Bach: Although Yamaha has made some inroads, Bach trumpets are still the leading orchestral horns in the United States, played in most large professional orchestras and dominate high school and college ensembles. The Bach 180S-37 is the most common. It is medium large bore, in silver, with the most popular and versatile bell, the 37. My guess is that it outsells all other Bach models combined.
The Bach that I personally prefer is the Bach LR 180S-37, which has the same bell, but has a lightweight body (for more responsiveness) and a reversed leadpipe (for a slightly more open blow). If one of those is around, it would be worth playing. Bach makes many other different models with a dizzying combinations of weights, bell shapes and materials, lead pipes, etc., but if it isn't in stock, any specific special request usually meets a long waiting list and long delay. You could graduate first. Bach made and sold up to 20,000 mass produced Stradivarius trumpets each year through most of the 70s, 80s, and 90s, which resulted in some inconsistency among the same models and poor quality control. One always ran the risk of getting a barking dog from Bach, though Bach's best horns are very good indeed. It is perhaps more important with Bach than other brands, that one actually play the horn before buying it. It is even better to have several horns of the same model to try, so that one can pick the best. Historically this has made it a little risky to buy via mail order or online, at least from the larger retailers.
Bach has made lots of mediocre horns and if you are a high school kid is Sunflower Seed, Kansas, you might get one of those from the big mail order houses. In April 2006, the Bach factory went on strike. The factory was reorganized without the union in 2008, and prices greatly increased. New Bach Strads are currently priced between $2250 and $2350 in silver, the most expensive of the dozen recommended horns, more than the consistently higher quality handmade Schilkes and Kanstuls. It will be interesting to see over the next few years whether Bach's market share dips because of the much higher prices. It will also be interesting to see if Bach quality and consistency improve after the recent cataclysmic changes--the early reports are that they have.
Source:dallasmusic.org
