Hi William, There are good Vienna horns available but you have to look for them. I would not rule out a GOOD used horn just as I would not rule out a GOOD old 8D.
IMHO, it must be very hard to make a good Vienna horn because I have played very few that I would plunk down the money for. I have a Yamaha YHR-801 which is a marvelous horn. The horns I would look for are (in no particular order): Pizka - available new and one of the best. Yamaha - can be ordered new, try to find an old one. Jungwirth - one of the best new horns. Engel - no longer made, find an EARLY example. Alexander - new available and some good ones, play before buying. Other makes to consider: Atelier Harlow - made in Tokyo, I don't know about the quality. Ankerl - Viennese, old horns available, play before buying. Genossenschaft - old horns, play before buying. Jiracek - new horns available, play before buying. My experience is that the Vienna horn is difficult to play partly do to very few good horns available and be aware that above the staff there are some "nonstandard" fingerings like 23 for hi C. Expect to play a bunch before you find an example that you are happy with. IMHO, the best new horns available today are the Pizka, Jungwirth and Yamaha. Disclaimer - Since I have a good horn I don't keep close tabs on the Vienna horn market so some of the above information may be out of date, I may have forgotten some makes .... and ... your mileage may vary. Hope this helps. Regards, Jerry in Kansas City _______________________________________________ post: [EMAIL PROTECTED] set your options at http://music.memphis.edu/mailman/options/horn/archive%40jab.org
