LOTUS TRUMPETS & MOUTHPIECES ARE SIMPLY EASIER TO PLAY
THEY OFFER YOU AN INCREDIBLE SOUND, IMPROVED ACCURACY, AND THE SECURITY TO TAKE GREATER RISKS
ENJOY A STRONGER SENSE OF CONFIDENCE AND HAVE MORE FUN PLAYING THAN EVER BEFORE
LOTUS TRUMPETS & MOUTHPIECES ARE SIMPLY EASIER TO PLAY
THEY OFFER YOU AN INCREDIBLE SOUND, IMPROVED ACCURACY, AND THE SECURITY TO TAKE GREATER RISKS
ENJOY A STRONGER SENSE OF CONFIDENCE AND HAVE MORE FUN PLAYING THAN EVER BEFORE
The LOTUS Lead/Solo -
Redefining Versatility, Power, and Playability
-By Adam Rapa, LOTUS Trumpets CEO
Comparing the Lead/Solo to the rest of our horns, including the Solo model is apples & oranges. The Lead/Solo is lighter and brighter, with a very large yet traditional sound.
“Light & bright” is pretty much the easiest thing to do well in trumpet design. It was mastered a very long time ago and has been copied countless times ever since. Just stick to standard, generic geometry, use a bunch of yellow brass and keep everything thin.
The more complex characteristics that a trumpet can take on are endless, but that requires deep work to design. It takes a LOT of R&D to actually create something new and better in some way.
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Simply making a horn heavier, as so many companies have shown, most often leads to a dull sound, void of all shiny, sparkly, exciting harmonics unless you play really stinking loud and cash in your endurance too quickly. That’s not adding complexity, it’s just masochism.
Our Flagship models all have a wonderfully complex character, born from my level of care in choosing which material goes where, how thick it is, and how it reacts with all the other materials and thicknesses everywhere else, AND how all of THAT pairs with the horn’s geometry.
Combining these unique designs with the options of three different tuning slide materials, and many mouthpiece materials, we’re providing you the opportunity to craft your dream sound and feel, with incredible nuance, in ways no other company ever has.
That’s a much harder venture than making a horn that’s “light & bright”, which is honestly the lowest hanging fruit. Of course there are many devils in those details too, and my choice for a horn that’s “light & bright” is also one that projects a huge sound far and wide, while still being stupid-easy to play; with hard-quantizing note slots and a very exciting, malleable sound.
The majority of our clientele are young or seasoned artists who gravitate toward the super-rich, highly saturated tone colors that can help set a soloist’s identity apart.
I find cakes to provide a good analogy here:
Our Solo Max is like a super-dense, flourless chocolate cake with a molten core of oozing chocolate, topped with shaven flakes of chocolate. Mouthpiece and tuning slide options let you choose between milk chocolate, or 60, 70 or 80% dark.
LOTUS Solo Max
The Silver Flare is like a lemon cake — rich with loads of butter, with the bright ping of a lemony sheen. Options will add/subtract either more butter or more sugary, citrusy tang.
LOTUS Silver Flare
The Solo model, I find to be more of a carrot cake whose recipe can be altered or augmented in a thousand ways. Mouthpiece and tuning slide options will add complex details like using almond flour instead, or adding extra cinnamon, or cardamom, or fresh ginger. The Solo model can be so many rich and wonderful things for so many players, but one thing it cannot be is simply “light & bright.”
LOTUS Solo
And that’s where the Lead/Solo comes in. There are no nuts, no gooey chocolate centers, and certainly no cardamom. It’s like the best damn vanilla birthday cake you’ve ever had. Mouthpieces and tuning slides do change the color of the frosting, but it always retains its delicious, nostalgic character — perfect for countless occasions; guaranteed to please.
To wrap up the analogy, our Classic and Universal models, which have a smaller, 37-ish bell, produce a sound that’s more concentrated and projects more directionally. They have a smaller, more focused sound, to blend in better with “regular” trumpets in a section and appeal to players with a more traditional concept of a trumpet’s tonal properties and stylistic application.
And since these horns have a smaller sound, I’d say that in a world of Lotus Cakes, these are more like Lotus Muffins.
The Universal model is the denser, richer version, covered in salty caramel frosting. Bronze options add a dollop of dulce de leche, while nickel silver options make it lower in fat, and change the topping to a white, sugary frosting.
The Classic starts out with a lighter, yellow batter, covered with white buttercream frosting. Bronze options bring it closer to the flavor of the Universal, while nickel silver options douse it with ghost pepper hot sauce. Mmmmmm
So there you have it. Surprisingly apt metaphors, and a fun contrast from my usual automotive analogies. Now who’s hungry?!
About the Production of Our Lead/Solo:
I’ve always wanted to make our horns as affordable as possible, and have resisted price increases until the cost of materials absolutely forced our hand. Our Flagship horns are clearly above the limit of what many players can, or are willing to pay, so an alternative manufacturing solution was definitely needed in order to serve those people.
The result is our new Lightweight series, with a limited number of models that can be produced in higher quantities at an unbeatable price.
Of course, we’re a very small company and have often been plagued with disappointing production and financial setbacks, so expanding our operation by opening our own huge factory with lots of employees simply wasn’t possible.
Thus we did an extensive search to find a company to partner with in Asia which would fit our criteria: A relatively small company with highly skilled workers earning a good salary, which can offer the consistency and accountability required to meet our standard of excellence.
This involved a whole lot of due diligence, prototyping, extreme scrutiny and ultimately, confirmation from some of the trumpet world’s greatest heroes that the resulting horns play up to the LOTUS standard.
While many brands have set up factories in China to bring costs as low as possible and produce their lowest-quality instruments, we’re doing something new by focusing on producing HIGH quality horns in China, with better designs, spending far more, and doing a far better job at both building and quality control.
This led us to a price point that fits neatly into the intermediate range of trumpet prices, but there’s absolutely nothing ”intermediate” about these horns. By objective measures, they outperform every top-shelf horn on the market from the industry’s biggest manufacturers.
Our clientele has always chosen LOTUS for the remarkable playing qualities that give them both a unique sound and an easier life.
In keeping with this ethos, our Lead/Solo certainly offers incredible playability. It has a more traditional range of tone colors, which is more appealing to many players, but what’s unique is the massive SIZE of the sound, without it being any tougher to play.
We recognize that xenophobia and outdated stereotypes of Chinese production will make it an uphill battle to capture the interest or good will of some players and techs out there, but as I write this on my Chinese-made iPhone, listening to music on my Chinese-made high fidelity audio equipment, I can promise you one thing:
Play-testing our Lead/Solo model will dispel any doubts about its quality and reveal that this is likely the best playing, most versatile trumpet in the world for $2999 (or $3499 in 6 months time).
--Adam Rapa
The LOTUS Lead/Solo can be pre-ordered from these dealers:
U.S./Canada
Europe and England
Asia