4BR Roadtest: Walstein instruments
23-Nov-20074BR has had its hands on a batch of new instruments from Walstein to see if you can really get such a great instruments for the money.
Introduction:
For those people who fret and worry about the pernicious effects of globalisation the news that China is now producing just about every form of consumer item under the sun from Guava face rub cleanser to brand name trainers tends to raise a few eyebrows in the Guardian newspaper reading fraternity.
China is the new face of consumer led industrialisation, a country of such vast human resources that production is cheap and plentiful. It has also led to accusations of exploitation and disregard to basic human rights, but it is easy to try and pinpoint all the rampant evils of capitalism on their doorstep. China is not alone – take the United Arab Emirates and the construction workers of Dubai for instance.
What it has meant though is that traditional manufacturing production bases have moved – invariably from Europe to the East and China has become the new hub of large scale manufacturing production - brass instruments included.
That isn’t a bad thing per se, as long as the ethical side of the means of production are observed. The result is of course cheaper consumer goods and for brass players, cheaper instruments.
Brass instruments are fast becoming the new ‘white’ consumer goods – Why spend top dollar on an instrument when you can get something for a third of the price, which still makes you sound the player you really are, and in a few years you can take it down to ‘Cash Converters’ and use the money to buy another one with all the latest gadgets on.
Quality has been something of a problem with instruments from this part of the world in the past (as well as poorly controlled copyright issues), but given that customers the world over are now demanding ever more for their money, those who try to sell cheap tack are being found out. There is of course a demand for goods at the very bottom of the market place, but it is in the highly competitive ‘middle’ market sector that price allied to quality sorts out the best from the rest.
It is into that particular market that the Walstein brand has appeared. It may sound European but it is made in China by Chinese workers and shipped over to the UK to be sold.
Woodwind and Brass
Woodwind & Brass state they have kept a very close eye on the production so that there is no worker exploitation and encouragingly the company is very open and transparent about it all, with regular visits to check on the facilities.
We’ve had our hands on five of the instruments from Woodwind & Brass (www.woodwindandbrass.co.uk) that they retail under the Walstein mark; Walstein cornet model cr-lq; Walstein cornet model cr-sp2; Walstein flugel fl-g in gold plate; Walstein flugel model fl-p, and Walstein trumpet model tr-l.
Marks as usual out of 25 for each category with the total out of 100.
This is what we thought of all five:
Walstein cornet cr-lq
Build Quality/Design:
The most surprising thing about this cornet is the build quality and design – and we are talking about both being very good, especially when you consider that you can pick one of these up for under 200 nicker.
The overall lacquer finish of this cornet is excellent. It has traditional shepherd’s crook design and the monel centre sprung valves are pretty good in stainless steel. As its designed as an entry level instrument has 1st and 3rd slide throws that move very smoothly and freely with a 3rd slide screw stop to deter any enthusiastic slide work ending in a damaged slide and a very upset young cornettist!
All the little bits and bobs, such as waterkeys, valve tops etc fitted snugly and were sturdy and the instrument had a nice lightweight feel in the hand and was well balanced too. The 11.73 mm medium bore is just right for young players and the braces and struts are sturdy enough to ensure that damage limitation is kept to a minimum if little Bobby decides to throw it on the settee after practice!
Overall: Practical, well put together and neatly designed: 20
Ease of Blowing/Tone:
This instrument plays very well – again, considering the price. It has a rich tone and is very easy blowing. You are not looking for something that makes the young player sound like Maurice Murphy so bear that in mind, but it produces a well-centred sound that is warm and vibrant.
Do get rid of the mouthpiece though – it’s terrible. Get a decent one and the instrument does sound so much better. It’s a pity that given the time and effort that has gone into the build and design of this instrument that it would be let down by something you can get for £20.
Overall: Pretty good as long as you just dip into the pocket money and invest in a decent mouthpiece to go with it: 19
Intonation:
The 1st and 3rd slides cope easily with any usual low D/Db problems and are close enough to the valves for a young player with small hands to manage. There is some sharpness in upper register, but them again, remember that you are not going to get even the most talented young player sounding like Arturo Sandoval are you now?
Overall: Does what it needs to do well enough and does encourage the player to experiment easily to solve intonation problems that may arise: 19
Overall Value for Money:
Superb value at £189.00, (the silver plated version comes in at £209.00) this is a great starter instrument that plays well and is well constructed.
What is does need though is a name – calling it a Walstein cr-lq doesn’t give it much street cred and makes it hard to remember when you go into the shop to try and order one.
On the plus side the instrument also comes with a decent case that is well padded. There are rucksack straps too so the kids can sling it over the shoulders to carry to school – cool that. On the minus side, the small zipped pouch won’t hold a lot of music though and the mouthpiece is worth scrap value only.
Most importantly though it will look the part at school band under the spotlight!!
Overall: Impressive or what? 20
Overall Score:
Build Quality/Design: 20
Ease of Blowing/Tone: 19
Intonation: 19
Value for Money: 20
Model cr-lq Brass Lacquer Bb Cornet
11.73mm bore - 119mm bell;
Gold Brass Body and hand hammered bell;
Monel Metal Valves;
First valve slide hook, Third valve slide ring;
Two water keys;
Medium cup Mouthpiece;
Black hard cordura covered case with rucksack straps, plush black fitted interior, zipper opening.
One year standard warranty.
Woodwind & Brass Price: £189.00 / Euro 279.72 / $321.70 (Including VAT at 17.5%)
Walstein cornet cr-sp2
Build Quality/Design
What a cracking instrument to look at. On the face of it this cornet looks as if it would cost around the £1000+ mark. At about 40% of that figure it has to be good value doesn’t it?
On closer inspection the quality of the silver plating is excellent and the fashionable gold plated valve top/ bottoms and tuning slides give it a very attractive finish – and look and feel as if they won’t melt in your sweaty hands. The little bits and bobs of instrument furniture are neatly made, with the waterkeys sturdy, the braces well positioned and the trigger feeling as if they won’t fall apart on the first misplaced yank on a bottom C#.
The design looks familiar though – very familiar to those who have played on a Yamaha in the past. There are differences however to ensure that there are no copyright issues, such as the 1st valve trigger (which is in fact better than the Yamaha) and braces. The instrument is well balanced but seems lighter in weight than the Yamaha – a quick ping on the bell tells that the metal is quite thin, but does the job.
Those triggers work very well and the tolerances on the slides are excellent. The monel centre sprung valves work well too and have a feel of decent quality about them, although the felts are thin and may need replacing quite quickly and you may need to be careful with the valve guides too.
Overall: Impressive given the materials used – looks the part and does look as if it won't fall apart either after a few years of hard use: 20
Ease of Blowing/Tone
Again, the cornet blows as though it should be much more expensive, very free in the mid and low range with a true bright, cornet sound. The 11.9mm bore and 125.5mm bell gives greater flexibility and allows the student to push quite a bit of air through.
It does bears many of the characteristics of the Yamaha Maestro but this isn’t a bad thing! It doesn’t have that dark hue that comes with the Maestro, but then again its not aimed at that market where more experienced players can really mould the sound of their instrument. This does just what it needs to do very well.
The sound in the upper register is a little restricted but nothing that will put consumers off. Get rid of the mouthpiece that it comes with though!
Overall: For the intermediate player this does all that it needs to do very well indeed: 20
Intonation:
As with the Maestro the design of this instrument shares many similarities in intonation.
The middle G and Ab are a little flat but this means the upper G is not sharp and most other small discrepancies can be dealt with using the triggers or alternate fingering. For the intermediate player this gives enough scope to experiment too and the longer we played this instrument the easier it was to blend in with other makes in the back row of a championship section band. That says something.
Overall: Another impressive showing. Does what it needs to do and nothing more: 20
Overall Value for Money:
Given who this instrument is primarily aimed at, at £399 it is a snip and great value for money.
It comes with a very good case with small inner space for little bits and pieces, although not big enough for any mutes. Very well padded it also comes with the trendy rucksack straps that leaves both hands free to carry other things home with you such as a Gameboy or something!
Although it needs a name this is an instrument that has lots of plus points with this and one that should appeal not just on its looks alone.
Overall: Excellent. Hard to fault really: 21
Overall Score: 81
Build Quality/Design: 20
Ease of Blowing/Tone: 20
Intonation: 20
Value for Money: 21
Model cr-sp2 Silver Plate Bb Cornet
Gold Plated Valve Caps and Tuning Slides
11.9mm bore - 125.5mm bell;
Gold Brass Body and hand hammered bell;
Monel Metal Valves;
First and Third valve slide trigger;
Two water keys;
Medium cup Mouthpiece;
Professional Hard Case with plush lining and integral rucksack straps
One year standard warranty.
Woodwind & Brass Price: £398.99 / Euro 590.51 / $679.14 (Including VAT at 17.5%)
Walstein flugel fl-p (Gold plated)
Walstein flugel fl-gp (Phosphor bronze)
Build Quality/Design:
Both flugels are the same in design with one in gold plate finish and the other in phosphor bronze.
The flugel finished in phosphor-bronze has nickel silver slides and lead-pipe whilst the bronze has a copper colour finish under clear lacquer and seems to be very well put together. The same can also be said of the gold plated version with hammered brass bell, which also has a look and feel of quality about it.
Valves are monel stainless steel and work very well with a smooth quiet action, although once more the felts are a little on the thin side. Additional instrument furniture is well put together with triggers, waterkeys, valve top and bottoms etc are precise and sturdy. The struts on the instrument are well positioned and well do the job if required we suspect.
Both instruments are well balanced in the hand (not bell heavy) and you don’t need hands like a Japanese Geisha girl to hold comfortably.
The instruments have a 3rd valve trigger which took a little getting used to but then worked very well indeed, springing back into position smoothly after extension. The three waterkeys worked well in getting rid of the excessive saliva too.
As for the design – once more it is familiar although not a direct copy. To be fair, what can you do to make a flugel horn look different anyway?
Overall: It should come down to looks with these instruments, as both are well. Whatever takes your fancy though:
Bronze: 20
Gold Plate: 20
Ease of Blowing/Tone
Both instruments are very easy to blow in all registers. As with all flugels though above the stave they tend to become a little less secure unless you have a strong embouchure and strong technique to support the air column.
The 10.5mm bore and 151.8mmm bell is more than enough to allow plenty of ommph when needed.
For us though the gold plated instrument was more receptive with a fine, well centred tonal quality that made it a much more flexible instrument to play. The bronze flugel was darker, richer in hue, but just needed more work to come to life. For brass band work the gold plated instrument is ideal as it allows just enough ‘edge’ to cut through when required. The bronze is ideal as a solo instrument or for jazz work.
Overall: You can tell the difference though and that is a mark of good quality design and build. Impressive that.
Bronze: 20
Gold Plate: 22
Intonation:
Generally very good for a flugel, with the usual main problems being bottom line E and 2nd space A which are both sharp, although they can be moulded into tune, although the 3rd valve option was much better. As with any flugel tuning really is an art and this model is no better or worse than any other.
Way down in the depths both are great, but up in the stratosphere then things tend to go a bit haywire in places. That said, if you are going to be playing up there all day then you may wonder why you are playing in a brass band? Both are more than good enough to overcome any rigours set by brass band composers.
Overall: Both pretty good for what they need to do.
Bronze: 19
Gold Plate: 19
Overall Value for Money:
Considering the cost is only £499 for the gold plated flugel (and comes in at £399 if you want it in silver plate with gold plated trim) and £399 for the phosphor bronze (£299 in silver plate) you are getting a lot of instrument for the dosh. For an intermediate player who really wants to develop, both offer also an almost unlimited opportunity to experiment and enjoy without being hamstrung by poor intonation especially.
Both come in identical cases that are soft but sturdy with plenty of padding. There is also room for the music, although once more not for any mutes. Shoulder strap provides the chance to keep your hands free.
Bin the mouthpieces that come with the instruments too and splash out on something that will enhance your playing with the instruments.
Both the instruments we tried more than did the job, but the gold plated flugel had that touch of class about it that meant it was a more responsive instrument in a good intermediate players hands. As with the cornets though, they do need a name!
Overall: Both very good indeed and a real alternative to more expensive models.
Bronze: 20
Gold Plate: 21
Phosphor Bronze flugel
Overall Score: 79
Build Quality/Design: 20
Ease of Blowing/Tone: 20
Intonation: 19
Value for Money: 20
Gold Plate flugel
Overall Score: 82
Build Quality/Design: 20
Ease of Blowing/Tone: 22
Intonation: 19
Value for Money: 21
Model fl-p phosphor bronze flugel horn
10.5mm bore (0.413"), 151.8mm bell;
Phosphor Bronze body and hand hammered bell;
Monel Metal Valves;
Nickel silver slides and lead pipe;
Third valve slide trigger;
Three water keys;
Two mouthpieces (cushion rim and medium rim with shallow cup);
Black hard cordura covered case with rucksack straps, plush black fitted interior, and zipper opening.
One year standard warranty.
Woodwind & Brass Price: £248.99 / Euro 368.51 / $423.82 (Including VAT at 17.5%)
Model fl-g Gold plated flugelhorn
10.5mm bore (0.413"), 151.8mm bell;
Gold brass body and hand hammered bell;
Monel Metal Valves;
Third valve slide trigger;
Three water keys;
Two mouthpieces (cushion rim and medium rim with shallow cup);
Black Professional Case with integral rucksack straps and shoulder strap, red plush fitted interior, large external padded pocket, reinforced handle and combination lock for additional security.
One year standard warranty.
Woodwind & Brass Price: £499.00 / Euro 738.52 / $849.36 (Including VAT at 17.5%)
Walstein Trumpet- tr-lq
Build Quality/Design:
Excellent build quality with all the little bits and pieces fitting snugly and sturdily and doing the job they should perfectly well. The lacquer finish was also of a high quality too.
The instrument is well designed (nothing radical to report out of the ordinary) is well balanced and although there was a need to really try and get the third valve trigger in as close as possible with its hook, you could use both triggers with ease and will get even young players adjusting tuning as they would do on a much more expensive instrument. The tuning slides are snug too- not something you get on instruments that usually cost just £189!
The monel valves felt well engineered, although we do wonder where they get the felts from – a hobby shop? All the solder work was top quality. The main tuning slide works well and water keys are traditional design but again well constructed and don’t appear as if they will fall off after a years use.
Overall: For a young player who is serious about playing a trumpet then this is an ideal starter instrument. It allows plenty of scope for progression too: 20
Ease of Blowing/Tone:
The trumpet has a 11.73mm bore, plenty big enough for intermediate players who are starting to want to pump it out like Wynton Marsalis every now and again. It’s an ideal size in fact, allowing for a very bright well centred sound to cut through even the most terrible sounding youth orchestra.
As with all the Walstein instruments we looked at though, ditch the mouthpiece that comes with the instrument – it just isn’t good enough and will do more long term damage to any player who sticks on it.
Resistance is what you would expect from an instrument of this type but not hard work at all, and will reward the improving player who has got a solid technique.
Overall: Plenty of real plus points here for a flexible instrument: 18
Intonation:
The low register is very good with usual compensation needed on low D and Db.
Mid register has no real problems, 4th line D and 5th line F a little high but again nothing too serious and the instrument has enough ‘give’ in it for an improving player to use their common sense and sort it out without having to mess about with alternative fingering.
The upper register is somewhat restricted, but again, how many young players have you heard screaming in the stratosphere like a poked pig? More than enough leeway for players to explore up to the limits and beyond – trust us.
Overall: More than enough quality about it to do the job intended: 18
Overall Value for Money:
At £189.00 this is fantastic value. It has all the features of a much more expensive instrument and is well engineered/constructed.
Aimed as it is at the intermediate player or serious youngster starting out it offers all that is required for self improvement – it’s a flexible and rewarding instrument.
It comes with a light weight case with zip round fastening and ruck sack straps it well padded and does its job too.
Overall: Impressive bit of kit this and all for an impressive price: 21
Overall Score: 77
Build Quality/Design: 20
Ease of Blowing/Tone: 18
Intonation: 18
Value for Money: 21
Model tr-lq Brass Lacquer Bb Trumpet
11.73mm ML bore - 125mm bell;
Brass Body and hand hammered bell;
Monel Metal Valves;
First valve slide hook, Third valve slide ring;
Two water keys;
Medium cup Mouthpiece;
Black hard cordura covered case with rucksack straps, plush black fitted interior, zipper opening.
One year standard warranty.
Woodwind & Brass Price: £189.00 / Euro 279.72 / $321.70 (Including VAT at 17.5%)
