I haven't owned a cornet in quite a few years. I used to have a late 1800's Conn that was pretty fun to play, but needed some work. My first horn was a beat up Conn 80a, probably from the 20's or 30's that my Dad was going to use to make a lamp.

I just picked up this 1960 Holton Straytodyne, and it plays like a dream. It could use a good professional cleaning and valve alignment, but I must have had it on my face for about 5 hours on Saturday. Couldn't put it down.

This has been my main horn for the past 15 years or so, but my sound concept has changed, so it's time for someone else to enjoy playing it.

Listed on eBay
https://www.ebay.com/itm/293065117303
Listed on Reverb
https://rvrb.io/1955-28b-connstell-5c0nqm
Message me if you have any questions about the horn, or are interested. Asking $1049.99. Thanks!

I'm somewhat reluctantly selling a couple of my horns, as they don't get the attention they deserve since I bought my trusty 1970 Bach 37. I purchased this horn a couple of years ago from ACB, and the 3rd valve slide ring, thumb saddle, and Saturn water keys were added by Ian at IMBrass. Truly, a great horn, but just not the one for me. More pics and full description on eBay auction. Posting this one kind of late, as the auction ends tomorrow. Feel free to contact me here, or on eBay with any questions. I'm asking $1599, but am open to reasonable offers.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/293452703685

@adc are you talking about waxing the inside of your horn? I used to own a couple horns that were raw brass, and I would wipe them down with a little turtle wax spray to keep them from getting tarnished after cleaning them. I never considered waxing the inside. I suppose one could spray a little wax on a lead pipe swab and do this rather easily. Could possibly eliminate red rot?

@Bob-Pixley beautiful horn! Love the engraving.

I wouldn't mind getting my hands on one of these. Beautiful! I'm sure it plays just as good as it looks. Thanks for posting!

@tjveloce I remember reading your posts about your Committee on TM about the same time mine was making it's 2nd trip to my (former) tech, who never quite figured out the issue I was having with it.

I finally sent it to Charlie Melk, who definitely had experience with the often discussed "instability" they can have in the lower register. The issue was a combination of several things. He resoldered the braces to relieve the tension (also told me there was almost no solder in the joints), adjusted the gap to almost nothing (I haven't measured it, but just shy of touching the end of the mouthpiece) and did a valve alignment, making sure to use felt instead of rubber.

I have only had it back for just over a week, and following his advice with trying different backbores, I seem to have the horn dialed in to my liking. I'm using an old H.N. White 11 mouthpiece that I bought on a whim for about $25 on eBay. Makes the horn sing. Not sure if it's the backbore, or the fact that it's a fairly stripped down blank that makes the difference. I tried Monette mouthpieces for about 6 months, and definitely learned something from using them, but never quite worked for me on the Committee.

I was ready to let her go if it still wasn't right, but he really performed a miracle. Plays like a dream!

I'm somewhat reluctantly selling a couple of my horns, as they don't get the attention they deserve. I've been mostly playing my 1970 Bach 37, and it seems to be the best fit for me and my playing. I'm hoping that I won't regret this one. I love it, but anyone that has played one probably knows that switching from a Bach to a Committee requires shifting many gears, at least it does for me.

1st slide work was done by Ian at IMBrass. Valve alignment and gap adjustment was done my Charlie Melk (He is the best!). Getting the right gap on this horn is essential! I recently had most of my back bores cut for Frost sleeves to close the gap completely with his #1 sleeve, and that did the trick for me.

I'm asking $2499, but I'm open to any reasonable offers. More pics and full description on eBay auction. Feel free to contact me here, or on eBay if you have any questions.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/293466620510

Check out my other auctions while you're there. I have a couple of mouthpieces listed, and will be gradually thinning out my vintage mute collection.

@Bob-Pixley I'm all about old school. My Holton cornet has some pretty cool art-deco engraving, but can't really see it after the raw brass tarnishes at all. She did a wonderful job!

@Dale-Proctor Gorgeous horn! I can see the oval ports clearly in the last picture. What's the advantage? Does it blow differently compared to round ports? I've never seen this before. Just curious.

@mjgk it was a while ago, but as I recall, I got about $700 or $800 for it. I would have liked to have gotten more.

@stumac What material are his "resonators" made from? How do they attach to the horn? Just curious. -Bob

@georgeb I am one of "them".

@stumac The best way to describe how I feel about my Radial, is that it's not a terribly large horn, but is designed to be very open, which I really like. I like the added stability in slotting, and just a more solid core resonance from the horn, which I believe is a combo of the bottom caps and the booster. I actually had the booster 1st, and noticed a difference. The horn simply sings better. The added weight also gives the horn a nice center of gravity in my hand.

I have a Harrelson kit on my other Selmer trumpet, and I loved the difference there as well, as it's a lightweight horn. -Bob

Hello, Everybody!

I just wanted to give a shout out to the guys at KGU. I had picked up one of their boosters a while ago, and actually bought 2 more. FYI, they will fit most mouthpieces, even if not listed on their site. Fits my Reeves pieces perfectly.
I recently ended my most current mouthpiece safari, and had gone from Warburton to Bach (to "reset") to Monette, probably went with a Heim 2 at some point (they are magical, but just too small a diameter for me.) and finally back to Reeves (where I started.) I did, however prefer some of the mouthpieces with more mass to them, which I miss in the Reeves. These work wonderfully. Both of my trumpets are setup with almost no gap, so these also helped with centering the pitch, without the hard slotting.

I also ordered a mod kit for my Selmer Radial to replace one from Harrelson that didn't fit. I wasn't sure how they were even going to make bottom caps, since the valves are slanted and touch at the bottom. They feel great, and look quite awesome, if I don't say so myself. Turnaround time from Ukraine was just over 2 weeks, when they said it might me more than a month for a custom order. The only thing missing from this horn is a Reeves alignment and possibly Saturn water keys.

They were also very quick to respond to emails, and answered all of my questions. The only thing I didn't like, was that the pads on the top caps were glued in to the point that I needed to soak them in acetone for about an hour to get them off. They were a little "clicky", so I wanted to replace with felts until I send for the alignment.

Anyone else have a good experience with KGU? I've heard mixed reviews, so I just wanted to add 1 more positive one to the mix.

Also, I needed to show it to other trumpet players. (My wife and kids are bored to death with all of my trumpet stuff.) Thanks for reading! -Bob

@tptguy I had a minor stroke 2 years ago, and have had constant ringing in my ears ever since. Some days it's louder than others, but definitely constant.
I've tried a couple of different apps on my phone, which are essentially white noise generators, and they have helped to some degree as far as getting a good night's sleep. Cricket sounds are the best that I've found to mask it, but I've been more annoyed that the apps seem to use a short loop, which has a noticeable start and end point, that makes it less effective. I have pretty much given up on getting rid of it, and am learning to live with it. Strangely enough, one of the only things that completely distracts me from hearing it is playing my horns. It shifts my focus.
For a while, I was certain it would drive me mad, but I was at least halfway there already.
I got my medical card last summer, and that also seems to help (was mainly for my arthritis), but I usually only use that in the evening.
At least it hasn't gotten any worse. It doesn't seem to effect my overall hearing, except for the times it's louder than usual. It's usually worst when I first get up in the morning.

For anyone else suffering from tinnitus, I feel your struggle, but I'd rather have the ringing than not being able to hear at all. Overall, I consider myself lucky.

@Dale-Proctor Gorgeous horn! I can see the oval ports clearly in the last picture. What's the advantage? Does it blow differently compared to round ports? I've never seen this before. Just curious.

@Trumpetsplus Very cool! Thanks for posting.

This horn is now SOLD!

This horn has been sold!