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Olds Ambassador vs. new 500-700$ trumpet


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Maarten van Weverwijk
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PostPosted: Tue Feb 28, 2012 8:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Richard III wrote:
I would vote for a Yamaha student horn anytime...

+1.
I've recently serviced and play/tested some Yamaha YTR-4335 models that were really nice instruments for the money. I think this model might still be in your budget (they retail around €500 in Europe) or only slightly over.

But also, someone mentioned the Schagerl student line; those are very nice too!

MvW.
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guy
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PostPosted: Tue Feb 28, 2012 8:44 am    Post subject: ambassador Reply with quote

what's that about a brass washer in the 3rd. valve cap,never heard of that.If i did, i'm too old to remember must have forgotten! Guy
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Axelip
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PostPosted: Tue Feb 28, 2012 9:30 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

If you really want an old Ambassador, all you have to do is be patient and a clean example will show up. As somebody pointed out, Olds made them for decades; there are scads of them out there. I started looking out for an Ambassador on eBay a couple of years ago & after not too long I picked up a late 50's horn in great shape for about $250.00.

I did notice, as pointed out above, that the price on them could vary considerably & I could never figure out why some horns went for what they did, and why others didn't go for more. Mine's worth every penny, in any case.

Speaking of pennies, what is that about a penny in the 3rd valve cap?
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Dale Proctor
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PostPosted: Tue Feb 28, 2012 9:34 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

It's a do-it-yourself heavy valve cap. I suppose if you expect a penny to improve the horn, it will...I've heard the 1909 S VDB sounds the best...
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RandyTX
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PostPosted: Tue Feb 28, 2012 12:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Dale Proctor wrote:
It's a do-it-yourself heavy valve cap. I suppose if you expect a penny to improve the horn, it will...I've heard the 1909 S VDB sounds the best...


Steel pennies from WWII give a brighter sound.


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Ed Lee
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PostPosted: Tue Feb 28, 2012 1:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I use stainless steel washers sometimes in several horns. Not all the time.
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Manuel de los Campos
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PostPosted: Tue Feb 28, 2012 1:31 pm    Post subject: ambassadrrrrrr Reply with quote

I don't want to spoil the party, but I think the Olds Ambassador trumpet is highly overrated. I tryed several Ambassadors and found them all stuffy, hard to play.
IMHO The Selmer Signet -actually a Bach Mercedes II- is much easier to play with a better sound!, as is the Conn Director and the Blessing Scholastic. The latter are way cheaper so much more affordable.
These horns last as well.
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Axelip
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PostPosted: Tue Feb 28, 2012 2:40 pm    Post subject: Re: ambassadrrrrrr Reply with quote

Manuel de los Campos wrote:
I don't want to spoil the party, but I think the Olds Ambassador trumpet is highly overrated. I tryed several Ambassadors and found them all stuffy, hard to play.
IMHO The Selmer Signet -actually a Bach Mercedes II- is much easier to play with a better sound!, as is the Conn Director and the Blessing Scholastic. The latter are way cheaper so much more affordable.
These horns last as well.


Heh!! Somebody up-thread hinted that he'd run across stuffy playing ones, which I thought was funny because mine is really free blowing and open.

Well, they made them for so long there's no doubt they turned out a few lemons.
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VetPsychWars
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PostPosted: Tue Feb 28, 2012 3:04 pm    Post subject: Re: ambassadrrrrrr Reply with quote

Axelip wrote:
Manuel de los Campos wrote:
I don't want to spoil the party, but I think the Olds Ambassador trumpet is highly overrated. I tryed several Ambassadors and found them all stuffy, hard to play.
IMHO The Selmer Signet -actually a Bach Mercedes II- is much easier to play with a better sound!, as is the Conn Director and the Blessing Scholastic. The latter are way cheaper so much more affordable.
These horns last as well.


Heh!! Somebody up-thread hinted that he'd run across stuffy playing ones, which I thought was funny because mine is really free blowing and open.

Well, they made them for so long there's no doubt they turned out a few lemons.


Both can be true... on the same exact horn.

How your mouthpiece interfaces to the horn and how you are used to playing affect how any horn is going to feel to you. I have horns that range from WIDE FREAKING OPEN to pretty tight... and they all play wonderfully. But, I don't play them all in the same way (or necessarily with the same backbore).

It's how the horn plays after you've been playing it for a few days that really tells you how it plays, in my opinion. Unfortunately, a lot of us don't have the luxury of trying one for a couple days but rather a couple minutes, so the horn you end up with is going to blow a lot like horns you've played before unless you make an effort to sneak up on it and get a better feel for it right off... which I well know isn't easy.

Tom
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Comeback
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PostPosted: Tue Feb 28, 2012 5:22 pm    Post subject: True Impressions Reply with quote

Tom wrote:
Quote:
It's how the horn plays after you've been playing it for a few days that really tells you how it plays, in my opinion.


I certainly agree, though I have not had near the experience of Tom and many other TH'rs. In fact, trying a horn in different venues with different mouthpieces will probably take more time than that! I am often puzzled when I read a post about someone briefly trying a horn/mouthpiece combo and feeling a true impression has been obtained. Perhaps they just know and hear much more than me. I have had my ML-1 for seven months, during which time I've played it a lot. I am constantly gaining new insight into its capabilities. There isn't any chance that impressions of different horns are influenced as much by "buzz" as by actual potential, is there?
Jim
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TrumpetMD
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PostPosted: Tue Feb 28, 2012 5:54 pm    Post subject: Re: Olds Ambassador vs. new 500-700$ trumpet Reply with quote

rafa1982 wrote:
I'm looking for buying a new trumpet. I've started playing the trumpet a couple of years ago, and I do it as a hobby, and really enjoy it. I wanted to by a new trumpet, and found an Olds Ambassadors from the 40's in very good conditions. My question is, is it a better deal, than buying a new Yamaha 2335 or a Bach TR 300 for example? i'm looking to spend around 500-650$...

I know it's a very strong and will last for a long while, but I'm 29 and use it either at home or in a studio, so I'm not going to drag it around the football field before class!

thanks
rafa

I own 2 out of the 3 horns you are considering. I have a 1957 Olds Ambassador, which Kanstul just did a great job restoring. Now it looks as good as it plays.

I also own a Bach TR300, which my son used through grade school and middle school. I purchased it used, but in excellent condition, for $200. It also plays very well, and stood up to a ton of abuse.

The Olds will have a greater "cool factor" than the other 2. But I'd be careful about the condition of an Ambassador from the 40's. That's a lot of potential mileage, unless it wasn't used much or the seller restored it. I purchased mine for $80, and spent about $350 on the restoration.

Mike
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Bach Stradivarius 184 Cornet (1988), Yamaha 13E4 Mouthpiece
Olds L-12 Flugelhorn (1969), Yamaha 13F4 Mouthpiece.
Plus a few other Bach, Getzen, Olds, Carol, HN White, and Besson horns.
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crzytptman
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PostPosted: Tue Feb 28, 2012 5:55 pm    Post subject: Re: ambassadrrrrrr Reply with quote

Manuel de los Campos wrote:
I don't want to spoil the party, but I think the Olds Ambassador trumpet is highly overrated. I tryed several Ambassadors and found them all stuffy, hard to play.


Valve alignment and mpc gap. It's very common for people to put big fluffy felt and cork in the valves thinking that's an overhaul. Most of the time it ruins the upstroke alignment. If you really want to play one, and I think they are great players, you have to get the alignment right and dial in the gap.

The penny (washer) to me pulls the response together above high C. I always get a weird vibration up there without the washer.
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