Alto Cornet
The alto cornet in F or E-flat is a very rare bird. It seems that most true alto cornets are rotary instruments in E-flat, with piston instruments being the rarer type. However, there is a fairly easy and affordable way to get your hands on an alto cornet, at least in North America: the DEG model 1220.
Like much of DEG/Dynasty’s product line in the 1970s, the 1220 was made for DEG by Willson. Willson also sold an E-flat version of the instrument in their home market of Switzerland; I would love to know if it was marketed there as an alto cornet, and which model came first. Meanwhile, DEG marketed the 1220 in the States as a “marching alto/French horn”, presumably in an attempt to cash in on the still-volatile marching alto brass instrument space. In accordance with the marketing, DEG supplied the 1220 with both an alto horn mouthpiece and a French horn mouthpiece with adapter. Despite the marketing though, the 1220 is a true alto cornet in F (or E-flat, using the factory E-flat slide), and not a solo alto or any sort of mellophone.
Over the years I have seen quite a few come and go on eBay, and it seems that they were made with at least three different bell sizes. The one I owned had the smallest and most common size that I have seen, at about 6.1”. Most I’ve seen have been branded DEG, but I have also seen larger-belled models branded Dynasty. The 1220 evidently stuck around long enough to go through some changes, though how long exactly I don’t know. I also don’t know if the Dynasty-branded versions were given a different model number.
The four pictures below are the bell stamps on four different 1220s; the one on the far left is mine, while the other three are from online listings.
The 1220 has a trumpet shank, accepts flugelhorn mutes, and is not much larger than a standard B-flat cornet. I found that alto horn mouthpieces worked the best for me, and out of my alto pieces I felt the Kelly 3W was the best fit. I’ve also had good results with an extremely small trombone mouthpiece.
DEG 1220 alto cornet (bottom) next to Bach CR-310 B-flat cornet (top)
The 1220 plays very well, and despite overwhelming external similarities to the 1970s Dynasty III alto bugle (also made by Willson), it sounds noticeably different even when both are played with the same mouthpiece. The Dynasty III sounds like a big flugelhorn (which is essentially what it is) with a horn-like edge when pushed, while the DEG 1220 is all cornet. It is noticeably brighter and easily colored, with a rocking low register and a secure high register that requires a good deal of effort above written high C (sounding F5). Unlike many uncommon alto brass instruments, the 1220 has lock-tight slots. Intonation is not perfect but easily manageable.
While I don’t believe the 1220 is much of a soloist’s instrument, it is a champion at playing in a brass section. It can blend seamlessly with trombones or flugelhorns, and I have used it very successfully in recording sessions to do just that. In a 6-part horn section consisting of 2 trumpets, flugelhorn, alto cornet, and 2 trombones, the alto cornet is the perfect middle voice. The Yamaha YMP-201 (non-M) circular mellophone has similar qualities, but the DEG 1220 is more convenient to bring to a session due to its very compact size and forward-facing bell. This also makes it an excellent desk instrument for the alto brass player, or even the low brass player.
In short, the DEG 1220 is an excellent instrument that any multi-brass player could find good uses for, especially in the studio. They don’t show up for sale very often, but they usually go for a few hundred dollars. They are usually listed as a mellophone, so you’ll have the most luck finding one with a search for mellophones.
