Olds Special Cornet

Lqbanotxano · New Member Joined: 26 Dec 2018 Posts: 10 Location: Texas

I bought an 1953 Olds Special Cornet a few months back. The previous owner was playing it with a flugelhorn mouthpiece. He din’t like the way it sounded. It had a couple of dents. Otherwise is was in decent shape. I gave $125.00 including freight. When I got it, he was right, it didn’t sound good with the Flugelhorn mouthpiece. I couldn’t find the correct mouthpiece at a cheap price. So, I called a guy I know at Collins Music Center. He repairs brass instruments. Anyway, he installed an Ambassador small shank cornet mouthpiece receiver (looks proper & I got the original) He also took out the 2 dents, balanced the valves. I also asked him to clean it but, he said it didn’t need it. I got out of there for $115.00. Now the cornet sounds good and I have several mouthpieces from my Ambassador cornet. Now I’m looking for a cheap Olds Special trumpet.

HoltonHunter105 · Regular Member Joined: 09 Oct 2020 Posts: 12

The olds specials were really something. Solid horns, as were most produced by olds at that time. Ebay is probably the place to look. There is a guy on there who does nice work restoring these instruments.
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Austin Shulse

guy · Posted: Wed Oct 14, 2020 8:07 am Post subject:

I just picked up a 1945 Special in silver plate. I was the only bidder, got it for peanuts.There was a screw stuck halfway down the leadpipe It was literally a wall hanger,with the attesting nail hole on the bell tail near the 1st valve and a seriously bent bell...But once the pistons cleaned up and lubed, And electrical tape to close the holes,compression is vg. it's a verry nice light weight player. took the bell off to fix the bend and trying to figure out a fix for the nail hole. Hope to play it before I get too old.

G.
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Olds-Bachs-Benges-Holtons-Conns-Couesnon
N+ too many!! I need professional help!!

huntman10 · Posted: Wed Oct 14, 2020 8:09 pm Post subject:

About the late 1950's, Olds changed the Specials by putting a bell that had a solid nickel bell from the tail to the flair, with a Bronze flair. The Trumpet version of that bell seems to play a little too edgy for my tastes, but the cornet with the combination flair has an amazing core of tone. I used the Special cornet for most of the late 90's through about 2007 playing in a municipal/Jr. College band in Texas.

I also had an early 50's Special trumpet with the brass bell. It was a great player, with a great upper range, and slotting as far as I could manage. A friend of mine took it from a total basket case into a really great horn, BTW. I let it go about 4 years ago, as my collection has exploded over the years (guess I replaced it with that Super Recording trumpet) but I still have the cornet, and can't seem to talk myself into letting it go, even though I almost entirely play Eb cornet now, and Bb Trumpet in the municipal band wher I am now.

I was a Bach Strad snob for about 40 years, until I re-discovered the range of Olds trumpets and cornets.
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huntman10
Collector/Player of Fine (and not so fine) Brass Instruments including
Various Strads, Yammies, Al Hirt Courtois, Schilkes,
Selmer 25, Getzen Eternas, Kanstuls (920 Pic, CG)
Martin Custom Large Bore, Lots Olds!, Conns, etc.