I started off with some big band charts, fast and slow and high and low. Brass quintet arrangement of Birdland with the trombone having lots of melody and notes up to high D octave and and above middle C. Maynard Ferguson versions of Chameleon and Country Road. Dee Barton arrangement of Here's That Rainy Day, low and slow. Wolpe arrangement of How High The Moon, high and fast. I then switched to Morceau Symphonique, that old warhorse classical solo. I was going to try etudes next, but my lip was waving the white flag of surrender so quit at that point. What did I find?
I don't like the 2B as much as I thought. Seems to back up on me, even with the larger mouthpiece. Physically it seemed too small, bore out by the fact that the bell is 1/4" closer to the slide receiver than on the 3B. I could cut through on high notes better on the other horns than on the 2B.
Once the slide of the Getzen got sufficient lube spread around (it had sat for 10 years until I bought it a week ago and I had to work to clean dried up lube off the slide) it seemed as good at the other two. even though it is heavier. The kitchen scale says my 3B outer slide is 7.94, my 2B is 8.02 ounces, and the Getzen is 8.22 ounces.
I thrive on bigger mouthpieces than most, so my results may not match yours would have been. I may have gotten a Getzen at the high end of the bell curve of those horns, and my 2B might be at the low end of the curve. That said, based on my experience, I would put the Getzen in the same class as a Yam 354 (yes, I owned one so am very familiar with them) or other good US built student horns. Another takeaway is that I got to make myself practice more than once every three months....
