Old Cornet

malco · New Member Joined: 22 May 2018 Posts: 10

people on this forum seem to have trumpets going back donkeys years , how long do they last ?

USCGRick · Posted: Wed May 23, 2018 1:20 pm Post subject:

In my experience if you keep it clean and serviced, along with proper storage I can see it lasting several life times.
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USCG Rick

Harrelson Bb VPS Summit One
Harrelson C VPS Summit

Bucaneer61 · Posted: Thu May 24, 2018 5:15 am Post subject: old horns

I play a 93 year old Conn 28B Concert Grand that is in wonderful shape. Plays every bit as good as any horn from any date, including 2018 models.

Michael
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Selmer Radial Bb ML - Jan., 1972
Selmer Radial C XL - Jan., 1972
Getzen 580S cornet - c. 1973
Blessing Artist Flugelhorn, rose brass bell
Accent Picc by B & S
Conn 28B Concert Grand Bb - 1925
Martin Handcraft Imperial - 1937

malco · New Member Joined: 22 May 2018 Posts: 10

Great !!! As a serious guitarist , i had to have therapy for GAS , so unless a nice person buys me one , or this site crowd funds me , i'll be buried with my one and only!

blbaumgarn · Heavyweight Member Joined: 26 Jul 2017 Posts: 705

I am assuming that with almost all brass instruments, the value placed on certain brand names and certain eras is justified. If the instruments didn't deliver the quality play and sound people needed the vintage Martins, Bachs, or Benges, just to name a few wouldn't happen any more. Go to YouTube and pull up a video of Ole' Edvard Antonsen playing "Napoli" He plays on what has to be a 40 year old Getzen Eterna cornet and it is some flawless cornet sound I will tell you.

royjohn · Posted: Fri May 25, 2018 8:32 am Post subject:

Well, a little more detailed answer...eventually, if the horn is played a lot, it will need a valve rebuild. I have two York cornets from about 1092 and their valves both leak badly. A saving grace for a lot of these old horns is that someone put them away somewhere and they weren't played for a lot of years, so the valves could be in good shape. A valve rebuild at present is, what, $500? But it generally puts the horn back in like new condition as far as playing is concerned. So keep your horn clean and your valves oiled regularly for a long life. Of course, some plating jobs are better than others and the Getzens are known for lasting a very, very long time...there are some threads on this here if you look for them.

Another concern is red rot or de-zincification. On most horns this shows up in the leadpipe and sometimes this has to be replaced, which can be a problem if you are looking for a leadpipe for a 1940's horn. Of course, there are aftermarket leadpipes for about $150 installed that will actually improve the blow of most horns (think Pilczuk)...but the horn isn't original any more, which some would be upset about. Some folks' saliva contributes to red rot, some brass is more prone than other brass...keep the leadpipe clean (with a swab) and put a few drops of oil in it and blow them down it regularly.

Other than these two things, brass instruments can last an awfully long time. Will need dents removed and corks and felts replaced from time to time, but that's about it.

Funny story...I bought a 1928 Buescher from one of America's premier trumpet sellers. It was described as having no valve compression and terrible intonation...when it arrived, I found a thick valve felt (1/2 inch thick) in one of the valves. Took that out and the horn had incredibly tight valves and was otherwise pristine...got it for about $25!

As far as lasting a long time, the biggest problem with old horns today is that they don't have the same tonal profile as newer horns. Todays' cornets and trumpets play louder and darker and they have larger bores than most of the vintage horns. In most British Brass Bands of professional caliber you would be out of place with anything really vintage, which wouldn't blend with today's horns. Same is true of most orchestras and bands, which all are based (loosely, now, don't kill me for making a generalization) on a Bach 37 sound. Anything from the 30's that is brighter just isn't desireable. In a Dixieland band, you might want that vintage sound, or in a Victorian type band (I know of one of those), but otherwise, people are looking for a different sound.

Help, I'm talking trumpet and can't shut up...I love my vintage horns, but I mostly play for my own amazement...so I appreciate each individual voice...
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royjohn
Trumpets: 1928 Holton Llewellyn Model, 1957 Holton 51LB, 2010 Custom C by Bill Jones, 2011 Custom D/Eb by Bill Jones
Flugels: 1975 Olds Superstar, 1970's Elkhardt, 1970's Getzen 4 valve
Cornet: 1970's Yamaha YCR-233S . . . and others . . .

dylanlmeyer · New Member Joined: 07 Jun 2018 Posts: 5

gotta love that vintage cornet sound! Esp. on a British-style cornet!