Among the major manufacturers, the most “corporate” site I could find is Yamaha’s. The trumpet portion of this site is a relatively small part of an enormous web site that provides information on thousands of products. In spite of this, the Yamaha web site is highly organized and very professional with excellent navigational elements making it easy to find basic information and specs on the horns and mouthpieces they sell. However, don’t expect to find much else of value to the trumpet enthusiast here. Missing from this site is information on Yamaha clinicians, custom trumpet builders, and testimonials from those who play Yamaha equipment. I couldn’t find anything beyond basic product information on this web site. I think it misses the point of having an online storefront, which is to provide the user more than he or she could get thumbing through a print catalog. Visit the Yamaha trumpet site (http://www.yamaha.com) by navigating to the music section and then to band instruments to find the trumpet offerings.

Selmer-Bach is another large corporate site, but it has a much different look and philosophy than does Yamaha. All of the basic catalog information about horns, mouthpieces, and accessories is there and easy to find. The design and layout could be improved… pages are cramped together horizontally in three frames that have little to no separation. This makes for difficult reading, a great deal of vertical scrolling and sloppy typography. The photos are professionally done but small and too light for the basic white background of the site. It is difficult to see any detail in a photo of a silver plated trumpet on a white background. This site could benefit from a professional overhaul. Despite these problems, there is some fantastic trumpet content on the Bach web site. In the “Bachology” section you can find several interesting articles on Bach trumpets and their history. The articles are full of photos and images. If you are interested in Bach, this is the place for you. In addition to historical and product information, Selmer-Bach has developed excellent message board resources over the years. The Trumpet Corner discussion board is moderated by Karl Sievers, Bach Artist and professor of trumpet at the University of Oklahoma. It’s a great place to go with any trumpet-related question because the information there is reputable and screened. This sort of online resource is quite rare on trumpet manufacturers’ web sites and should be applauded. Look up the Selmer-Bach web site (http://www.selmer.com).

Whoever designed and published the Kanstul Musical Instruments web site did a great job of presenting a considerable amount of information about their product line in a small, efficient package. A browser can quickly find a good close-up photo, specifications, and basic information about any horn in their considerable line. They have a “current news” section as well as information about where Kanstul will be exhibiting. There is nothing fancy in the layout and design, and there are no additional trumpet-related resources, but if you are horn shopping and want to browse what Kanstul has to offer, you can do it very easily (http://www.kanstul.com).

The Schilke Music Products web site (http://www.schilkemusic.com) is a bit different in that it simply displays the print versions of its mouthpiece and instrument catalogs as photographic images. Fortunately, this is done quite well so the pages load quickly and the navigation is easy and makes sense. In addition to the product catalogs, there are some interesting resources about Schilke in the “Schilke Archives” section of the web site. Here you will find photo essays on the making of Schilke trumpets and mouthpieces, great old photos from the walls of the shop and a free copy of Renold Schilke’s book, The Brass Clinic. This is a gem to find in the archives section. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the “Schilke Loyalist” web site, authored and maintained by Denver trumpet player, Jim Donaldson. Although not a corporate web site, it is worth visiting as it is packed with a great deal of Schilke information. Check it out at (http://www.dallasmusic.org/schilke).

Kudos to web designer and Dallas area bass trombonist Joshua Brown, who is responsible for the Getzen Company, Edwards Instrument Company, the International Trombone Association, and other brass-related web sites. The Getzen and Edwards sites are highly professional with excellent graphics, photos, layout, and navigation. I can’t say enough about the high quality of these web sites. I had no trouble finding quick information on all products and was able to get to the great detail available just as quickly. Jumping from one product to another was a snap. The pages loaded quickly and are very appealing to my eye. I appreciated the online version of the Getzen Gazette and enjoyed browsing through the artist lists for both Getzen and Edwards. You can access all of Brown’s web sites from the following address (http://www.bassbone.com/portfolio).

There are smaller trumpet builders whose web sites deserve mention in this column. I’ll start in the UK with the Smith-Watkins Brass web site (http://www.rsmi.u-net.com). This is a web site that is very pleasing to the eye with some excellent technical papers written by Richard Smith that you may find interesting. There are interesting news stories but they haven’t been updated in some time.

Also in the UK is the Taylor Trumpets web site (http://www.taylortrumpets.com). This site comes in three languages with consistent, high-quality photography. Andy Taylor builds some exotic horns that are well presented on his site (be sure to check out the “Phoenix”.) I found his FAQ to be interesting and an excellent way to learn the philosophies of this company. All pricing and ordering information is there and easy to find.

The Blackburn Trumpets web site (http://www.blackburntrumpets.com) opens with a classy flash animation complete with brass fanfare background music. The site is well organized and gives the visitor complete information about Blackburn trumpets, mouthpieces, and Louisville lead pipes. The photography of products is professional, but the photos load a bit slowly. They could be better optimized for web delivery. This site could benefit from an updated graphic design, but everything you need to know is there and easily found. I enjoyed browsing through the “What’s New” section and its archives where I found candid photos of people who have visited the shop, photos at conference exhibits, and Cliff, Bunny, and Tina hard at work.

The Flip Oakes Wild Thing web site (http://www.flipoakes.com) isn’t as visually appealing as some other sites I have mentioned, but Flip has done an excellent job of presenting his products to the online market. Everything you need to know about his horns is there. Again, great photos set this site above some others. You can get the shots that download quickly, but if you want a really close-up view of the instrument there are higher resolution photographs available as well. These take longer to download, but if you are considering buying one of his horns this is a valuable feature to have available. There is a long list of testimonials from happy Wild Thing owners, FAQs, ordering, pricing, and trial period information. You can hear clips of Flip’s playing and even see some nice photos of “Suzy Q,” his dog and Customer Relations Specialist.

It is cliché, but I have decided to save the best for last. All of the sites mentioned in this column are excellent and informative, but the best overall manufacturer web site award from me goes to the David G. Monette Corporation (http://www.monette.net). The Monette Corporation is known for its high class print materials and they maintain this philosophy in their online presentation. The Monette site is loaded with valuable information and is beautifully designed and constructed. The graphics, typography, and photographs are highly professional and elegant, and the navigation is simple and effective. Like the others, the Monette web site exists primarily to sell trumpets and mouthpieces. You can read the details on every model horn and mouthpiece and see low and high-resolution photographs, but if you spend a little time on this site you will find much more. Under “Monette Concepts” you can read, in great detail, the philosophies behind the sometimes-controversial design of their horns and mouthpieces. Under “Musical Concepts” you will find an online textbook with chapters devoted to such things as “Response,” “Pitch Center,” “Body Use,” “Resonance,” “Sound Components,” and much more. Even if you are not fond of Monette instruments you can find a wealth of conceptual information here that can benefit any player. In the “Multimedia” section you can hear sound clips of some great playing on Monette trumpets and you’ll see many candid photographs from conferences and visits to the shop in the “Newsletters” section. Bravo to Tom Raney, Monette Corporation Director of Operations, for building and maintaining a tremendous web site.

There are many more commercial web sites related to trumpet and mouthpiece manufacturers. Ralph Jones, the ITG Links Editor maintains a long list of links to many of them (http://www.trumpetguild.org/links/links.htm). Another resource is my list of Top 25 Online Trumpet Resources (http://www.trumpetguild.org/top25.html).