Bach 37 (years 1983-1984) in beautiful shape: suggestions

[Patrizio]

Hi folks, I found a Bach Strad 37 in lacquer (years 1983-1984) in really beautiful shape despite the age, without signs of corrosion, at least from the outside. It was purchased in the late 1980's but has seen very little use. A technician recently overhauled it and said everything is fine. It is almost identical to my first 37 purchased in 1985 that I had to sell. So, from a romantic point of view I'd be very tempted to take it, also because I heard that was a good period for Bach trumpets. The price is 1600 euros, about 1740 US$. The problem is that I can't play it. Would you risk buying it?
Comments and suggestions are welcome. Thank you!

PS
How can I attach images?

[Patrizio]

Just to be more precise, I can't play it before pay....

[Irving]

not a bad price. Arrange a skype meeting with the owner, and have him play it, or demonstrate that the valves and slides work. Look at the outside of the leadpipe and make sure there are no signs of red rot. Pay by paypal. Stai attento.

[Patrizio]

Hi Irving, thank you for your suggestions. This morning I had a video call with the owner, but he is a pianist and can't play the trumpet. It belonged to his grandfather who recently passed away. The trumpets looks nice and clean, all slides and pistons move. The lacquer was in very good condition without missing areas, no evident signs of red rots on the leadpipe or on the the main tuning slides, like in the pictures I got.

[trickg]

I had a Strad that we initially purchased for my older sister around 1984 that I used and abused until I started eating holes in it with my acidic hands. That trumpet served me from the time I got it in 1986 until I sold it and bought another Strad in 1997.

It also got me through my first 8 years of my Army Band career - I did a lot of good playing on that trumpet.
_________________
Patrick Gleason
- Jupiter 1600i, ACB 3C, Warburton 4SVW/Titmus RT2
- Brasspire Unicorn C
- ACB Doubler

"95% of the average 'weekend warrior's' problems will be solved by an additional 30 minutes of insightful practice." - PLP

[Dayton]

If there isn't any visible red rot you should be fine for years as long as you keep the horn clean. Replacing a leadpipe or tuning slide can be expensive, so the absence of visible red rot increases the likelihood you won't have any major repair expenses.

Another potentially costly repair would be rebuilding the valves. Did the repair tech who said "everything's fine" check valve action and compression?

If both those are good, and there isn't any visible red rot, then you'll likely have a problem-free horn for years to come. Even if you wind up not liking it you'll be able to sell it for the price you purchased it for.

Good luck!

[Patrizio]

[Patrizio]

[OldSchoolEuph]

I have known some pretty serious trumpeters who played Bachs of that period at some point in their career, and these are typically very fine instruments. However, condition is everything. Sight un-seen is always a risk. Detailed photos including bore-scope video can lower that risk, but never eliminate it.
_________________
Ron Berndt
www.trumpet-history.com

2017 Austin Winds Stage 466
1962 Mt. Vernon Bach 43
1954 Holton 49 Stratodyne
1927 Conn 22B
1957 Holton 27 cornet
1985 Yamaha YEP-621
1975 Yamaha YEP-321 Custom
1965 Besson Baritone
1975 Olds Recording R-20

[Patrizio]

[Patrizio]

Could you let me know how can I post here some picture of this 37?

[RandyTX]

I have to disagree, at least in general terms, with some of the comments above about this being a period for 'good horns' from Bach. You only have to spend a few minutes looking at serial number info to realize that Bach radically upped production numbers in the late 70s and 80's, and really started cranking them out, with a shocking number of them going to band students, at least those that could afford them.

At the time I bought mine (in 1980), they went for about $425, which doesn't sound like much, but if you look it up in one of those inflation calculators online, you'll learn that it's almost the same price (in modern dollars) of a new Bach strad purchased today. It's not about labor costs, or materials, or union wages, or any of that stuff. The dollar is just worth much less than it was back then.

Anyway, some of those horns were good, some of them not so good, and a bunch of them weren't exactly treated or cared for the best in their original owner's hands.

Mine, a silver 37, had a notoriously dodgy A just above the staff, that was a pain to play clearly. I never knew why at the time, and it wasn't until years later, when I dusted it off and sent it off to Steve Winans, aka 'Dr. Valve' up in Chicago, wanting some other work done, and he called me, wanting to know what I thought about that A being wonky.

I hadn't mentioned it to him in advance, but he came to the same conclusion. Far better, he had a bunch of strads in his shop at hte time, and told me that he tried the tuning slides from all of them in my horn, and they all played better than the stock Bach slide it came with back in 1980.

He ordered a MK drawing replacement and fitted it for me, and I'm still using that horn today, mostly for legit / orchestra playing while I prefer a different horn for big band or horn band playing. And that ludicriosly problematic A? Long gone.

All of the above is just to say, if you can't play the horn in question first, I'd be leery of just assuming it's a great horn because of a serial number and some pictures. It might be, it might not be, a good one.

The fix might be simple, like replacing a tuning slide, or maybe a leadpipe if it has red rot or something like that, but it could be far worse. Before I bought mine, I played through at least a dozen of them in a music store in Ft. Worth, Texas (you could actually find them in stock in large numbers back then, pretty much anywhere). Some of them were dogs, some of them were far better, and if I had spent more time, I imght have figured out that A was weird (for reasons I never figured out, and Steve couldn't explain either) even though I thought it was the pick of the litter at the time.

YMMV.
_________________
"Music is like candy, you throw the (w)rappers away."

[Halflip]

[Quadstriker]

[JayKosta]

If you cannot find a server to host your pictures of the horn, I can put them on my website - just attach the .jpg files in a email to me at
jkosta@hancock.net

I'll leave them online for at least 1 week, or later if there is continued 'current interest' in this thread
_________________
Most Important Note ? - the next one !
KNOW (see) what the next note is BEFORE you have to play it.
PLAY the next note 'on time' and 'in rhythm'.
Oh ya, watch the conductor - they set what is 'on time'.

[RandyTX]

[Patrizio]

[JayKosta]

Patrizio sent me 4 jpg photos and they are here -

http://users.hancock.net/jkosta/B37photo1.jpg
http://users.hancock.net/jkosta/B37photo2.jpg
http://users.hancock.net/jkosta/B37photo3.jpg
http://users.hancock.net/jkosta/B37photo4.jpg

My site does not use 'https' security, so you might get a warning msg about the files not being secure - I have scanned the files with NORTON and no problems were reported about them.
_________________
Most Important Note ? - the next one !
KNOW (see) what the next note is BEFORE you have to play it.
PLAY the next note 'on time' and 'in rhythm'.
Oh ya, watch the conductor - they set what is 'on time'.

[OldSchoolEuph]

[Patrizio]