Posts made by Comeback

Hetman #2 is my go-to oil for valves and tunable slides on my Strad 37 and LeBlanc 707 Sonic. Works great for me!

Jim

I have had problems logging in too in recent months. I just reset my password and the issue seems fixed.

I have not really had much to write about. My motivation to practice took a pandemic-related hit. I set the horns aside for awhile but could not stay away. My community band hopes to start back up in January. I guess we’ll see...

Jim

What a fine collection of Bach’s, OSE! Among them, that 64 MV 180-37 particularly captures my attention. Thank you for posting the pictures!

Jim

I have been playing my three Bb trumpets on a rotating basis. This week I am playing my Strad, with a Bach 3C mouthpiece. I set aside the Curry 3C. I had been using due to some frustrations that the Bach 3C appears to have relieved. As noted in the OP, my Strad showed little sign of serious playing time before I became its owner. Really, I have been breaking it in and modifying it to suit my tastes. I replaced the dump slide in the third valve slide assembly with another (from Bach) with a water key. I also replaced the second valve slide with a Bach replacement. The third valve slide assembly was stiff to the point where it was not useful for tuning purposes. I remedied this condition with regular lubrication and cycling. It works well now. Playing the Strad this week has been satisfying. I strike notes accurately and cleanly. The sound produced is great. The valves function flawlessly. Perhaps one day I’ll get to use it in Community Band once again. Until then, it has become a most enjoyable instrument for daily practice.

Jim

Thank you for the above post, Gary. Folks in northeast IN are tired of being cooped up and the increase in the number of COVID-19 cases per day proves it - we have not “flattened the curve” here. The outdoor venue for my community band’s summer concert series has canceled all events until 2021. Plans for the band to begin rehearsing again in early July more and more appear to be wishful thinking.

Jim

@stumac said in To log out:

Put your pointer on the top half of the chat ikon, move it to thr right. a half height light blue should appear called profile, click on this, a drop down menu should appear, scroll down to the bottom logout, click.

This works for me.

Regards, Stuart.

Thanks, Stuart! Several weeks ago the logout button disappeared from the screens on my iPad and iPhone, the button remained on my laptop. I have been logging out by clearing history. What you described is much better!

Jim

I thought about this for a while before starting this thread. A vintage Bach club thread was started in the fall of 2019, but this one is simply for Bach brass instruments.

My single Bach is a Model 180S37, which is as common as they come. It is from no noteworthy period of time, having been manufactured several years prior to the Bach strike in April of 2006. I bought it used earlier this year. it appears to have been carried about more than played, but is still in good shape. Of my three Bb trumpets, it produces the best sound in my ears. I play it with a Curry 3C. mouthpiece. I tried a half dozen or so mouthpieces before settling on the Curry. The 37 is not as friendly for me ergonomically as my other two Bb’s, but I am adapting. It is simply a good old horn and I find myself playing it more and more.

Jim

I was a carpenter early in my career and an EHS manager and construction educator later, when OSHA programs and regulations figured prominently into my responsibilities.

Having purchased a CNC router, you may not need the following encouragement, but here it is anyway. Learn your tools. Do not remove guards. Do not push your tools (let the machine do the work). Do not apply your tools to tasks for which they were not designed.

Lots of other stuff could be written, but this is enough for now. Somehow I managed to make it through a long career with all of my fingers, eyes, toes, and most of my hearing. Others I was acquainted with were not so fortunate. Enjoy your hobby, but please be safe.

Jim

James Morrison playing Up A Lazy River. Pretty cool!

No reliable and widely available therapeutic, no vaccine, increasing number of cases in many areas, really, what has changed is that folks are tired of being cooped up and many younger folks really need to get back to work! My state is letting groups of 25 persons or less get together now. Our band can number as many as 100. I do not even know if we will be allowed to meet by early July. And, like you George, I am just not so sure right now if I will participate.

Jim

Got an email from my community band this week. The plan is for us to start rehearsing early in July and have two summer concerts, one in August and one in September. Lots of questions must be answered as we go forward. How will our members, many of whom are of an age of concern (like me) or have underlying health conditions, respond? How will we maintain social distancing in our rehearsal hall? Will we have to disinfect everything we touch, or will we need to bring our own chairs and stands? What will be the response of our fan base, many of whom are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19? My state is moving forward with carefully staged reopening, but it is still not clear that we have the COVID-19 problem under control.

Jim

Trumpet homecomings are what I have been thinking about. For the last couple of weeks I have been playing one of my other Bb trumpets instead of The One. I got back on the Sev this evening. Man, what a difference! All of the reasons my Sev is The One, came rushing back, just as they always do. I have been practicing while standing up in order to avoid too much time sitting in the recliner. My other horns leave me fatigued and a little uncomfortable after these vertical practice sessions - not the Sev. It’s weight, adjustability, simplicity, and overall fit seals its place as The One for me time and again!

Jim

George, I’m a Bobby Hackett fan too!

This morning I thought I’d mess around a little with Amazon Music, which comes with our Prime membership. The content available is nearly overwhelming! Am listening to the Swing Jazz Station right now. More good stuff!

Jim

Sure hope we do not have this sort of thread. I did a site search first, but may have missed it...

Anyway, I subscribe to Pandora internet radio. I also enjoy good concert band music. One of my favorite stations is The U.S. Army Concert Band Radio. Am listening to it right now - good stuff, if you like this sort of thing!

Jim

@tjcombo said in A little humour:

Showed this to my Mrs. She is very thankful that I play trumpet!

Thanks for posting the Trent Austin video, Blaine. He does sound great on that Getzen!

Jim

My community band is doing its best to keep us all together virtually. I received an email today encouraging us to reply and provide updates to the group about how we each are doing. A married couple that are both members have a good handle on home recording technology. They put together a multi-track recording of one of the Star Wars tunes that was quite good. I do not see myself doing anything similar, given my poor grasp of recording technology, but I may be motivated enough to dig out my Yeti Blue USB mic and record some of what I have been practicing during these trying times on my laptop.

Jim

I wrote about my first horn, a Holton Galaxy cornet, above. This post is about my first trumpet, a LeBlanc 707 Sonic. Prior to my sophomore year of high school, in 1967, I traded my Galaxy for the 707 Sonic. I felt I needed a trumpet for high school, and the thought of having two horns never crossed my mind. My private teacher may have influenced my selection, but I don’t remember for sure. My choice may have had something to do with Al Hirt, or it may simply have been the fit, beautiful finish, sound and response. Regardless, I purchased the Sonic and played it throughout high school and beyond. It served flawlessly in concert band, orchestra, jazz band, all city bands and orchestras, and in pit orchestras for summer stock theater productions. I sold it to a family acquaintance, who still has it as far as I know, in order to help finance Mrs. and my honeymoon. I was without a horn for several decades thereafter, until the trumpet playing itch began to develop again sometime in the 1990s (as an aside, I satisfied that itch with a $20 garage sale Blessing Standard). Anyway, several years ago I found an old 707 Sonic in restorable condition on ebay. I sent it to Mark Metzler, he worked his magic upon it and the result is below.

The cornet I began upon was some nondescript rental. I wish my memory was sharper about such things, but I have no recollection about brand or model - I think it was pretty beat up, though. The first horn that was truly mine was a Holton Galaxy cornet purchased in 1962, identical to the one below, which I now own, and which was also manufactured in 1962. I played my original Galaxy through ninth grade. I have had the Galaxy below for a couple years. It’s original finish is around 90% and I enjoy playing it a great deal.

Jim

I did a brief search of the site and did not find another thread addressing this topic. I thought it might be interesting to collect stories and photos concerning the horns that first helped us become involved in trumpet/cornet playing.

A post by Dale Proctor, in which he enclosed a photo of his first Conn trumpet, got me thinking about this topic. I will be posting a photo of my first cornet, a Holton Galaxy, and my first trumpet, a LeBlanc 707 Sonic in a subsequent post, along with a little more detail about how those horns drew me more deeply into music making.

Jim