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Overhaul old Bach, Good or Bad?


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Speed
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Joined: 13 May 2015
Posts: 295
Location: Mississippi

PostPosted: Sun Jun 17, 2018 10:52 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

This trumpet may have had enough damage and less than ideal repairs that it's past the point of being interesting to a real collector. The major factor of interest is its serial number.

I suspect any of the craftsmen already mentioned can turn it into a nice playing trumpet, but unless you've got access to a donor horn as a source for authentic-to-the-period replacement parts, I doubt you are going to end up with an instrument that would be of any interest to a serious collector.

Real collectors - the kind that pay big dollars - are notoriously obsessive about originality. It sounds like a lot of this trumpet's originality is, unfortunately, long gone.

I love the challenge of fixing old things, and I will admit that I have spent more money on a few old pieces of gear than I will likely get out of them - BUT - once I finished with them, they played really well and they suited me.

If this trumpet were mine, my inclination would be to have a good craftsman get it in really top notch functional playing condition, on some sort of reasonable budget, not lose a lot of sleep about the cosmetics, and then play it like it was stolen, bragging to all my buddies about the low serial number.

Please keep us posted.

Take care,
Marc Speed
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VetPsychWars
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Joined: 07 Nov 2006
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Location: Greenfield WI

PostPosted: Sun Jun 17, 2018 12:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Leaving a horn this age as raw brass, played or not, is not a good idea. The lacquer protects the horn from the elements. Even epoxy lacquer is a better idea than raw brass because epoxy can still be stripped if need be.

I'd find some museum for it, personally. It probably doesn't play all that well at this point and what you'd have to do to get it to play well means replacing too many parts. This is a hand-built horn from the 1920s made to one player's personal specifications, after all.

Tom
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Mike Sailors
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 17, 2018 3:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Contact Josh Landress. He used to post here, but I think some of the TH know-it-alls ran him off.

He's THE guy to talk to about restoring old Bach's.
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Bstradivarius
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PostPosted: Thu Jun 21, 2018 11:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

If you get the right brass Tech, it will play like a dream and no new trumpet will come even close. In my experience, I am still playing on the same horn that was fixed up 20 years ago, and was able to continue to get it customized and improved over the years. It is now exactly the way I want it.
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James Becker
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Joined: 02 Sep 2005
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Location: Littleton, MA

PostPosted: Fri Jun 22, 2018 5:13 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

We have done quite a few vintage trumpet/cornet mechanical overhauls involving major body work and valve rebuilding. A good number of our customers play vintage brass instruments and require them to be in top playing condition.

One of my favorites is Jeff Hughes, a marine biologist by day and working trad jazz cornets in is free time. He really enjoys playing on his vintage cornets and trumpets. Jeff plays with such ease and style, he's such a joy to listen to. Be sure to look for his clips on youtube.

Proper restoration can be tedious sometimes, but so worth it when you can hear the fruits of your labor.

My two cents.
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TKSop
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Joined: 23 Feb 2014
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Location: UK

PostPosted: Fri Jun 22, 2018 5:17 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Speed wrote:
This trumpet may have had enough damage and less than ideal repairs that it's past the point of being interesting to a real collector. The major factor of interest is its serial number.

I suspect any of the craftsmen already mentioned can turn it into a nice playing trumpet, but unless you've got access to a donor horn as a source for authentic-to-the-period replacement parts, I doubt you are going to end up with an instrument that would be of any interest to a serious collector.

Real collectors - the kind that pay big dollars - are notoriously obsessive about originality. It sounds like a lot of this trumpet's originality is, unfortunately, long gone.


Bingo.

Even if you can get original parts, the odds are that the fact that they're not original to that specific horn (and that it's had significant work) is enough for the serious collectors to want to dismiss it.

Completely agree with you - have it brought up to playing condition (with as near to original looking parts as practicable) and play it... these old Bach's are really quite something, there's a character to them that few modern horns possess, it'd be a crime not to play it.

I would definitely have it finished.
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gstump
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PostPosted: Fri Jun 22, 2018 5:48 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I had a New Bach Serial Number #65 It was very Besson-like. Lots of holes and rot. I add Peppys in NYC restore it and used it through college and as a solo horn in the theater (Annie).

These early Bachs had incredible response, even better than by B5 which is very good.

Trumpets are not really that collectable. If you can get your Bach playable again by replacing the non-bach parts, I think you will have a keeper. These are the original light-weight Bachs!!

Good luck,

Gordon Stump
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