Posts made by flugelgirl

@Niner Yup, and all the brass cross my bench before they sell

I figured I would add to this discussion by posting a link to my shop’s page - I do fairly regular blog posts there, usually about the more interesting horns that cross my bench. I’ve had a few that belong in this category because even though they might be in perfect shape, they don’t function properly in a modern playing situation. This one is a prime example - perfect and beautiful but not a good player, probably why they didn’t make it for long! It sold easily to a collector, though.
https://www.brassandwinds.com/blogs/news/1921-conn-20a-flugelhorn

I used to have an MII as a backup horn when my main Bb was a B6. I wouldn’t call it a student horn - it sure played close to the B5 I had from the Navy. I used it on a lot of gigs I didn’t want to take a more expensive horn, but could have played it full time without issue. Mine was more Schilke than Yamaha, and it was pretty clear which parts belonged to which brand. I sold the MII to a friend who’s still playing it as her main Bb and loves it!

I have an 8A - fun horn to play, and sounds great with a short shank deep mpc.

Seems like it went for a reasonable price in that condition. Since I would have bought for resale only, way more than I would have paid, but for a player or collector, nice price.

Because the auction isn’t over yet. I’m sure those 29 watchers will bid it up in the last few minutes.

Lucky you who’ve never experienced an accident on a gig- i’ve Had horns knocked around by drunk audience, other musicians, wind blowing music stands, and banging into things in the dark. I always had a secondary horn I used for parades and such in the Navy, but the inventory was so terrible in my first Navy band that I used a less expensive one of my own. I’ve done plenty of civilian gigs over the years that I don’t want to take my best horn on, but also want a dependable player that won’t hold me back, so I’ve always kept my eye on the lower cost alternatives out there. A worn horn holds no sentimental “badge of honor” - I need a working tool to get the job done.

@Kehaulani For me, that’s an easy choice. I don’t gig on vintage horns, not because I can’t, but because I don’t want to play on something worn out, or come to rely on something I can’t replace. I did gig on vintage horns at one time, but it was terrifying any time I had an accident on a gig and no other horn I had on hand could take the place of the one that was damaged. Every A1 I’ve played with the same specs as mine has felt the same, and I also find very little difference between these Jupiter horns of the same model - one of the things I like about them, very consistent. I could replace them with another without worry. In contrast, almost every Bach I have played is different with very few exceptions. The models that feel most consistent to me are the Artisan, the Commercial, and the Mariachi, but I don’t like any of them enough to own one. It would be pretty much impossible to just pull a 37 or 43 off the shelf and expect any two to feel the same.

It’s fine to say “buy the best”, but then we have many other arguments on what is the best and why. When you get into professional trumpets, you don’t necessarily get into better quality for every dollar spent. You do get to the point of buying one instrument over another because it suits you better. A prime argument is that I could spend $1k more for a Bach or Yamaha than I did for my Adams A1, but they don’t suit me as well. Then we get into the vintage horn argument - is it really a bang for your buck if it’s a pro model and costs you less, but is worn to the point of being unplayable. There is a Connstellation on my bench that I would never think of gigging on, but I could grab any one of those Jupiter 1100s and have a successful gig tomorrow. In 5 years my chances would still be better on that Jupiter than on some of the worn out Bach Strads we’ve had that badly need a valve job, though the Jupiter may not have the same resale value as either of those horns. Are we looking for resale value or playability? Good questions to consider!
I also agree with comments about Manchester Brass and Carolbrass - nice players at their price point.

I’m super impressed with Jupiter’s intermediate models, 1100MS and 1100RSQ. Most intermediate horns are just dressed up student models, but there is a HUGE jump in quality between Jupiter’s student and intermediate. I might even like the 1100s more than some of the XO line! I’m tempted to pick one up as a “dangerous gig” horn - I could gig on either of these models any night of the week and we’re selling them at $500 and $700. Perfect bar band horn, but I haven’t had any issue playing any literature on one so far, and i’ve easily tested 100 by now. Very consistent as well - i’ve Yet to play a bad one!

He also borrowed them from other players when he didn’t have one.

BTW I don’t miss any of the 4th gigs with the Navy - so much work for so little reward. I’m also not fond of fireworks, so the celebrations are kind of wasted on me.

I actually didn’t have a gig this year, and it’s a good thing because I was sick with the flu all week! I stayed home and comforted the critters - multiple fireworks shows close by made them unhappy.

What I dislike about this stand is that it’s quite unstable with any less than 3 horns on it - especially on carpet. My quad K&M stays put on any surface even with only one peg attached, unless it’s knocked over by a drunk officer’s wife in an evening gown and rainbow clown wig.....that gig sucked!

@Tobylou8 From what I have heard, what pushed Kanstul over the edge was a family dispute after Zig died. I don’t think the business was doing badly.

I have that stand as well but am not fond of it. It’s the only stand my Martin Committee flugel fits on. I use a K&M quad stand for my gigs - much more stable.

It gets harder to judge vintage horns when you also have to account for condition. Many don’t realize how leaky their old horn is, which can make it much more difficult to play. Also, many horns both new and old can be affected by the amount of tension in them, or by damage they have had. I get to play a lot of vintage, and also new back to back, and have played good ones and bad of every model. Sometimes you’ll have a badly soldered frankenhorn that plays great, and a highly sought after horn with no real damage that does not play well at all, but normally if pistons are tight there’s much less effort involved.

I was unable to see any info on a stolen horn from that link. Could you please copy and paste info? Since my shop buys a lot of used horns i’d Like to see the details.

@N1684T On a B&S, that is the spot for the model, the serial would be on the underside. I would post a pic of one of ours, but I’m not at work. I’ll see if I have a moment to take one tomorrow.

Is it a B&S? Maybe - not sure. Did you pay too much? No idea - don’t know what you paid! One sign that it could be a B&S is if it has a serial under the mouthpipe- that’s the true serial and not the number on the valve block. Between that and your model number you may have more to research with. Hope it plays well for you!