@grune said in Mouthpiece too large?:
.... which leads to another question....
with so many excellent horns and brands these days, are we living in a golden age?
I suppose I’m still living in the past with a silver Bb Strad and a silver C Strad...lol. I did break the mold a bit with a very fancy lacquered Bach 184 cornet, though. 
@flugelgirl said in Spit Building up in MP:
Generally, short or long shank will change intonation on a horn, depending on which shank it was built for. While it’s possible to use a long shank on some horns meant for a short, it’s not optimal. Horns built for a long shank will not accept a short. In general, most cornets built before 1950 take a short shank, with a few exceptions. Not sure about the condensation in yours, but if they accept a short shank, they probably should be using one. As far as car products on horns, it may not be wise to be breathing that in.... I know I wouldn’t! I would worry less about what it’s doing to the horn than what it might be doing to you.
I think the discussion is centered around modern short-shank mouthpieces like those made by Denis Wick and others (mainly for brass band use), which work just fine in modern cornets.
I agree - the Bach 1-1/2C lends itself to producing a much nicer overall sound than the Bach 3C. In my experience, the 1-1/2C isn’t significantly more demanding to play than the 3C, either. I was surprised to discover that when I bought the 1-1/2C. The cup doesn’t really feel any wider than the 3C, but is a bit deeper. Disclaimer...your mileage may vary...lol
@BigDub said in Phony players:
On the show, Hogan’s Heroes, Colonel Klink Would occasionally play the violin, much to the discomfort of those who happened to be in the same room.
He looked rather convincing, but if you looked closely, there weren’t even any strings on the instrument!
Interesting factoid - Werner Klemperer’s father was Otto Klemperer, the famous orchestral conductor.
The flugelhorn player on “Brassed Off” comes to mind. Not the worst I’ve see, though.
@Seth-of-Lagos said in Saturn:
@Dr-GO my viewing equipment is a pair of contact lenses!
Jupiter's just about to set (4:30 CEST here) in the West and Venus is just rising above the dawn horizon, so they're all in a line: Venus, Mars, Saturn, Jupiter.
Well, to our perspective, they’re always in a line (the ecliptic), but not always close together.
I bought a fairly inexpensive telescope years ago, and looking at the rings of Saturn through it for the first time was quite a thrill. Same goes for the major features on Jupiter and its moons.
Blue Juice works great on tight valves, but evaporates quickly, and when it does, the valves get balky pretty fast. Al Cass is a good oil for what it is - just simple, cheap petroleum-based valve oil.
I like Hetman’s #2 for most of my horns. Good action, and it lasts a fairly long time. On more “loose” valves, Hetman’s #3 is good.
@Kehaulani
His style changed a lot over the years. Early on, his sound was more mainstream to the era.
Well, my initial post did have a vintage cornet in the photo, along with a few other band-related items. Where it went from there, I had no control over...
You should have followed it up with A Swingin’ Safari...
Hope you all have a happy and safe upcoming 4th, even those of you in other countries. Here’s a photo I took a number of years ago that is appropriate. 
@GeorgeB said in Caring for Silver Plate Horns:
Yeah, my horns are always on display on stands in the music room. But I now have a satin cover that just slips over the two silver horns . Hey, they are pretty and I like to look at them...
What brand of silver polish are you using ?
Wright’s liquid silver polish. This trumpet is 44 years old, and I’ve played (and polished) it for the 40 or so years I’ve owned it. No silver loss from polishing, but a little wear where I’ve held it.
I use a very mild liquid silver polish on a soft cloth. Do you leave your silver plated horns out of their cases when you’re not playing them? If so, they will tarnish much faster than if they’re in a closed case. I keep mine in their cases and don’t have to polish them but every year or two.
@administrator said in Railroad Photography:
I bought a CNC machine. I wonder if I could sell CNC made toy trains. Seems like it could be a hit.
I don’t know. Trains are so...19th century, you know? 
I used to be into building custom HO gauge locomotives, but I got that out of my system...
This one ran on a local line back in the early 1980s.
@veery
I had an old 5A refurbished a number of years ago, and since I had given up on ever finding a 9A, I had the bell copper plated inside and out as part of the overhaul. After I found the 9A, I sold my custom 5A. Here’s a pic of it - it’s the cornet In the center.
Have any of you ever seen one of these mouthpieces? It’s a G. LeBlanc “Kenny Baker” signature model cornet mouthpiece. I picked it up on eBay years ago, but could never find any info on it. It plays nice, with a mellow edge to the sound, if that makes any sense.
@GeorgeB said in 1962 Conn 9A Victor cornet:
Dale, I have a 1962 5A Victor and really love it. What is the difference between the 5A and the 9A ?
Basically just the bell and leadpipe material. The 9A has a Coprion bell and leadpipe, while the 5A has a brass bell and nickel leadpipe. The 9A has a more mellow sound than the 5A, but otherwise, they play very similarly. The 9A is the rare one, though, only having been made for 2 or 3 years. The 5A isn’t too common, either, but it was made for 10 years or so. Both are really good cornets.
@adc
These cornets have the same top-sprung valves and valve block as the Connstellation. It’s probably one of the best cornets Conn ever made. Big, rich sound, easy upper register, great intonation, full lower register. It’s a bit heavy, and has extensive bracing, a much more substantial instrument than the Director, and does have a slightly different wrap. Coprion bell and leadpipe, it was made only a couple years. The non-Coprion version, the Conn 5A Victor, is also a fine cornet (I used to have one). It was made for a much longer time, but has a slightly brighter tone than the 9A.
Took a few pics today. We live on a mountain, so our “gardening” tends to favor the natural.
Ah...ain’t retirement great! 
