1970s Bach Mercedes trumpet

Dale Proctor · Posted: Sat Apr 20, 2024 11:16 am Post subject: 1970s Bach Mercedes trumpet

Well, I haven’t bought a horn in years, and have sold off all but the “keepers”, but I bought a trumpet on eBay the other day and it arrived a few hours ago. According to the serial #, it was made around 1976, and is basically a cheaper, no-frills Stradivarius. No nickel trim, no tuning slide brace, a 2-piece bell (I believe it’s a 38 ), and a 3rd valve slide with an adjustable finger ring and water key. The bore measures .456”, which Bach called an MP (medium plus) bore. It plays pretty well and is in really good condition for its age, and the price was right!

_________________
"Brass bands are all very well in their place - outdoors and several miles away ." - Sir Thomas Beecham

Halflip · Posted: Sat Apr 20, 2024 5:03 pm Post subject:

Congratulations, Dale! That's a very good looking horn.
_________________
"He that plays the King shall be welcome . . . " (Hamlet Act II, Scene 2, Line 1416)

"He had no concept of the instrument. He was blowing into it." -- Virgil Starkwell's cello teacher in "Take the Money and Run"

Dale Proctor · Posted: Sat Apr 20, 2024 7:03 pm Post subject:

Brassnose · Posted: Sat Apr 20, 2024 10:21 pm Post subject:

I have been looking for a „high traffic“ (nice phrase, Dale) horn for a while but the Mercedes wasn’t on my radar. Rather looking at Getzen 300 or Yamaha 3335/4335. Over here, Mercedeses (plural?) are very rare and not so cheap. Plus of course there is the vintage Bach thing they have going for them. Nice looking horn, must be lighter than a regular Strad, I presume.
_________________
2019 Martin Schmidt eXcellence
1992 Bach 43GH/43
1989 Kühnl & Hoyer Model 15 flugel
1980/2023 Custom Blessing Scholastic C 😎
1977 Conn 6B
1951 Buescher 400 Lightweight
AR Resonance, Frate, Klier

Irving · Heavyweight Member Joined: 11 Feb 2003 Posts: 1890

Looks good! Did you actually measure the bore size? Some of the later ones were made with the .459 valve section.

Croquethed · Posted: Sun Apr 21, 2024 9:54 am Post subject:

My 5th-10th grade horn was a Mercedes, which I guess would have been early Elkhart.

I don't remember the third slide ring as adjustable on that one, though it may have been. I thought it was a dog, but I did not have the discerning knowledge or dedication to make a horn really sing that I have now. I picked it up once or twice after college but quickly put it back down.

Sold it in the late 1980s to a guy I worked with who also played a Mercedes in HS. I saw him at a work reunion last year and he still has it, still plays it, still loves the sound. I guess the early Elkhart Mercedes, while not quite the "poor man's Strad" of the NY-Mt. Vernon eras, could still hold their own qualitywise. I don't regret selling it, it found a good home and my comeback horns hold no negative baggage for me like that one did.

Dale Proctor · Posted: Sun Apr 21, 2024 10:30 am Post subject:

Dale Proctor · Posted: Sun Apr 21, 2024 10:33 am Post subject:

Winghorn · Posted: Mon Apr 22, 2024 4:11 pm Post subject:

The Mt. Vernon and New York Mercedes models were just about identical to the Strads in appearance and had either .453 or .456 bores, depending on the years.

I used to own a later version like yours and thought it played well.

Winghorn · Posted: Mon Apr 22, 2024 4:15 pm Post subject:

The earlier Mercedes, pre-Elkhart horns did not have an adjustable 3rd valve slide ring. They also looked like a Strad with the double tuning slide braces.

The Elkhart horns are a new and different design from the originals.

Dale Proctor · Posted: Mon Apr 22, 2024 5:24 pm Post subject:

Winghorn · Posted: Tue Apr 23, 2024 12:49 am Post subject:

Dale-

I think you got a great deal on a trumpet that plays so well. I sold mine when an accomplished player and teacher offered me $350 after playing it. He was quite impressed!

I owned several of the earlier Mercedes models, but they all felt a little restrictive after years of playing my .460 bore Destino. They all exhibited Strad quality and were fun to look at and play around with, but ultimately, I decided they were not for me.

I hope you get the chance to play an earlier model, Dale, but you are probably looking at $1,000 to $1,500 if you can find one.

Steve

Dayton · Posted: Tue Apr 23, 2024 6:37 am Post subject:

Dale Proctor · Posted: Wed Apr 24, 2024 7:09 pm Post subject:

The Mercedes plays well with others! I played it in a 1 hour church orchestra rehearsal tonight, and was pretty pleased with it. The sound doesn’t have quite as much body as my Stradivarius does, but it played very well in tune and had a slightly easier upper register than my Strad. Reading some older reviews of the later Elkhart Mercedes had me worried about the possibility of a horn that wouldn’t play in tune, but this one is a good one.

_________________
"Brass bands are all very well in their place - outdoors and several miles away ." - Sir Thomas Beecham