Posted by Mike I on April 27, 2003 at 01:08:13:
In Reply to: Re: Re: king 2341 or meinl winston 25 posted by Anthony on April 26, 2003 at 07:56:35:
I played a Meinl Weston 25 through 4 years of college and thought it was a well built solid horn and a horn that could really hold up to the rigors of a school setting. However, the Rudy Meinl I played in high school was a horn with a sound I preferred. However, it is a more expensive horn than the Meinl Weston.
The King 2341 as compared to the Meinl Weston in terms of build quality loses to the Meinl. In my opinion the Meinl has better initial build quality and will hold together better in the long run.
What did I recently buy - a KING 2341 because it had a great sound and a great price. The build quality is lacking. The slides don't pull out smoothly - almost as if the angle is slightly off. In fact until I can get it in for repair I don't pull certain slides out for fear of literally not being able to get them back in. I also think the playing quality of individual Kings has much more variance than the Meinls. I bought this horn because I needed and wanted an American sound. It also for me has a great ergonomic fit. I have a 30 year old Besson New Standard which is built like a tank and has that sweet British sound. My next additional horn will hopefully be a Rudy for that classic German sound. I play in different groups where each horn gives me the sound that I'm looking to create.
Bottom line is you need to know what sound you're after and buy the horn that can do that at a price you can afford. Don't be afraid to buy a used horn, but do play all horns you are seriously considering. Good Luck!
Mike I