@administrator Matt got his start flipping horns for a few bucks while doing his undergrad in trombone performance. He kept up the hobby later on, and while working for Microsoft (his PhD is in microbiology)found that the hobby was paying more than the job and started flipping full time! Now it’s a growing company in need of more space, and a fantastic place to work 
@Kehaulani life is short - enjoy the toys! I know, I’m a horribly bad influence...
@administrator I’ll let you know later today, as I’ll have a 2B, an 8B, and a 22B on my bench today
@Pinstriper They will list as I finish them, but I will do blog posts on some before they list. There are a lot of nice 22Bs of varying age and condition, a handful of 2B and 26B, a few 8B, 80A, and 40B as well as a couple of King Liberty and many others. My own personal 40A will also list soon - I traded it for another horn I liked from this lot.
We bought a local collector’s estate last week, and got lots of awesome vintage trumpets and cornets. Here’s a link to my blog post for a little taste of what we got - for any questions about these horns and others we may have, feel free to message me here. We ship internationally and offer a 30 day return, so all of our friends here can order with confidence!
Happy Shopping!
https://www.brassandwinds.com/blogs/news/what-s-on-my-bench-a-whole-collection-of-vintage-trumpets
If you’re talking about the brass bar guides, they are fairly easy to replicate. Your local tech should be able to do it. I made one a while ago for one of our horns at work out of some brass stock, and it didn’t take long with proper measurements, thankfully the other guides were intact so I could use them to measure from!
My favorite of the lower cost pics is the Jupiter - find one and you won’t regret it. They play waaayyyy above their price point, and are better than any Getzen or Selmer I’ve played. Another nice one that may be easier to find in the European market is the Fides - played one at NAMM last year and it was quite a nice player.
@tjveloce My husband’s French horn is raw brass - his tux shirt sleeves are always green. I have an allergy, and find that if I let the patina build I have more problems with it.
@Kehaulani sure does, unless you like green hands!
When buying a used horn you’re not necessarily buying someone else’s problem. Sometimes that horn wasn’t a good fit for the player, or maybe came from someone who quit playing, or even from someone who passed away and the family has no use for the horn. I see horns from these types of situations all the time, and the value you get really depends on the condition of the instrument more than anything else. I know I personally have sold lots of horns that were in wonderful condition just because they didn’t suit my needs anymore and I had bought something different that did. Many of the vintage horns I have owned and worked on have been in good enough condition to gig on, but personally I don’t gig on them because when a vintage horn gets damaged, it can be too difficult to find another one in good condition that plays the same. Get used to carefully checking photos if buying online, and make sure you have a good return policy if you don’t like it. Play in person if at all possible, but don’t be afraid to buy used. Demo horns are also a great option, sometimes labeled open box. They have been played some, but haven’t been owned by anyone. Several of my daily players I purchased as show demo from NAMM, and got a much better deal than new. Most of the show demo we get at work don’t require more than oiling or a clean and polish, and though they may have a few scuffs from being handled are in otherwise brand new condition.
Prices have definitely increased over the years, with new Bach and Yamaha selling in the $4k range, so if you expect to find a brand new pro horn for under $1k, good luck to you. If you can find a horn you can gig with for $250, good for you - enjoy it! That’s not an everyday thing in today’s market.
A bunch of makers, including Wedge, ACB, Reeves, Warburton, Stork, probably Curry and maybe others I’ve missed will do mouthpiece consults. It helps take the guesswork out of what to try next. A lesson with a local pro may also help, rather than trying to figure it out all on your own.
@Kehaulani Awesome!! I’ve been playing Trent’s MV3C* as my all-around mpc for about 7yrs now - good fit for me. I’ve switched my lead mpc a couple of times but have settled on the MV3L.
@Kehaulani I do brass only, Carlo does woodwinds only, and our head tech Brad mixes it up, but does all the flute overhauls. Carlo will occasionally help me with an issue he might have more experience with, but there are things he isn’t trained for that I am and vice versa. I do guitars as well, but we have only had one come in since I have been there so most of my guitar work is done at home.
There’s definitely a place for both online and brick and mortar. A few brick and mortar have closed in this area due to ever-increasing rent, unfortunately. While we are not a brick and mortar, we do offer appointments to play test and pickup for local customers, but we can’t fill that need for the emergency bottle of valve oil or reed before the concert and don’t provide rentals. We only provide repair to customers who have purchased their instrument from us - with the backlog waiting for repair before sale, we just don’t have time for it. We might be online, but are still a small business, with 3 techs, 2 office personnel, 1 in shipping, a photographer, and a part time kid who helps wherever needed, and of course the boss who still does plenty of sales and customer communication, and still will help pull horns for shipping. It’s a super fun family to be a part of, and a great addition to brick and mortar but not a replacement for it.
@Kehaulani said in Professional musicians on this board question:
@flugelgirl said in Professional musicians on this board question:
I’ve been making money playing gigs for 35 years, since I was 15 years old.
You're fifty!? Man, if you wouldn't take this wrong but . . you look great!
Thanks - actually 48, must’ve hit a 5 instead of a 3! I was 43 when that headshot was taken and have added a few grey hairs, but not too many...
I’ve been making money playing gigs for 33 years, since I was 15 years old. I made my entire living playing trumpet for 22 years, 20 of those for the Navy. While I was in the Navy I made plenty of extra money playing civilian gigs as well. I’ve opened for MCoy Tyner, REO Speedwagon, and Weird Al just to name a few, have performed on Prairie Home Companion, and have played on recordings for Kings of Swing and Seattle Women’s Jazz Orchestra. I decided to go to the repair field partly because I’ve always been fascinated with it, and I also don’t want to have to say yes to every gig that calls. I enjoy the work, and also get to answer a lot of player questions and match them up with new horns. While I do play with a couple of regular groups, the majority of my playing income is as a sub right now. I sightread well, so I get hired by both professional and amateur groups to sightread their shows when someone is missing or they need to beef up their sections. I do a lot of big band work as soloist/relief lead, and also do a fair bit of classical work in quintets. I’ll occasionally take a free gig if it’s fun for me, like subbing on cornet or flugel in the local BBB, but 99% of my gigs are paid. I’ve also been hired as a featured artist and Jazz coach for some local educational programs, which is a lot of fun. I hate teaching privately, which is another reason I went to repair, but it’s fun to work with kids on a short term basis.
When the bubble was first introduced, it was a regular Harmon that was pushed into shape and made individually for each player, to be in tune for them. I didn’t know this until playing with a guy about 10yrs ago who had one that had been done for him when he was growing up. Interesting to see how to take an idea and grow it into a product.
My A1 is the horn that can do anything. It’s also the horn that I don’t think about having a trumpet in my hands, I just do what I do. No fighting for intonation or squirrelly spots, no limitations except my own. I haven’t had a setting yet where it doesn’t work, from big bands to brass quintets. I like having the A4LT for jazz work where I don’t need to play any lead, but the A1 can really do it all. That doesn’t mean that will never change for me - I make money playing and need equipment that fits me, so I make a change when needed. That being said, there is a gen II A1 out now.....I’ll play it at NAMM 
Horns I’ll probably never change - my F1 flugel and P5-4. The flugel is perfect every time and so is the picc. That picc is the only horn I’ve never replaced - been playing it for 20yrs and have never had a reason to.
If you like candlesticks, I guess. Those are decorative pieces that weren’t built to play.