Klarinet Archive - Posting 000271.txt from 2006/02

From: kurtheisig@-----.net
Subj: Re: [kl] Jupiter?
Date: Sun, 19 Feb 2006 11:41:34 -0500

In 1983 Jupiter had a trumpet called a Centurion---in blindfold tests they beat a Bach almost every time---we sold several hundred. Their pocket trumpet was so good Pete Condoli bought a pair for himself and Conte. The trombone was blah, cornet only a little better, same for the Flugelhorn. Flutes started edging out a lot of the American stuff that year and in a test in England the flute panel went nuts over them (I have copies of the flute society article if anyone wants to write to me for them)---included on the panel was Albert Cooper. Mr "X" designed their saxophone---though the alto and tenor were upgraded by myself in our Saratoga store with Mr Hsie the owner.

Spence Eudy the flute maker designed their production facilities at that time and trained their personnel. He owned 25% of the importing company ---Musicraft. My understanding is that his partner sold out to the Taiwanese making him only a figurehead in his own company. Before the buy-out both Albert Cooper and Wib Bennet got involved with their flute designs and they improved a lot. The pro altus c flutes were influenced a lot by Bennet. Mr Hsie told me about how he got the alto flute and bass flute designs from Cooper. At that time the instruments were made in Taiwan. (the Altus were dynamite! Later they came out with the Altus de Medici under-whelming models)

I WELL REMEMBER their advertising touting their computer designed saxophones. Calling me a PC indeed~!~!

At one point Bennet and Cooper influenced their embouchure hole design on flutes, but it was lost when they moved flute production to Japan. I told them how to fix it and they got better than ever.

Many repairmen complain about them and many stores also. The primary problem with the saxes is not packing them correctly. The slightest shock knocks them completely out because there is functionally NO PADDING in the carton they are shipped in. I have set up several hundred of their alto and tenor saxes, and set-up CORRECTLY they are the finest student saxes I have ever seen. (Of course, I DO include some things I never told the factory about!!!!!!)

The latest trombone design I have seen is really bad.

I think the reputation that they had---at least after 1983---was entirely poor set-up at stores, or just people mouthing off. We were VERY careful in the 80's to do extensive blindfold testing of them. At the time we had the luxury of having Dr Claude Gordon teaching in our Saratoga store and had DOZENS of top professional trumpet players to upset with the Centurion beating their favored brands!!!! Bach, (little Yamaha around OUR shop!), King, Conn, Holton, etc. dozens of pros had them as loaners while their horns were being fixed and they were SHOCKED!

The first year the pocket trumpet came out we sold 48!!!! ALL of them to pros! Many were TOP pros like the Condoli brothers.

Their clarinets were seldom exciting back then. I was shipped models to comment on, but they weren't even close.
In the 90's that improved considerably.

I have never seen an instrument from them that was made in Czechoslovakia---though their early clarinet models had a great deal in common design-wise.....(YUCH!)

AS I understand it, at one point in the late '80's I was their largest US dealer (?), so I think we saw a few more than the detractors!

Prior to October of 1983 their flutes were NOT good! Gemeinhardt ran out of flutes that fall. I was in a panic and Ralph Morgan talked me into trying the Spencer (Jupiter). We took 10-20 AVERAGE flutes and promptly ran out. the NEXT shipment was a NEW design and beat the American brands hands-down in blindfold tests. The flutes have been getting even better since, though I must admit to seeing few of them this last year since we came out with the HEISIG FLUTE.

KURT HEISIG
Kurt Heisig Music
1045 Water Street
Santa Cruz, Ca 95062
(831)425-5658

-----Original Message-----
>From: "Lacy, Edwin" <el2@-----.edu>
>Sent: Feb 13, 2006 6:58 AM
>To: klarinet@-----.org
>Subject: [kl] Jupiter?
>
>Can someone please bring me up to date on the current situation with
>Jupiter instruments? At one time they had the reputation of being good
>examples of the worst in instrument manufacture. As I understand it,
>they were at first made in the Czech Republic, and then in China.
>
>I'm interested in knowing about their saxophones as well as clarinets.
>
>Ed Lacy
>University of Evansville
>
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