What was your first horn?

gstump · Heavyweight Member Joined: 14 Nov 2006 Posts: 934

Blessing..very solid!
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Schilke B5
Couesnon Flug (1967)
Funk Brothers Horn Section/Caruso Student

murph66 · Posted: Tue Sep 18, 2018 9:17 am Post subject:

My first horn was a Conn Director Cornet that I used from 9th grade through college. After I graduated, I let a cousin have it to play in his school band. He managed break the lead pipe into two pieces. Since I wasn't playing myself, I didn't worry about it. When I did start back, I purchased a used Getzen Eterna.

Fast forward to last year- a friend of mine started a program of refurbishing used horns that were given to him and providing them to middle school students that might not be able to purchase their own horn through the local middle school band directors. I let him have the horn have the horn, and he did a great job of repairing the lead pipe. He let me see it after he was through, and I was able to go from low C to high C with hardly any effort.

And to make things even better, that horn was donated to the middle school that I had attended many decades ago. I wonder if it felt at home in the old band hall.

StartingUpAgainAt53 · Posted: Tue Sep 18, 2018 12:09 pm Post subject:

My first horn was a King Cornet, followed by a Conn (I believe) with a "rosy bell" and then the Mt. Vernon Bach Strad. I still play today

Robert1 · Regular Member Joined: 13 Sep 2018 Posts: 23

My first trumpet was an Olds Ambassador. It was fall 1965, and I was 10 years old. My parents took me to Udelhofen Music in Mankato, Minnesota. The owner there told my parents that I needed a trumpet and not to buy a cornet. My parents paid $100.00 for that trumpet. I still have it today. Over the years, it got kind of beat, but finally in 2017, Charlie Melk overhauled it and removed the dents for me. I don't play on it, but I like knowing that it is in good shape now. Many great memories playing that trumpet from 5th grade up until 9th grade, when my parents bought me a brand new Bach Stradivarius Model 37 in lacquer for $350.00. I still have that trumpet, too! Charlie Melk completely restored it for me in 2017, and it is completely beautiful! The Bach Strad originally came with a 1C mouthpiece (CORP with no period). I had sold that to another player back in my undergraduate days.. and about 15 years ago, I bought it back from him. It was pretty much trashed. The throat was drilled out, and I remember that I had carved out the back-bore a little. The shank was very worn, and the tip of the shank had a crack in it. BUT... Matt Frost beautifully restored that mouthpiece to original specifications (even with a 27 throat now) for me earlier this year. What a treat it is to still have my original 1970 Bach Stradivarius Model 37 with original 1C CORP mouthpiece, both in mint condition!

spitvalve · Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2018 7:54 pm Post subject:

Update: This thread made me nostalgic for my old King Cleveland Superior cornet. Found one on eBay for what I felt was a reasonable price, cleaned a ton of gunk out of it, oiled it up, and put it up to my chops, anxious for a sweet-sounding trip back to my younger days...well, if my old horn sucked as bad as this one, it's a wonder I didn't switch to drums when I was a kid! Debating whether or not to refurbish and resell or turn it into a lamp...

Live and learn.
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Bryan Fields
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1991 Bach LR180 ML 37S
1999 Getzen Eterna 700S
1979 Getzen Eterna 895S Flugelhorn
1969 Getzen Capri cornet
Eastlake Benge 4PSP piccolo trumpet
Warburton and Stomvi Flex mouthpieces