1957Tim Veteran Member
Joined: 30 Oct 2004 Posts: 192 Location: Hannibal Missouri
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Posted: Sat Feb 01, 2020 7:07 pm Post subject: |
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I know this thread is pretty old, but I thought I would revive it with this post and see what you think. I just cleaned up one of these “Bandmaster” Salvation Army cornets for a friend. According to the information on this thread, the cornet was manufactured in the early 60’s. The owner of the cornet said it was given to her many years ago, and that she played it for quite some time, but that the horn was always hard to play. I took it out of the case and gave it a blow, and it felt like there was a sock in the horn someplace. After a thorough cleaning and reassembling of the horn, it seemed that the slide on the opposite end of the tuning slide was pretty loose, and all three valves seemed to have an excessive amount of wiggle to them. I used heavy grease on the slides, and Hetman #3 oil on the valves. It played better, less stuffy, but it still isn’t up to par. My unprofessional opinion is that it needs a valve rebuild and at least one tuning slide refitted.
The silver plate and overall physical condition of this cornet is good. There are some small dents in the bell bow, and a few others here and there. I’m guessing that it would cost $500-$600 dollars to have the dents removed and the valves rebuilt. In your opinion, would this be a poor investment? I know this cornet has sentimental value to my friend as she is a Salvation Army Officer, but it’s not really useable in it’s current condition.
For a personal story of my own; I am the second owner of a Conn 12A cornet. In 2000, the original owner sent it back to Conn and asked them to make it look like it did when his father purchased it for him in 1952. It really does look that good, but the valves were so worn that it was not a dependable player. I sent the horn to Anderson Plating for a valve rebuild, so I now have a total investment of around $1000 in a cornet that in reality is worth well under that. I play this cornet about once a week, so I figure that is worth something. I am not a buyer/seller; in fact, I still have all seven of the horns that I have acquired over the years. For me, having a nice cornet that is a dependable player was worth the investment, even though my wife will probably not be able to recoup my investment when the time comes.
I thank you in advance for your personal thoughts/stories. Should “The Bandmaster” cornet just become a wall hanger, or should it be given another chance to make beautiful music?
-1957Tim |
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