Fazley ART-FH110-G ABS Gold F/Bb dubbele F-hoorn
To be able to buy a new double French horn for £300 is almost too good to be true - a professional model would cost about 30 times as much!
So, what is it like. It looks convincingly like a brass instrument due to the finish on the plastic. A pity that the finger levers were not finished in a chrome appearance for the full effect. The construction is very robust and the slides are airtight and move easily. The valves are slightly heavy to work and the levers seem to be spaced rather too far apart, not helped by the fact that the adjustable little finger hook is impossible to fix in place (I did not dare to tighten the screw too much for fear of stripping the thread) which makes it difficult to hold the left hand in a stable position.
The sound of the horn is robust but pretty authentic, but without sheen of a more expensive instrument. The notes are all there - stable throughout the range from pedal C to the f above top c. There is quite a lot of resistance, making the production of sound somewhat laborious. The f side is best in the low range and the b flat in the higher range. Careful co-ordination is required between fingers, lips and tongue to ensure good articulation in fast passages as the response is rather heavy going.
Who would benefit from buying this instrument? At this price it should be suitable for a beginner, but it is too big and requires fully grown hands to manipulate the valves, therefore not good for a young learner. For an adult novice it presents a challenge due to its lack of flexibility and playing ease. It would be best suited to the occasional player who plays for fun. Its robust construction lends it to outdoor and rough conditions use, with no disaster if it gets knocked.
The cheap looking plastic mouthpiece works surprisingly well but might not suite everyone. Any standard horn mouthpiece fits the lead pipe. The rectangular case, rather large, is well padded with room for mutes, spares and music. The detachable bell needs careful adjustment to screw on to avoid stripping the thread.
In conclusion - you get an authentic working double French horn for an unbeatable price, but due to its characteristics, I believe its use is limited to casual playing for fun.
So, what is it like. It looks convincingly like a brass instrument due to the finish on the plastic. A pity that the finger levers were not finished in a chrome appearance for the full effect. The construction is very robust and the slides are airtight and move easily. The valves are slightly heavy to work and the levers seem to be spaced rather too far apart, not helped by the fact that the adjustable little finger hook is impossible to fix in place (I did not dare to tighten the screw too much for fear of stripping the thread) which makes it difficult to hold the left hand in a stable position.
The sound of the horn is robust but pretty authentic, but without sheen of a more expensive instrument. The notes are all there - stable throughout the range from pedal C to the f above top c. There is quite a lot of resistance, making the production of sound somewhat laborious. The f side is best in the low range and the b flat in the higher range. Careful co-ordination is required between fingers, lips and tongue to ensure good articulation in fast passages as the response is rather heavy going.
Who would benefit from buying this instrument? At this price it should be suitable for a beginner, but it is too big and requires fully grown hands to manipulate the valves, therefore not good for a young learner. For an adult novice it presents a challenge due to its lack of flexibility and playing ease. It would be best suited to the occasional player who plays for fun. Its robust construction lends it to outdoor and rough conditions use, with no disaster if it gets knocked.
The cheap looking plastic mouthpiece works surprisingly well but might not suite everyone. Any standard horn mouthpiece fits the lead pipe. The rectangular case, rather large, is well padded with room for mutes, spares and music. The detachable bell needs careful adjustment to screw on to avoid stripping the thread.
In conclusion - you get an authentic working double French horn for an unbeatable price, but due to its characteristics, I believe its use is limited to casual playing for fun.
4 mei 2021
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Nicholas
Deze review is automatisch uit het Engels vertaald.
