And then there was doubt.

One thing I like to do is record myself playing. Like singing, you really never know exactly what you sound like until you record yourself. Since I'd still doing the H179/H200 comparisons, I played the same passage side-by-side to give them a listen. I sent them off to a friend or two to get their opinion as well.

The results are that the H179 is still the winner. Admittedly, the H200 had an unfocused tone, and the higher notes (E, F, G) were a bit thin. My friend Chris said it sounded like I had the wrong mouthpiece. I'm currently playing a Laskey 80G, but I have a 75J around. I popped that into the H200 and it did definitely improve the tone. I recall John Ericson once saying that when playing a descant horn, it's best to use a smaller mouthpiece. I can now see why.

The H179 still feels like home, though it's definitely showing its age. The trigger clanks quite loudly and I've yet to get the damn thing completely in tune with itself. The H200 feels heavier than it should, but the valves, though a bit stiff due to newness, are silent. Those bad notes need some extra push to get them to speak properly. And there's still that Bb horn issue.

So now I have doubts. Am I foolish to switch to the H200 when the H179 might be the better choice? Is it all about the newness factor?

The bottom line truth is that I can make the H200 work. If anything, it could give me a challenge. Frankly, nobody would even notice. It's all about what I want, and frankly, I'm not sure. Oy.

My goal is to make it through this concert on the H179. The next rehearsal I'll take the horn in to the Brass Lab and get a flipper and some finger pads installed (the trigger is a bit high for my taste). I'll play it for that rehearsal and see how it feels.

And eventually I'll have to commit.