What was your very first horn, and where you get it?

Tom K. · Veteran Member Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 483

My first was my dad's 1930s Ludwig (St. Louis) in satin silver, a peashooter. I have never seen another one of those. I still play it when I visit him. Then I got my brother's hand-me-down King Super 20 Symphony, then a Yamaha 738 for Christmas in high school.

riffdawg2000 · Posted: Mon Jun 23, 2003 1:29 pm Post subject:

Ahhh...yes....Bundy! Rent -to-own....from my parents! I chose the trumpet because my uncle played trumpet .... in the Redcoat band! To a 6th grader....that was waaaaayyyyy too cool at that time!

First ...'REAL'... trumpet...a Bach Strad 37. Got it winning a bet w/ my dad that I WOULD make Spirit of Atlanta Drum & Bugle Corps.
_________________
Joel Thomas

JoeWats · Posted: Mon Jun 23, 2003 2:01 pm Post subject:

JoeWats · Posted: Mon Jun 23, 2003 2:03 pm Post subject:

Conn Director Cornet back in 1973. Next was a Martin Cornet and finally a Benge 3X Trumpet/

chops · Posted: Mon Jun 23, 2003 4:25 pm Post subject:

first instrument i owned was thanks to mum and dad. a silver late 70s Boosey & Hawkes ML sovereign that came with a Bach 3. paid £400 old Irish for it must be nearly 10 years ago. was playing an old (band owned) imperial til that. I still play the sovereign today. what made me WANT to play I'll never be sure exactly, the parents used to bring me to the local brass bands concerts when i was very small, and then signed me up with them when i was 9. years spent on cornet got me wanting to expand, so my parents called up a young former band member who was in college studying trumpet and got him to teach me (he's my teacher again after about 7 years, and a VERY successful player today) which led to (youth) orchestral playing and wind ensembles.
After being kicked up onto Soprano Cornet and on seeing the british movie "Brassed Off", i knew the cornet sound i aspired to. for my picc playing I've always had Hardenberger in mind, listening to him taught me to "back off" the picc and to try to make it sound as effortless as possible ( while turning blue in the face:D) also Andres high baroque.. As to my Bb playing, have to say my trumpet teacher. he's just brilliant. so here I am now, studying trumpet myself, and all from a brass band.

2002 Schilke S32 Bllm bell and B5 main slide. Bach 3 SP
1965 Schilke C5 with Bb slides
1980s Strad 37
1970s B&H sov cornet. Bach 3 SP
1980s Selmer Paris Eb/D. mpce varies but usually Bach 3
2001 Selmer Paris picc gold brass bell. Schilke 14a4x GP

gzent · Posted: Mon Jun 23, 2003 5:51 pm Post subject:

I got my first horn handed down to me from my older brother. He bought
a brand new Benge 3X in 73 and I got his 68 Holton Al Hirt Special.
That thing was made for abuse and lives on today as my daughter's
back up horn.

At the start of 9th grade, Oct. 77, I bought a used Benge 3X for $375.
I kept that one for over 20 years and sold it for over $600. It was a nice
horn, but I prefer my Zeus.

Greg

MHStrumpet · Posted: Thu Jun 26, 2003 8:10 am Post subject:

My first horn was a Bach tr-300. It is only three years old and I still have it. I don't use it because I have a new strad now.

Still Trying · Posted: Thu Jun 26, 2003 1:51 pm Post subject:

My first trumpet was a second hand Conn. I don't remember the model number. When I was 6 years old, my Dad brought the horn home from work one afternoon and told me it was time I learned how to play trumpet. I attended a school too small to have a music program and practiced on that old Conn for 6 years at home before I went "in town" to school and finally got to play in a band. I don't even remember what happened to that old Conn, but I think my Dad traded it in on the Olds Super he bought me in the 7th grade. Two years later he made me give the Super to my little sister, who had finally gotten old enough to join me "in town", and he replaced my super with an Olds Recording. It took me months to get over giving away the Super because I preferred it to the Recording at the time I gave it away. My sister quit playing after high school and I still have both the Super and the Recording. Both have been taken care of and except for cosmetics, they are both still good horns.
_________________
S. T.

What do we have that we did not receive, and if we received it, why do we glory, as if we received it not?

dSmith.45 · Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2003 9:38 am Post subject:

Hello All. 1st post

Started playing in 5th grade. My first horn was a Buescher purchased though the rent to own program arranged by the school. Never had a trumpet been more abused than that poor Buescher. The lead pipe had been sheared off. pulled off/ dented and silver soldiered back on by the metal shop teacher more times than I can remember. It was kicked off the football field bleechers and sat on a few times for good measure. By the time I was a sophmore in HS the horn was really showing it's age. My father bought me a second hand King 601 in silver plate . This was 1984. The serial number indicates it was made in 1979 or 1980 (best guess) Still have the King. Matter of fact I just pulled it out this morning for the first time in about four years to toot a few notes. Boy, I suck! I've been kurking on this board a few weeks now. You all have inspired me to take it up again. I thank you for that, I forgot how much I enjoyed it.

In case you're wondering what became of that poor abused Buescher I ended up selling it my Senior year to a member of the US Army Europe stage band. He needed a knockabout horn he could strap to the back of his motorcycle as not to risk his goverment issued Bach. The selling price was two beers-- hey we were in Germany!

jharris2 · Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2003 11:58 am Post subject:

First horn was a Holton Al Hirt model cornet. Received it on 1973 when Dad traded a saddle for it (we sold the horse so no need for the saddle).

Played that horn until 1976 when we traded it in on a new Getzen Eterna Severinsen model. Still have that horn and just started playing again a few months ago after laying off for 24 years.
_________________
John

2014 Flip Oakes Wild Thing flugelhorn (copper bell)
2014 Flip Oakes Celebration trumpet
2005 Flip Oakes Wild Thing trumpet
2002 Flip Oakes Wild Thing short cornet
1976 Getzen Eterna Severinsen trumpet
1951 Olds Ambassador cornet

Jarrett Ellis · Heavyweight Member Joined: 14 Jan 2003 Posts: 649

After the Pioneer I upgraded to a Conn 60B in silver plate... that thing was a screamer, small bore I think... Then I picked up my Bach Strad 37 Heavybell from a friend who no longer played, I almost feel bad saying this... I paid.....
300 bucks *ducks*... ok no flying chairs or anything, its the best horn I've played except my brand new Eclipse Medium in Scratch Gold.
-Jarrett

Melly · Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2003 6:05 pm Post subject:

I still have it... it's a yamaha kinda generic cornet. Few dents. I'm good to my horns. =)

2LIP · Posted: Fri Aug 01, 2003 6:04 am Post subject:

I smile when I think about this because my first horn was a 1957 Olds Studio model trumpet (SN# 199XXX built in the Fullerton, CA plant. It was purchased by my Grandfather from a Pawn Shop on the West side of Chicago (very tough neighborhood). Supposedly a pro player's horn with an affinity to alchohol more then this gem. Was pretty well used when I got it, and after years of playing, practicing, Marching through H.S., and then sticking it in the case so I could use my Silver Getzen, I decided to pull it out for a blow session to compare it to some other horns that I have been looking at. That is a great horn, and I wish that I would have taken better care of it. I had it cleaned/flushed, and the loose braces resoldered by Wayne Tanabe, and still pull it out for some fun. The horn just sizzles in the upper register, blows easy with plenty of resistance to lean on, and is a fun horn to play. I have had that horn for 30+ years!

The LIP

minimus · Regular Member Joined: 25 Jul 2003 Posts: 59

mine was a king 600...i still have it...my parents got it for me about 5 years ago...still in okay shape(marhing band takes its toll)...they got it from gadsden music in gadsden AL

Castle Bravo · Heavyweight Member Joined: 13 Apr 2003 Posts: 542

Mine was a Roth, and it was old in 1985, no lacquer, valves leaking and out of alignment, and I got it at a yard sale for $20. That was my horn for about a year and a half.

PJB · Posted: Fri Aug 01, 2003 8:15 am Post subject:

My first horn was a Getzen long model cornet handed down to me from my older brother in 1962. I played that horn until 1968 when I replaced it with a used Connstellation trumpet. In 1974, the Connie was replaced by an LA Benge 3X--my first new horn and the horn I'm still playing today.
_________________
Pete Blaise

1974 Benge 3X Bb
1950 Olds Super
2002 Yamaha Xeno 8445GS C
2004 Kanstul ZKF 1525 Flugel

fuzzyjon79 · Posted: Fri Aug 01, 2003 8:16 am Post subject:

a King cornet
_________________
J. Fowler
"It takes a big ole' sack of flour, to make a big ole' pan of biscuits!"

_dcstep · Posted: Fri Aug 01, 2003 8:26 am Post subject:

Conn Director, handed down from my brother that "retired" at 13, from trumpet playing. I didn't sleep with it.

Ciao,

Dave
_________________
Schilke '60 B1 -- 229 Bach-C/19-350 Blackburn -- Lawler TL Cornet -- Conn V1 Flugel -- Stomvi Master Bb/A/G picc -- GR mpcs
[url=http://www.pitpops.com] The PitPops[/url]
Rocky Mountain Trumpet Fest

Bootleg · Posted: Fri Aug 01, 2003 8:37 am Post subject:

Blessing Student Horn.

connloyalist · Posted: Fri Aug 01, 2003 9:43 am Post subject:

The very first instrument I ever played was a Conn 15A Director cornet, back in the summer of 1979. It belonged to my aunt and uncle; their kids had stopped playing. Then that some summer another aunt of mine came along with an instrument her kids weren't playing anymore either: a 1964 Conn 15B Director trumpet. Guess which one I chose

I played that 15B Director for more than 20 years. Still own it, and still use it regularly.

By the way SHS-Trumpet: "Conn long model cornet, coprion bell".... Sounds like a 10A Victor? Whatever happened to it?

Regards, Christine