chocolate sound that sounds so great at 2 feet may not be what’s needed on the mezzanine. (Record yourself if you don’t believe me!)
• Your future. Where will you be in 5 years? Will your current setup work for you then?

The end goal is always artistic freedom. Just know that we will always search for the sound that fits you and has the best balance of warmth and clarity.