The time is rapidly approaching for me to make a decision about changing horns. My new Hoyer has been sharp since I bought it and several weeks ago Hoyer sent a new tuning slide which has helped but not eliminated the problem. I have confirmed that a pro can play the Hoyer in tune and with time I will most likely be able to do so. However, I don’t play it in tune now.
My dealer has loaned me a Dieter Otto 180K Rose Brass horn to try and I have had it for a few weeks. I am enjoying playing it but, as I’m sure is true for any horn, there are things that the Hoyer does better. From what I understand about different wraps the differences between the two horns are consistent with the differences one would find with the two wraps.
I think I play the Otto a bit better than the Hoyer though I’ve played both horns horribly and both horns ok. My family says the Otto sounds brighter than the Hoyer but they say they like this. I doubt I will ever play in a situation where the type of sound my horn has matters to the point where I would have to use a different horn though I could be wrong. At the very least, if that did happen, it would be quite some time from now.
I have both horns sitting open in my living room and I’ve been going back and forth between them but what is interesting is that inevitably I will put the Hoyer down and switch to the Otto to finishing practicing. I have not been playing the Otto and feeling the need to switch back to the Hoyer. The other thing that is quite funny is that last night I dreamed that I threw the Hoyer out in pieces into one of those big commercial trash containers.
So all this leads me to believe that I really don’t like the Hoyer and I do like the Otto. What concerns me is that there may be some other horn out there that I would like even better than the Otto. However, now is when I have the opportunity to get the Otto at a significantly discounted price because my dealer is being very nice to me since I’ve had this never ending problem with the Hoyer and I think he’s had this particular Otto horn around for a while.
I can keep the Hoyer and sell it eventually and go horn shopping but if I do that the Hoyer loses some value as time goes on, I won’t get a discount on another horn from a different dealer, and I will have to deal with the intonation problems that I have with the Hoyer.
When I drive up to my dealer on Monday I will play every horn he has and maybe it will become obvious that the Otto is the right choice. On the other hand, there may be a horn, or more than one horn, that I like at least at the first try. Then I’d have to try it for a week or two, maybe or maybe not get a discount depending on the horn, and risk him selling the Otto though that is probably a pretty low risk. Oy. There is so much to think about. Monday will be an interesting day.
Newhornist's Blog 
I can’t remember what model of Hoyer you own, but Bruce Hembd recently blogged about how the Hoyer 6802 is a professional level instrument here: From the Mailbag: What Kind of Horn Should I Buy For My Kid?
Horns don’t really depreciate the longer you own them. Used horns are cheaper than new ones of course, but whether the horn is 2 years old or 5 years old doesn’t really matter. The Hoyer is probably worth more than the Otto, and is probably a better horn in actuality. Of course the decision is up to you, but if I were you, I would probably keep the Hoyer. You may get to the point eventually where you actually like the Hoyer better.
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Hi Julia,
My Hoyer is a 6801 PMAL which is a medium bell horn, kruspe wrap. The 01 signifies mechanical valves. It’s interesting that you say the Hoyer may be a better horn than the Otto. Pricewise, the Hoyer is about $1500 less expensive than the Otto at typical mail order prices for the Hoyer. I’d like to chat with you further on this because I was under the impression that the Otto, because it is a custom horn, would automatically be a ‘better’ horn. If you are ‘back to technology’ and have the time to chat my email is tina.barkan@mac.com.
Thanks,
Tina
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