Dispute the charge with your credit card company. This guy has a reputation as a known scammer. Your credit card company will investigate, based on the information you supply, so do an internet search for Matt Brockman before you contact them. I'd be surprised if they didn't reverse the charge in short order.
@Trumpetb Just for the record, I purchased my Yamaha YFH-731 new; there was no residue from previous use. When I experienced the sticking valves, I immediately recognized the cause and expected that there would be a period of time that I would have to remove the particles that wore off the adjacent surfaces. Having experienced other manufacturers' valve fit on hew horns (particularly Bach, which always worked perfectly from moment one), I hadn't anticipated the long break-in time for the Yamaha. I understand that Yamaha uses extremely close tolerances and that sticking valves on new horns from them is not uncommon.
When I bought my Yamaha YFH731 flugelhorn, The valves would invariably stick after a bit of playing. I would remove the valves, wipe them down, and wipe the inside of the casings as well with paper towels. There would always be dark gray stains on the paper towels, indicating piston/bore wear. I would then flush both with valve oil to the point of the oil dripping off/out of their respective parts. I would have to repeat this once or twice a day for 3 - 4 months. Then one day, presto magico!, the valves worked absolutely perfectly, and they've been that way ever since.
I've said this before: I always oil valves before and after playing. Same for Amado water keys. Also, I floss and brush my teeth before playing.
@barliman2001 I figured yours might not show up well in my search; It doesn't make sense that you would have a crappy horn. It it also looks like ChatGPT can be a useful tool.
You might do a search on eBay, and check Sold Items. I did, and although your specific model only showed up once, other Buescher Aristocrats sold for from under 100USD to 300USD. I'd speculate that yours would be in the upper range.
Interesting. I always thought these resembled the smaller of Tutankhamen's trumpets, and now we hear something similar with more contemporary music. I suppose that intonation in the first video suffers due to the tongue-in-cheek method, whereas the second is very nicely done.
@Dale-Proctor The mouthpieces in your Bach Mercedes case look fairly deep... or is that an illusion?
Generally, patches don't change the way a horn plays enough to matter. They are used to prolong the service life of horns considered valuable, whether in monetary or sentimental terms. Replacement of the compromised part sometimes is a good option.
Some of the reasons a horn will play sharp are: using a mouthpiece with too little volume, incorrect mouthpiece gap, incorrect assembly of the instrument (such as the aggregate tubing being too short), or improper design.
Do you find that relative intonation of individual notes changes when the tuning slide is extended?
Depending upon the location of dents, quirks in playability can occur. Why not have the dent removed in order to eliminate it as a possible cause of the sharp intonation?
My default practice is to always remove any source or potential source of problems with the instrument, so that any unwanted sound that comes out of the bell would have originated before the mouthpiece.
I have found that oiling the leadpipe results in diluting the tuning slide grease in short order. Clean and dry is the better solution, IMO.
I'd be more concerned about theft than freezing; local thieves are attracted to cars with out-of-state license tags. Marching bands perform in sub-freezing weather, so having brass instruments in cold storage shouldn't be a problem. If you're still concerned, many sedans have a pass-thru to the trunk; see if you can use that to allow at least a few molecules of warm air access to its contents. An extreme precaution would be to have the horns in the cabin, and put your wife in the trunk. This might cool your relationship with her, however.
The only problem is making it out the door without sampling their wine.
That's a problem?!?
I oil valves before and after use. Same for Amado water keys.
@SSmith1226 said in A little humour:
Our’s tastes like chicken. It’s very good on the grill with Baby Rays BBQ Sauce.
I like Baby Ray's Buffalo Sauce on mine.
