Vega Trumpet.....Fats Navarro?

[Uniquetrumpet]

I recently purchased a Vega Power Model, made around 1935.

The horn has truly amazed me.....great tone, great valves, great character.......and no dings or dents!

The seller included a copy of an ad from the late 40's showing Fats and Miles endorsing the horns.

Someone told me these horns were made in Boston by the same craftsmen that made the Boston Cornets which were the cornet of choice for many players in the early part of the century.

Any Vega players in the TH crowd? Anyone know if there was a real connection between Fats and Vega or was it a photo opp?

[excelsiorcornetband]

I've had a couple Power Model Vegas; but never one of that vintage. One was identical to the Rudy Muck Citation/Blessing Super Artist, apparently subcontracted out to Blessing. The other is a later horn and is very similar to the last York models that were apparently made, again, by Blessing. I have heard that some of the early Vega Power models were Paris Besson Mehas, stenciled by Vega, but I don't know if there is any truth to that. If yours was built by the same folks that had built the Boston Musical Instrument Manufactory/Company horns, it's no doubt a high-quality instrument. They didn't build dogs, that's for sure. The earliest Bostons are essentially re-labelled E.G. Wrights. Wright's instruments are simply the best of the 1850s-70s. His legacy lived on in the quality of Boston MIM instruments for many years.

I have seen photos of Miles and Fats using Vega Powers (the ones with the big star on the bell) but I think it was a short-lived flirtation, if not simply a photo op.
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[bg]

I've seen the ad for Vega w/ Fats & Miles. However, I've never seen any photos of either playing one on a gig or session.

In most Fats photos, you see him with his Conn 2B. In his later photos,
he is playing a Committee.

brad goode

[Trumpeter656]

They had an auction around here recently (or perhaps it's in a few days, I don't remember) that had/has a Vega trumpet from 1901 or something like that. The name rang a bell...but I don't know anything about them. There's a website apparently where you can look at it....if I find it I'll post it here.
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2005 Bach Stradivarius 43*
1973 Bach Stradivarius 37

Conn 8D double F/Bb horn

[Uberopa]

Hi All,

An anecdote related by Doc Severinson tells of him as a young lad cleaning his old Vega power bore trumpet before a gig and having a complete train wreck because it played so differently after. Sorry, I don't recall the publication but suspect it was one of those Getzen pamphlets.

Cheers,

Brian