Are you a collector? Why?
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In my lifetime, I have seen many people collects horns of all sorts, but was too shy to ask why. Are you such a person? Why collect?
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I’ve bought numerous trumpets and cornets over the years. I bought specific ones that were cheap enough, mainly because I wondered how they would play. If I didn’t like them, I would sell them for about what I paid, and if they had potential, I’d hang on to them till I decided. Some I kept for years, so eventually I had a “collection”. Realizing that I was accumulating too many instruments a few years ago, I sold a bunch of them that I rarely played, even though they played really well. I designated the others as “keepers”. Those were the horns that I regularly played (some in various keys), had sentimental value, or were really nice antiques. In the last 5 or 6 years, I’ve bought only one trumpet, a deal that was too good to pass up, and still have it.
Presently, I have 3 Bb trumpets, a C trumpet, an Eb/D trumpet, 2 modern Bb cornets, 2 antique cornets, a flugelhorn, and a good field trumpet (bugle). Other than one of the Bb trumpets and the 2 antique cornets, they are all useful to me, so I suppose it’s not really a collection any more.
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I have collected over the years, but will provide the logic to my accumulation of horns in order of procurement.
Olds Ambassador - My parents bought this as my first horn when in 5th grade
Olds Recording - Fullerton - My parents bought this for me when starting high school, mainly as my trumpet teacher at that time recommended, I move to that horn. My younger brother then had my Ambassador as a hand-me-down. My brother gave it back to me many years later, very damaged so had it refurbished by Tome Greene.
Getzen 4-Valve Eterna - Went professional in College and acquired this horn as I was enthralled by Rick Braun's sound and this was the horn he was playing at that time.
Martin Committee - Was playing more and more small ensemble gigs and had the chance to play this horn at a Trumpet Hang. Fell in love with the feel and sound. Would up finding a great buy on e-bay for a vintage 1946 horn rarely played, and sold by a wife after the original owners passing. Came with original case, mouthpiece, and owner's manual. Replaced my Recording as my jazz horn. Still used Recording for classical.
Kanstul 4-Valve Flugelhorn - Was playing more ensemble recording sessions and this horn had the buttery sound that made it all perfect. Discovered this at the same Trumpet hang as the Martin Committee. That was a very expensive Trumpet Hang. Purchased this horn through Bruce Haag, that has the distinction of being in Elvis's Las Vagas Band.
Olds Recording - LA - Bought this from a TrumpetMater member when he was selling horns to help pay for his wife's cancer treatments. Use it for classical alternating with the Fullerton. To me they have identical blows. The LA carries the edge on the engraving. His wife by the way was completely cured!
Allora Pocket Trumpet - Had to travel to Saudia Arabia for business, but needed to play for the extended stay to keep my embouchure. Was told music was illegal so bought this dirt cheap horn in case it was confiscated. It was. Three times. Went through Security Administrator all 3 times to get it back when I promised I would only play it in the hotel room with my Yamaha Silent Mute. Got it returned each time. (Did play it once out in a remote desert - nobody heard this, still have my lips to prove it).
Olds Super Recording - Had to buy it when ANA Mendez called this the unicorn on TrumpetMaster. It did serve as my lead horn until I finally received my Harrelson (see below). It served its purpose well. A very easy blow. (It took 4 years to build the Harrelson).
Getzen Power Bore - Totally an impulse buy from a close friend and member of both TM and TB. He sold it to me for a price I could not refused. I also used this as a lead horn until I got my Harrelson, but this horn works even better at the second chair of a big band as it slots like a laser.
Harrelson Summit - Was playing lead trumpet, more often and regularly. Getting older was not helping. Got to play this model at a show that came through Dayton and fell in love with it so placed an order. That was during the time soon Jason had his stroke, but he recovered fully and he finally built me this horn at the price when I ordered it and threw in a Gold 5 mm mouthpiece as well for my patience and understanding. This has made the blow so amazingly easy... and has built my biceps.
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For the last year and a half, I've been purchasing various horns going on safari. I'm not sure I classify myself as a collector now that I've sampled so many different horns and I've settled more or less on what I will play long term. If I was younger, I certainly wouldn't have done this but my finances are such that I don't have to be a spendthrift anymore. So I buy what I'd like to try and I'll turn around and sell what I don't want. Half the horns I bought were cheap to begin with so I'm not too worried about losing money on them. As for the more expensive ones, the boutique maker instruments are just hard to find and try before you buy. So I'm a bit more frugal about buying several of those. I'll sell the ones I don't want for a reduced price and be happy that someone else will get an opportunity to try these wonderful horns for themselves without having to spend full retail.
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@mediocreplayer said in Are you a collector? Why?:
...Half the horns I bought were cheap to begin with so I'm not too worried about losing money on them. ..I'll sell the ones I don't want for a reduced price and be happy that someone else will get an opportunity to try these wonderful horns for themselves without having to spend full retail.
Watch for my obituary as I am sure my wife will likely be selling off my horns, hopefully for a good deal when I go (I turn 70 tomorrow), except for my Fulletron Olds Recording. I instructed her to put my ashes in that horn.
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"Collecting" is a very bland word for the quirks and quandaries of fate that lead to accumulating horns...
I won my first trumpet in a raffle. Rather a bugle - just a tube, a bell, and something that today reminds me somewhat of a proper mouthpiece. Tried it out, got some noise out of it, and next morning went into the nearest music shop and bought myself what was advertised as a "complete trumpet kit". Chinese "Comet" TSO, mouthpiece, case, oil, white gloves.
Experimented for a week, and then took courage and money in my hands and got myself a Bach Strad 239 (C trumpet with Bb slides). And from that day onwards, I was hooked. Many horns came and went:
Bach Strad Rotary C
Bach Strad F
Stomvi - Elite C, D/Eb, Picc; Forte Pocket
Besson Kanstul Picc
Selmer K-Mod, 2 Bb/A piccs, G picc
Scherzer G picc
Ganter: G5 Bb rotary, G3 D rotary, G7A Bb rotary, Custom, G 15 rotary flugel, P50 (piston Bb)
Votruba Pro rotary flugel
Thomann Black Jazz flugel (only four weeks)
Courtois 154R flugel
Dowids Jazzline Custom
Weltklang Bb cornet
Besson International Bb cornet (2)
Besson Imperial Class A Bb cornet
Besson pre-Imperial Bb/A cornet
Buescher Aristocrat #9, #12, 264
Buescher Aristocrat 244 Bb cornet
Olds Ambassador, Special, Studio, Recording
Courtois Balanced Bb (2)
Courtois 1970s Bb cornet
King Tempo cornet
Anonymous French cornet, around 1910
Besson Sovereign Round Stamp soprano cornet
ACB doubler's picc
That's all I can remember; I've put those in bold that are still with me.
Currently, I am paying for a Kühnl & Hoyer Eb bass trumpet. -
@grune Yeah, just about every thing that Dale Proctor said goes for me also. I don't really consider myself to be a "collector" or instruments, but instead a player of instruments who uses different instruments for different jobs (gig), depending on the music style and type, etc. I have a lot of vintage Conn Bb trumpets, because there were several models that I wanted to try, since they sounded appealing to me. And, I like to have more than one of the models I use most often, especially for my lead trumpet (because it's no fun having to play lead on a trumpet that's not really good for that, and accidents happen, and sometimes horns have to go to the shop for various reasons.) Also, if I'm really sucking on one instrument, and can just switch to another one--Problem solved! : )
I have a 1976 Bach Stradivarius 37 Bb trumpet, a (approximately 1982) a Bach Stradivarius 229 bell 25H leadpipe C trumpet, Getzen Eterna Piccolo trumpet (with Blackburn leadpipes), a Yamaha Eb/D trumpet (one of the old, Schilke design copies), a Blessing herald trumpet, 3 flugelhorns, and over 20 vintage Conn trumpets dating from the mid-1920s through 1969....plus one from 1978 ('60s design model 6B), and a 1960s Conn cornet. Oh, and also a Vento valve trombone
and a DEG Marching French Horn (these two horns I use for doubling instruments sometimes.)These days, I'm doing a lot of lead trumpet and jazz playing, which I prefer using the vintage Conn Bb trumpets for (especially the 24B, 15B, and 6B, depending on the specific music I'm playing.) The Conn model 24B trumpets were only made in the 1920s, 22B, 15B Director (1960s), and a couple of 6B models (1960 and 1978) are what I tend to gravitate toward the most. I have several other models of Conn trumpets, but the ones I listed are the one that I use most often.
I probably should get rid of some of the horns that I don't play as often, but I'm too lazy to do that right now. And who knows? Maybe I'll find a good need for them in the future, for just the right gig.
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@grune said in Are you a collector? Why?:
Why collect?
Cause im a dumba$$??? feels like that sometimes))
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What's wrong with collecting? I think it's awesome, especially for vintage / rare instruments. If you're not broke and you have the space for it (like trumpets take up so much space to begin with) I see nothing wrong with it.
I sort of used to collect trumpets / cornets. I would buy them, play them for a few weeks and then sell them on ebay, sometimes at a loss, sometimes for a profit. Now I'm in my "professional" life and I don't have time for those kinds of things, but I got my hands on a lot of older horns and could tell you which ones I liked and which I didn't like.
Here are my favorite "old" brands:
Selmer Paris Vintage 1960s-70s --- Probably the most underrated trumpets out there. Just think Maurice Andre
Olds Ambassador / Recording / Super Recording --- Very good for a commercial type of sound
Martin Committee --- These are still the G.O.A.T. of jazz if you ask me. The slotting is almost non-existent. Slippery as a snake.
Lefevre / Various French Cornets --- These are small-bore cornets from the turn of the 20th century. Not useful in a modern band setting, but they were really a piece of art as much as an instrument.
Anything ever made by Getzen --- These are some of the best value instruments ever made. I have no complaints about them.
Vintage Conn --- Mixed. Some of them play well, others are total dogs. They tend to be built very solidly.
Old Soviet Trumpets --- Helps you learn to appreciate capitalism.
These days, if I have a musical moment, it's usually with the French Horn. Something about the lower pitch and the rotary valves draws me in. I purchased a french horn by the manufacturer Jiracek. They are a Czech company just down the road from where my father was born. Kind of a neat thing to remind me of my heritage, and it happens to play well.
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I have a lot of instruments but am NOT a collector. Each horn was purchased for a certain playing UseCase and they all get used. Some horns got replaced by others better suited (my Selmer Bb/A picc for instance by a custom rotary). I sell the horns not being used.
I don't list my instruments online anymore as it just gives thieves a specific reason to visit when I am not at home.
I do not believe in the "good old days" of trumpet building and as remarkable as some claims seem to be, they have never held up for any actual performance advantages for me. That being said, there is a lot to learn and more than a couple of manufacturers and artisans are actually learning and offering more value than ever before.
I do not criticize nostalgia, it is every bit as reason to buy as actually playing the instruments. I only find it sad when excellent instruments (of any vintage) are not played anymore. Our violin playing friends even get real Stradivarius instuments loaned!
