Osmun blue printing service

James Becker · Posted: Wed Feb 10, 2016 9:25 am Post subject:

As much as I'd like to point to one thing and say that's the culprit, much of what we address is cumulative. This is why we have a holistic approach and take EVERYTHING into account.

Regarding venurti size, either larger or smaller, can be balanced with the appropriate receiver gap. Our aim is to set things in the most neutral setting at targeted measurements so the original design is executed as close as possible allowing your trumpet cornet or flugelhorn to play as it was intended. Valve misalignment greater than .005" are significant and are detectable by most players.

It is my hope more of you will consider the benefits of our services in order to get the most from your equipment.
_________________
James Becker
Brass Repair Specialist Since 1977
Osmun Music Inc.
77 Powdermill Road Rt.62
Acton, MA 01720
www.osmun.com

Our workshop is as close as your nearest UPS store https://www.ups.com/dropoff?loc=en_US

laser170323 · Veteran Member Joined: 18 May 2007 Posts: 201

I just got my Bach Chicago C trumpet back from Jim at Osmun. He blueprinted the horn for me. This is the second horn I've sent him for blueprinting.

Before I sent the horn, it had a lovely, ringing tone, but was difficult to play above the staff. The horn already had a PVA from Wayne Tanabe. This helped the intonation, but not the stuffiness.

Well ... I got the horn back yesterday and the difference is astounding! The horn is now spectacular. Jim did a lot of work on the bell bow and bell tail where it entered the first valve ferrule. Jim can give specifics on how much he had to open up bell bow, but it was a lot. (This was a horn built right after the strike. Maybe that was the problem.)

Jim also did some other minor modifications for me. He added a third valve water key and swapped out the first valve ring with an Artisan ring. The old ring used to cut into my thumb. The new ring is much more comfortable.

I really am in love with this horn. All I can say is WOW!

I highly recommend the blueprinting service at Osmun Music. It's well worth the money.

shofarguy · Posted: Wed Feb 17, 2016 3:19 pm Post subject:

Jim,

I'm curious about what you find in other makes. Can you tell us what benefits you may be able to perform on, say, Schilke or Kanstul instruments?

Thanks ahead of time!
_________________
Brian A. Douglas

Flip Oakes Wild Thing Bb Trumpet in copper
Flip Oakes Wild Thing Flugelhorn in copper

There is one reason that I practice: to be ready at the downbeat when the final trumpet sounds.

James Becker · Posted: Thu Feb 18, 2016 12:55 pm Post subject:

Thank you laser170323 for your positive review of Osmun blueprinting service and your repeat business! FWIW the constriction at the 1st valve bell knuckle of your Bach Chicago C trumpet was -.025".

Regarding our blueprinting service of other makes, we take the same approach by measuring mouthpipe to bell and everything in between. For a Schilke trumpet we may only need to perform our precision valve alignment, but you never know what we'll find until it's thoroughly inspected. Our use of select materials for valve alignment and water keys also contribute to a better feeling/sounding instrument.

I hope this is helpful.
_________________
James Becker
Brass Repair Specialist Since 1977
Osmun Music Inc.
77 Powdermill Road Rt.62
Acton, MA 01720
www.osmun.com

Our workshop is as close as your nearest UPS store https://www.ups.com/dropoff?loc=en_US

NYCTPT · Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2016 11:15 pm Post subject:

Jim....do you do this on Scagerl rotaries?

Thanks.

James Becker · Posted: Sat Feb 20, 2016 4:42 am Post subject:

Thank you NYCTPT for asking.

The obvious difference being rotors vs. pistons, and both types can suffer from port misalignment. At Osmun Music we pride ourselves in our expert understanding of rotor valves passed on by our founder Bob Osmun who's business was built on the restoration of classic Horns by Geyer, Schmidt, Alexander, Paxman and Conn.

Worth pointing out is the mouthpiece receivers on Schagerl rotory trumpets are unique in that the leadpipe venturi has a well defined shoulder like you'd find on most American piston trumpets, so receiver gap does come into play.

FWIW we've regularly serviced the BSO owned set of Schagerl rotory trumpets, primarily cleanings and bumper replacement.

I hope this is helpful.
_________________
James Becker
Brass Repair Specialist Since 1977
Osmun Music Inc.
77 Powdermill Road Rt.62
Acton, MA 01720
www.osmun.com

Our workshop is as close as your nearest UPS store https://www.ups.com/dropoff?loc=en_US

eysikal · Posted: Mon Jun 13, 2016 8:26 pm Post subject:

James,

Have a Bach 229/25 horn that has already been aligned by Reeves. Any issues blueprinting a horn that's had a valve alignment done by another shop?

laser170323 · Veteran Member Joined: 18 May 2007 Posts: 201

My horn had a valve alignment from Wayne Tanabe before getting blueprinted by Jim. I doubt it will be a problem. But let Jim confirm directly.

James Becker · Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2016 8:50 am Post subject:

As a rule I don't realign valves unless asked to. We recognize there can be different methods of measuring, which port one chooses for reference, and a variety of different materials used.

So far we've had very positive feedback on our alignments. Some have detected differences in sound quality with our choice of pad material.

What we can offer are suggestions where improvements might be realized and leave the decision up to you what work you want done.

Generally speaking when we discover deviations of .005" or more in multiple places along the bore the cumulative effect of correcting all of these can be striking.

I hope this is helpful.
_________________
James Becker
Brass Repair Specialist Since 1977
Osmun Music Inc.
77 Powdermill Road Rt.62
Acton, MA 01720
www.osmun.com

Our workshop is as close as your nearest UPS store https://www.ups.com/dropoff?loc=en_US

eysikal · Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2016 8:57 am Post subject:

Jon Arnold · Heavyweight Member Joined: 07 Jan 2002 Posts: 2025

What is the range in cost of blueprinting services? I know it starts at $310 but what is the maximum possible cost if all services are needed?

James Becker · Posted: Sun Dec 10, 2017 8:24 pm Post subject:

Thank you Jon for asking. What really impacts additional costs are age and wear.

For example, if your Bach mouthpiece receiver gap is worn -.030" or more below the factory gap using a Bach mouthpiece, we will install a brand new receiver to restore the gap to .125". If your mouthpipe has "red rot" a new Bach mouthpipe assembly includes the mouthpiece receiver. Parts will vary in cost depending on finish, so it's hard say for sure what your final cost would be without inspecting first.

The other area of concern is the valve seal (compression ) is something we can test for you. Loss of 15% or more is significant and indicates the need for valve rebuilding.

Expert inspection and estimates are free of charge.
_________________
James Becker
Brass Repair Specialist Since 1977
Osmun Music Inc.
77 Powdermill Road Rt.62
Acton, MA 01720
www.osmun.com

Our workshop is as close as your nearest UPS store https://www.ups.com/dropoff?loc=en_US

Jon Arnold · Heavyweight Member Joined: 07 Jan 2002 Posts: 2025

Thanks for the reply Jim. I appreciate it.

JasonB · Regular Member Joined: 17 Oct 2006 Posts: 26

Have a horn coming your way for service on 1/9, Jim! I just received a 19037 that's not quite rough enough to justify rolling the dice with an exchange. Sound is decent, but could definitely be better; my son and I both feel like the horn is fighting us - can't wait to see/feel/hear the results!
_________________
Bach AB190S
Getzen 3850

trumpet56 · Heavyweight Member Joined: 16 Jun 2010 Posts: 623

It seems to me that Bach etc should send their trumpets to Jim for blue printing before sending them to the customer.

JasonB · Regular Member Joined: 17 Oct 2006 Posts: 26

James Becker · Posted: Fri Dec 22, 2017 3:30 pm Post subject:

Thank you Jason, I look forward to seeing your new Bach Bb when it arrives early January.

I'm heading home and taking next week off from the shop, returning January 2nd. Thank you every one for your support throughout this past year, we greatly appreciate your business.

Happy Holidays to all of you here at Trumpet Herald!
_________________
James Becker
Brass Repair Specialist Since 1977
Osmun Music Inc.
77 Powdermill Road Rt.62
Acton, MA 01720
www.osmun.com

Our workshop is as close as your nearest UPS store https://www.ups.com/dropoff?loc=en_US

trumpet56 · Heavyweight Member Joined: 16 Jun 2010 Posts: 623

Existentialist · Veteran Member Joined: 14 Jan 2007 Posts: 193

I bought a Charley Davis 1S9 from Chuck Levin’s right before Christmas. It’s a killer horn: lot’s of core, it can really bark, and the intonation is great. It also came with a Reeves valve alignment, which is wonderful. Within two weeks I put a nice dent in the bell (totally my fault). In addition, the first and third slides dragged a bit, and I wanted them to move like butter. Since I recently moved to the Washington, DC area. I decided to set up an appointment with Jim Becker and get the horn blueprinted. I made a road trip out of it, and visited Osmun Music in mid January.

I dropped the horn off first thing in the morning, and to kill some time, I went to see Star Wars. Half way through the movie, I received a phone message from Jim Becker, and he told me my horn was ready. So, I did what any good trumpet player would do: I left in the middle of the movie to get my horn! Once I got back to Osmun, Jim came up front to tell me what he did. First of all, Charley Davis is making a GREAT product and Jim complimented Charley on the fine construction of this classic reproduction. What Jim did: (a) aligned the first and third slides, (b) removed the dent I put in the bell (masterful work!), (c) rounded out the bell bow a bit, (d) removed a small bit of solder blob inside the tuning slide, (e) fixed a flat spot in the first slide, and (f) put some new cork on the spit valves. The valves were already aligned, but Jim installed his own pads, which are a little quieter. He also showed me an old Calicchio #9 leadpipe that he had lying around, and we discussed setting the gap on the new horn using the Reeves sleeves. Bingo! We locked in the gap.

But that wasn’t all. He was really interested in how I liked the post blueprint horn. I went into the side room, and noodled around for a while. It played great, and as a bonus, the low register had a bigger sound. Jim and I basically talked trumpet for an hour straight. That’s the bonus for making a road trip out of it. It has been three weeks since my trip to Osmun Music, and I just finished a two-hour practice session. The horn feels great, responds great, and sounds great. Bottom line, Charley Davis makes a great horn, and Jim Becker is a master technician. And a shout out to Bob Reeves, as the Reeves sleeves and mouthpieces are a perfect match with this horn. I just had to share my experience with the Trumpet Herald community.
_________________
Adams A9 (medium bore)
Yamaha 8310Z Gen. II
Taylor Chicago Standard II
Inderbinen Wood Flugelhorn
https://crciorba.com/

Pablopiccasso · Veteran Member Joined: 25 Jan 2014 Posts: 204

The Getzen Severinsen is the horn in question. I looked at a Getzen 700SP, and this also has a more mildly oval bell bend. Then looked at a king silver flair from UMI era and a French Courtois trumpet which have no obvious ovaling there.

Completely unscientific pole of four horns. Still the Severinson plays better than the others.

How would a techie go about rounding the guilty tube?