You can read my first post regarding the Allora AAFG 103F flugelhorn here if you like.
http://thatainttoothpaste.blogspot.com/2014/12/allora-aafg-103f-flugelhorn.html
I finally received my third replacement Allora AAFG 103F flugelhorn last night. There were plenty of clues showing me that this one was brand new and not a return. Apparently, MusiciansFriend.com does not check their returns well enough to determine why they were returned in the first place and re-send it to the next buyer. I always make a point of adding a note in the case telling them why it's being returned hoping that the next customer won't have to deal with all the b.s. I went thru. All of my aggravation could have been prevented if only someone at MusiciansFriend.com had done their job. But then again most of the workers in the warehouse have no clue as to what to look for in the first place and probably don't even play an instrument.
After doing a lot of research on Allora, I find that they have no web site. The original Allora label had been made in Germany by a company called B&S. There is a stamp under the name showing the country of origin. Today it's made in China and has no label of origin anywhere on the horn and does not even compare with the original German made horn. Apparently, Allora does not want you to know that it's just another piece of crap coming out of China.
The Allora AAFG 103F flugelhorn is a good entry level horn due to price but, as for a long term flugelhorn, It's not worth the money. Why not? The valve guides are made out of cheap plastic supposedly for quiet action. What's a valve guide? The valve guide is the clip or retainer that holds the pistons (valves) in the casing and lock them in position. Otherwise the valves would rotate and the holes would not align with the tubes making the horn unplayable. So what happens to cheap plastic? They wear out or break. Try to find a replacement. Go ahead and google it, see if you can find any replacement parts for the horn. For better horns that have a lacquer finish, the wearing down of the lacquer finish actually makes the thing sound better but does not effect the tuning. With the Allora I've been told and have also read it that losing the lacquer finish will effect the horn considerably for some reason. The lacquer finish on the Allora aafg 103f will scratch easily. If you ever have to take your horn to a repair guy and a torch is involved, you better believe that it's going to effect the lacquer finish. Even using their cleaning rag creates these tiny scratches after wiping it down. The horn comes with a pair of white gloves which apparently one is supposed to use when playing to prevent body acids from eating away the lacquer. Who the hell is going to wear white gloves while playing the horn unless you are in a marching band and in uniform?
The flugelhorn comes with a stock mouthpiece which for many is useless unless you are planning one just playing in the low register. I went to Large Morse Taper Mouthpieces : Mouthpiece Express and purchased one suitable for me, a Curry 600 series 40FLM. It's a bit brighter than most. Preferably a Bach 7c or 8c would have done the job for me. I have an old Bach 7c for coronet. The shank is a standard large morse taper and is just a little too long for the flugelhorn making it play flat but I can hit the a above the staff easily enough without struggling. Bach makes a large morse taper but only for trumpet and coronet...odd. I went with Curry 600 series after comparing it with a Bach 8c. The Bach 8c would have been comfortable since my teeth are crooked and made playing in the upper register a bit easier but since it was a small Morse taper mouthpiece, I had to find something close to it. I spent many an hour researching and comparing different mouthpieces since going out and trying them out was not in the cards. I picked out the right one for now but later I may need to upgrade. Mouthpiece Express has just about anything you need and more for your horn and a good source with decent pricing. There are other fees added to your order which you need to be aware of i.e. shipping and insurance which can bring up the cost but it's still worth it. You can order as many mouthpieces as you like, try them out and then send the ones unsuitable for you back. However, there are restocking and sterilizing fees involved.
The case for the horn is pure garbage and is just meant to be a temporary protection for the horn. Mine came with a couple of dents already even tho the box it came with was well protected. I already knew that I will need to replace the case so I'm not that concerned with the dents. I will need to add a gig bag to my arsenal from somewhere. Couple of other items I will look into is a stand under $40 and perhaps a mute. A mute for under $50 comes in handy for practicing especially if someone in the house gets annoyed with your practicing and are driving them nuts. It's also good if you live in an apartment, you won't annoy your neighbors.
So why did I buy an Allora aafg 103f flugelhorn? As I stated on my previous post, I'm a keyboardist and guitarist and wanted to get into playing a horn. I had learned to play all brass, woodwinds, strings and percussion instruments back in music college in the early 1970's and I want to see if it's possible for me to get serious about playing a horn at this stage of my life. I'm 65. It would have been a waste of money for me to spend over a thousand dollars, closer to two for a good horn and renting one was in the plans but unavailable. The price I ended up getting the horn for was better than I hoped for after MusicianFriends.com made amends to all of the aggravation I went thru in purchasing the horn. It's the perfect horn for me as an introductory horn.
June 27, 2015
Update on the horn.
I've had my Allora AAFG 103F flugelhorn now for 6 months and beginning to notice some pitting in the finish already even in areas I've not even touched. I try to wipe it off with the cloth they include with it. Unfortunately, as cheap as the finish is on the horn, I can see plenty of scratch marks caused by the cleaning cloth, so it's pretty useless and damaging, as stated earlier.
I've seen prices on this horn up to $650.00. If you pay that much for it, you are a fool. It's not even worth $400.00, which is close to the price most places will charge you for it when supposedly on sale. It's like any other musical instrument you might see on the internet, the retail price is jacked up much higher than the actual worth so you'd think that you are actually getting a deal. You might get it cheaper during the Christmas sale rush but don't count on getting a good one on your first try. That's the time you can actually get a good picture of how much the horn is really worth. These places selling the horn are still getting a decent profit which makes me wonder what are they actually purchasing them for? Frankly, the horn is a good beginner horn but actually the value of it is only worth about $200.00. I paid $199.00 for mine. The case, I've never replaced yet, since I don't move my horn from one place to another often, so for now even with a slight dent (the way I got it) is adequate. Keep in mind that "you get what you pay for" and rarely get quality for less.
I'll keep you informed as time moves forward on the conditions of the horn and case so you may want to check back before going out and purchasing your cheap Allora, unless you're hot to trot for one and end up getting ripped off.
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