Posts made by Dale Proctor

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.

@administrator said in The Sounds of Silence:

It looks very nice. Do you have a big crop of cicadas this year?

Thanks! Not nearly as many this year so far. Lots of katydids though.

Speaking of yard work, my wife and I spent about 30 hours replacing rotting wooden landscape timbers at the rear of the house with stone borders, as well as moving some plants and providing shallow steps from the yard to one of the bird baths. We redid a smaller natural area in the front yard, too. The total was about 225 stones. Yeah, we’re retired too…lol

1960 Conn 6B Victor trumpet.

I took a new photo of my 1960 Conn 6B Victor, and included its case in the photo. The trumpet is in excellent original condition, and it’s just like the one I played in high school. I bought it on eBay years ago for $300 just for nostalgia, but it does play well. Not for sale, BTW…

Sorry to hear how they treated you. I can empathize with you, since I was moved around on trumpet seats in a local semi-professional symphony orchestra years ago to make room for someone who didn’t really want to be there. I had to re-audition for my seat (3rd trumpet), which had never happened to anyone, and “lost” to the reluctant player, who was a jazz player. There were 3 judges at the audition, and two told me privately they had voted for me. So, I became 4th trumpet and rarely got to play.

The few union members of the orchestra, one of which was my replacement, went on strike for more money, and I was notified I’d be playing 3rd part in the next concert. With the assurance I would play the concert even if the strike was settled beforehand, I played all the rehearsals. The strike was settled about a week before the concert and guess what…I was replaced with the striker.

Summer came and as was the norm, I was contacted by the symphony manager, along with everyone else, to confirm we would be back for the next season, and I affirmed I would. The next season rolled around and I wasn’t notified I’d be playing the first concert, so as usual, there was no 4th part. I ran into the 1st trumpet at a restaurant a month or two later and he asked why I didn’t play the concert. It seems they played a piece that also required off stage trumpets, and local high school kids were hired to play those parts.

The symphony personnel manager received my scathing resignation letter a few days later, and I’m sorry I stuck around as long as I did.

1993 Bach Stradivarius 184 cornet, large bore, gold brass bell, “Stradivarius Deluxe” engraving.

1962 Conn 9A Victor cornet, Coprion bell and leadpipe, .485 bore.

1976 Bach Mercedes, almost a Stradivarius…

@Shifty said in Oiling trumpet:

@Dr-GO
I had a co-worker who went through college on a band scholarship. He said their entire trumpet section used STP as a slide lubricant.

I can’t imagine that working unless they thinned it out with some other oil. STP is as thick and stringy as honey.

Not much eye candy here, but I just ran across photos of a couple late 1960s trumpets I used to own. The first is a Conn 22B Victor, and the second is a Conn 15B Director.

The Danish National Symphony
Youtube Video

I have a couple…a 1969 L-12 flugelhorn with a GR/Melk leadpipe and a 1977 A-11E Eb/D trumpet.

Welcome! Our local concert band sponsors a New Horizons program, and a few folks have already “graduated” to the concert band. Glad to hear you’re playing again and hope you have fun with it.

@Newell-Post said in Odd Mouthpice:

Well, according to my trusty micrometer, it mics out at 0.419" at the receiver and 0.363" at the tip, which doesn't match any of the dimensions Dale kindly provided. It's probably something made for some antiquated brand of mellophone that doesn't exist any more.

I’d say you truly have an odd mouthpiece, then…

@Newell-Post
According to the chart, the end of the alto horn shank is larger than a trumpet shank, and you previously said the mystery mouthpiece shank is smaller than a trumpet shank.

My guess is that it’s a mellophone mouthpiece. Although the Bach cup diameter measurements don’t agree with yours, the Bach literature indicates the 7 mellophone mouthpiece cup diameter is 2.5 mm wider than the Bach 3C cornet mouthpiece.

@Bb-Brass said in $800 Box of Mouthpieces!:

I like the plastic box you use. Did you upcycle something? Looks like an organizer for nuts and bolts.

I bought a 2-pack of them in the craft area of the local Wal-Mart. Perfect size for trumpet and cornet mouthpieces, but I haven’t seen any there in a couple years.

Bach flugelhorn mouthpieces do have a slightly smaller shank than a Yamaha, but the size would typically be marked 7FL. Could it be a cornet mouthpiece? A Bach 7 cornet piece would have a really deep cup.