King Silver Flair - Buying Advice
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Every Olds Super I've played managed to hold the third valve slide in with an engineered taper that created a tight enough clearance at the end of its extension to keep it from falling out and yet still allow deliberate removal for cleaning. I think it's a brilliant and elegant way to solve the problem. I can't say all Olds Supers are that way, but I haven't encountered one that didn't have this feature.
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@shifty My problem with all of these methods is that I like to take all of the slides out several times per year for a thorough cleaning. Sure, you can re-do any of them. But the cleaning thing is also my problem with triggers. You have to unscrew the hardware for cleaning.
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@trumpetlearner said in King Silver Flair - Buying Advice:
Rather than start a new thread, I have another question for anyone with a Silver Flair. My new Yamaha has a little screw to stop the 3rd valve slide falling out, but I don't see this on the silver flair. Is this a new thing for trumpets? What stops the slide falling out on a trumpet that doesn't have one of these?
When I leave my trumpet on its vertical stand for a few days, I do sometimes come back to find the 3rd valve has slid down to to the screw, and if the screw wasn't there, I suppose it would have fallen out completely!
Don't ever leave it on the stand when you are not there. Bad things happen. The least of which is the slide moving. Other bad things like it falling over and the second valve slide gets jammed into the valve casing and Mr. Trumpet is not all wonky and unplayable.
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Thanks a lot for all the replies! So, it looks like a solution will definitely be required. I think the cable ties solution is probably a good one, with the ability to rotate one for removal, although it's damn ugly. Sounds like Olds had a good manufactured solution too.
@richard-iii said in King Silver Flair - Buying Advice:
Don't ever leave it on the stand when you are not there. Bad things happen. The least of which is the slide moving. Other bad things like it falling over and the second valve slide gets jammed into the valve casing and Mr. Trumpet is not all wonky and unplayable.
I actually have a solution for ths problem! I made my own stand, which I prefer to the basic K&M that I was using. My one uses a smaller footprint, and also weighs about 10lbs, which removes any chance of it falling over. The next step would be to follow up with an acrylic box, to stop dust getting on the instrument. This came about from getting sick of putting the trumpet in and out of its case every 5mins.
The original K&M stand is bolted through the metal, so there is no movement of any kind. I've covered one in a nice soft velvet, even though the trumpet doesn't actually touch the surface when it is on the stand. I might go with different colours for the other stands.
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@trumpetlearner said in King Silver Flair - Buying Advice:
The next step would be to follow up with an acrylic box, to stop dust getting on the instrument.
Quote: The next step would be to follow up with an acrylic box, to stop dust getting on the instrument.
And to keep the critters in the house from licking the mouthpiece right after they clean their butts.
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@richard-iii said in King Silver Flair - Buying Advice:
Quote: The next step would be to follow up with an acrylic box, to stop dust getting on the instrument.
And to keep the critters in the house from licking the mouthpiece right after they clean their butts.
I don't know what goes on in your house, but that wouldn't be an issue here
That's the kind of thing I had in mind. Nothing would get in there!
So, what do you do? Return your trumpet to its case at the end of every session?
1966 - King 1055T Silver Flair
2020 - Yamaha YTR-4335GSII
Trumpeter: Did you hear my last recital?
Friend: I hope so. -
@trumpetlearner What program did you use to create that graphic? It's very good.
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Why wouldn't you put the horn back in the case when you are done playing?
Richard III
1977 Olds Ambassador Cornet
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@richard-iii said in King Silver Flair - Buying Advice:
Why wouldn't you put the horn back in the case when you are done playing?
He doesn’t want to put it back in the case, so he’s building a case to put it in...lol
1977 Bach Strad ML 43 trumpet
1960 Conn 6B Victor trumpet
1982 Bach Strad ML 239 C trumpet
1970 Olds Ambassador Eb/D trumpet
1993 Bach Strad L 184G cornet
1962 Conn 9A Victor cornet
1890 Besson A/Bb/C cornet
1870? Henry Lehnert SARV cornet -
@dale-proctor said in King Silver Flair - Buying Advice:
@richard-iii said in King Silver Flair - Buying Advice:
Why wouldn't you put the horn back in the case when you are done playing?
He doesn’t want to put it back in the case, so he’s building a case to put it in...lol
...just incase.
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@newell-post said in King Silver Flair - Buying Advice:
@trumpetlearner What program did you use to create that graphic? It's very good.
I use 'SketchUp Make' for that. I've been using it for years to draw little projects. It's free software, easy to use, and there are a lot of tutorial videos on their site, and also at YouTube.
@richard-iii said in King Silver Flair - Buying Advice:
Why wouldn't you put the horn back in the case when you are done playing?
It's just a lot easier to throw it on the stand, that is right next to where I'm sitting. Especially as I am new to the trumpet, I tend to grab for it every 20min to try something.
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@shifty That is one shifty solution...
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@trumpetlearner said in King Silver Flair - Buying Advice:
@richard-iii said in King Silver Flair - Buying Advice:
Quote:
So, what do you do? Return your trumpet to its case at the end of every session?Yes, of course. I huff moisture that didn't get blown out the water keys out the bell and wipe down the horn, too.
'62 Olds Studio Trumpet
'67 Olds Special Trumpet
2013 Dillon Pocket Trumpet
'83 Yamaha YFH-731 Flugelhorn
1919 York Perfec-Tone Cornet
'50 Olds Studio Trombone
Shofar"If it was just up to me, I'd only have trumpet players on my show." - Jackie Gleason
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I would love to see you do a review of King Silver Flair!! compare them to some other offerings
Just enjoy my life, people, and you.
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@ericmonroes said in King Silver Flair - Buying Advice:
I would love to see you do a review of King Silver Flair!! compare them to some other offerings
Perhaps you intended to respond to someone who has more experience with King.
I have not played a Silver Flair, but I've played two Super 20s, both with the Sterling Silver bell. I found them robust, adequate, competent, on pitch, and visually appealing. They had a tendency toward a bright sound. I had an early Bach Mt. Vernon Model 37 at the time, which was a magical instrument. The Super 20s were excellent trumpets to play, but the Bach was an extension of my mind.
I also had a Cleveland 602 cornet for a number of years. The price was right; It was a gift from my father-in-law (also a trumpet player; may he rest in Peace.), who found it at a garage sale. A well-built, sturdy horn with playable intonation and adequate valves, it had a bright timbre, regardless of mouthpiece. You'd never mistake the sound for that of a cornet.
'62 Olds Studio Trumpet
'67 Olds Special Trumpet
2013 Dillon Pocket Trumpet
'83 Yamaha YFH-731 Flugelhorn
1919 York Perfec-Tone Cornet
'50 Olds Studio Trombone
Shofar"If it was just up to me, I'd only have trumpet players on my show." - Jackie Gleason
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Would be great if you compare it with this list
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So, I finally got myself an original Silver Flair! It will be a while before it's with me, so I wanted to get a few spares, so that once it arrives, I can give it a thorough clean and service.
I was wondering about waterkey corks. I see that they are avaiable in many different sizes. Does anyone know which size the Silver Flair takes? How about the felts for the valves? Are these a standard size? Does anyone know what colour originally came with this trumpet? I've seen some with black felts and some with red.
And what about valve oil? I expect that my Yamaha regular synthetic oil will be too thin for a 55 year old trumpet. I have seen suggestions for Hetman #1 and Hetman #3 for older trumpets. What do you guys think?
1966 - King 1055T Silver Flair
2020 - Yamaha YTR-4335GSII
Trumpeter: Did you hear my last recital?
Friend: I hope so. -
I think when it comes to valve oil, it's more the preference of the player than it is about the horn. I find that my Ultrapure works equally well on my 1939 Olds Super Recording as it does on my 2017 Harrelson Summit.
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@trumpetlearner Proper measurement is needed for felts and water key corks, so better to leave that to your local tech. Especially during these times, I recommend a professional clean on any used horn before you play it - you don’t know where it’s been or what has been living in it!
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@trumpetlearner There's a seller on eBay who sells kits that include felts, corks, and springs. In the notes, it says that if you're not sure if they'll fit your horn, just contact them.
