Same high quality as Recording models

Patrick Watters

Re: Student trumpets
Built on the same bell mandrels as the premium Recording models and featuring extremely reliable valve sections, the Ambassador line was intended to reflect Reynolds' professional commitment to providing high-quality, dependable horns at an affordable price.

barliman2001

@Patrick-Watters What has Reynolds to do with Olds?

J. Jericho

@barliman2001 See: https://olds-central.com/histories/

and: https://contemporacorner.com/history/

Dale Proctor

An Ambassador isn’t a Recording. They share some basic parts, but Ambassadors are built to a price point and are well-built low tier instruments that play ok. I’ve owned 3 (two trumpets and one cornet) and that’s my assessment. They are not instruments that players would want to use in any professional-level genre of music, with the possible exception of jazz/ragtime.

barliman2001

@Dale-Proctor Even more to the point, there are Ambassadors, Ambassadors and Ambassadors... during the long production run of the name, the style and fittings of the Ambassadors changed so often that first-run and late-model Ambassadors only share the name...

flugelgirl

At this point they are all old enough that you can’t judge one by another. Condition is everything when it comes to vintage horns, especially those designed with students in mind. The ‘Get an Ambassador” advice given to students on rental horns doesn’t always apply so well if the Ambassador they find has had a lot of use and/or abuse.

Dr GO

@Dale-Proctor said in Same high quality as Recording models:

An Ambassador isn’t a Recording. They share some basic parts, but Ambassadors are built to a price point and are well-built low tier instruments that play ok. I’ve owned 3 (two trumpets and one cornet) and that’s my assessment. They are not instruments that players would want to use in any professional-level genre of music, with the possible exception of jazz/ragtime.

Lee Morgan played this cut on an Ambassador. This is my favorite jazz song ever. I was mystified when I found out this was am Ambassador.

Dale Proctor

@Dr-GO said in Same high quality as Recording models:

@Dale-Proctor said in Same high quality as Recording models:

An Ambassador isn’t a Recording. They share some basic parts, but Ambassadors are built to a price point and are well-built low tier instruments that play ok. I’ve owned 3 (two trumpets and one cornet) and that’s my assessment. They are not instruments that players would want to use in any professional-level genre of music, with the possible exception of jazz/ragtime.

Lee Morgan played this cut on an Ambassador. This is my favorite jazz song ever. I was mystified when I found out this was am Ambassador.

Yep, like I said, you can find a few pros in the past playing jazz on an Ambassador and they work pretty well in that genre. I played lead in a big band for a while on an L.A. Ambassador, and it was ok, but it sure wasn’t suited for “legit” music.

I should note that the cornet I had was a ‘49, the trumpet I played in big band was a ‘52, and the other Ambassador trumpet was from the late 1960s. Other than the lacquer, they all were in very good condition.

Dr GO

@Dale-Proctor said in Same high quality as Recording models:

Yep, like I said, you can find a few pros in the past playing jazz on an Ambassador and they work pretty well in that genre. I played lead in a big band for a while on an L.A. Ambassador, and it was ok, but it sure wasn’t suited for “legit” music.

Dale, I agree with you entirely. I have never played my Ambassador for "legit" music as it just cannot live up to the quality of sound you get from more seasoned horns. I just love that the Ambassador when high quality musicians play it can show off it's jazz sound potential.

Dale Proctor

@Dr-GO said in Same high quality as Recording models:

@Dale-Proctor said in Same high quality as Recording models:

Yep, like I said, you can find a few pros in the past playing jazz on an Ambassador and they work pretty well in that genre. I played lead in a big band for a while on an L.A. Ambassador, and it was ok, but it sure wasn’t suited for “legit” music.

Dale, I agree with you entirely. I have never played my Ambassador for "legit" music as it just cannot live up to the quality of sound you get from more seasoned horns. I just love that the Ambassador when high quality musicians play it can show off it's jazz sound potential.

If I remember correctly, you have a really nice one! I eventually stripped all the spotty lacquer off my ‘52 model, had Amado water keys put on it, and removed the forward bell brace and lyre/finger ring holder. I played it most of the time with a Schilke 13A4a with a throat drilled to a 25.

ron bodratti

I love old Olds horns and have 2 L.A. Ambassadors , one of which has the fastest valves of any horn I own. I think it’s worth noting, and certainly a testament to the quality of the Olds product, that the valve section on Uan Raseys Olds horn was the one used in the Ambassador. Robb Stewarts website has a page dedicated to Uan - it’s worth a read. As I understood it, Olds was a “one tolerance” shop, which means all their instruments were made to the same tolerance specs regardless of price. That’s pretty incredible.

Sincerely,

Ron