Review: 3 Quality (but Underpriced) Vintage Trumpets
Vložit
- čas přidán 8. 09. 2024
- A review of three very nice (and affordable) vintage trumpets; a Holton Galaxy, a Blessing Artist and an Olds Special. Each of these is a very nice player, very nice tone and purchasing one won't break the bank. It can be a challenge finding one in good shape - but this certainly is true of any vintage instrument. I do hope you enjoy the video! Continued best wishes, Jonathan Milam
I bought a 1920's King Liberty Model No. 15 and by far it is the best investment Ive made regarding a musical instrument, tone comes seamlessly, dynamic range is drastic, you can play earbleedingly loud without sounding like your blaring and at a whisper without having that thin airy tone. They dont make em like they use to.
Sean; great comments - thank you for contributing. King did indeed make an excellent horn. I think Zig Kanstul, who just passed away but had been a leading American brass instrument producer for many years, held the King Liberty in very high regard. Rightly so. Thanks for listening and, again, for the great comments.
I have a King Liberty from about 1963/64 before the company was sold. Plays nicely yet.
Very nice horns! I have an Olds Special trumpet, early 60's vintage, a late 50's Olds Special Cornet, and a late 40's Olds Studio Cornet. Won all 3 on ebay for good prices, and love playing all of them. Will playing the Special Trumpet this Sunday in church for Easter.
Good for you! I've had 3 Olds Special cornets and two Olds Special trumpets... And I've never had an Olds Studio, can you believe it? I've tried to get a few, too. One of these days... And I hope your Easter number at church goes great! :)
😍Thank You my friend
I have a '49 Olds Ambassador. (unique quality, full ring instead of hook at pinky) Heavy brass like the first horn you played. Anyway after it survived my house fire, it came away with a much brighter tone than before. It makes me think that maybe it's more a question of tempering the brass than the thickness of said. Food for thought...
I think thickness plays a large part in what I term a 'dark' sound. Taylor and Monette, both renowned for their dark, gorgeous jazz tone, put out very heavy horns. The heat treatment is quite popular with some manufacturers though... Don't think I've ever had one but I have read about the result. Lucky you - having a horn live through a house fire. Thanks for the comment!
Thanks for these reviews. I'm a comeback player; I used to play a Bach Strad 37, which I don't have anymore, and I want a vintage horn, because I suspect I can find a nice one somewhat inexpensively. Might try to join a community orchestra, to play 3rd part or something -- I know I need to get a trumpet that will blend, but for some reason I think I want an old Conn trumpet. Except cornets sound so much better to me! Thanks for all of your reviews. Sounds like an Olds special -- couldn't go wrong with one.
Brent; Welcome to the world of comeback trumpeters... They're are a lot of us. :) I got some tremendous tips at TrumpetHerald.com; just google 'Comeback Trumpetherald' and you'll find some great threads. Conn made some very, very nice horns. A good vintage horn might not save you much, bargains are getting harder to find. I almost never buy new, and I've done bargain shopping for years. TrumpetHerald.com is a great place to shop as welll; their Marketplace can be a great benefit. No tax on the purchase, and if you don't like the horn, simply relist it a no cost. :) They've got a nice Olds Super that was just listed at $700; I'd call that a pro horn, and I believe the seller is offering a 10 day trial. Food for thought. :) Keep in touch, Brent; let us know how you're doing.
I’m a come back player too. I bought a spotless 1970 American Selmer for $60 . The valves are like my Bach’s. The horn plays great.Jonathan has taught me that you can find great sounding horns without breaking the bank.
Well we did purchase a brand new Yamaha YTR 5335gsii, it had to be returned as there was what appeared to be a 1/4inch circle of black mould on the inner valve so replaced. The second one developed some sort of patchy discolouration inside the valve brass area and started to have sticky valves despite cleaning. It was returned to Yamaha for inspection and without informing they lapped the middle valve that was felt unacceptable on a new instrument. The attraction of this trumpet was indeed the incredible and very slick valve moment but it came as a shock to have the valves sticking, never experienced that before. Until Yamaha sort their Monel problem out then they can not be recommended.
I'm very sorry to hear this! I've had a number of Yamaha trumpets, cornets and flugels, and never had a failurs of this magnitude. I'm very sorry to hear this!
Olds Special has a center of focus in sound the other two dont appear to have . Prolly cause I own a LA Special and I'm a bit biased on Olds
This is old video. The Blessing Artist is a damn good trumpet; don't know the Holton but the Olds Special is nothing to brag about. The Artist was a top instrument and I owned one in silver; was rather heavy instrument but quality all over the horn.
The Blessing has a rich clear tone ...they all sound nice.
I was surprised with the tone of the Blessing. Very nice trumpet. Just two or three years back, Blessing finally closed their doors; now out of business. Very sad.
Jonathan Milam, if you ever run across this student trumpet grab it, the sound will simply amaze you....I’ll put this student horn against any 3k horn you can find...I don’t see many around, there might be some rentals left overs in a few music shop... usa.yamaha.com/products/musical_instruments/winds/trumpets/bb_trumpets/ytr-300ad/index.html
If my
Vintage trumpet has no 3rd slide valve while playing how is the notes adjusted?
Believe it or not - they ‘lipped’ the intonation up
or down, and this also strengthened their chops. My Dad was old school; I was fiddling around with a third slide pull one time trying to get just the right intonation, and he finally growled out, ‘Quit playing with your slide and LIP the note!’ He was an extraordinary musician, but that was the way they were taught. I’ve seen videos of top Symphonyplayers lipping while excercises down. It takes strong chops. :)
Thank you for you expertise and the motivational way of responding to my question Im a piano player and guitar but im starting to learn the trumpet.
Hi John strange that you said the Martin Handcraft was hard to play well. I have always desired a Martin Committee but I found them so stuffy everytime I played one
I use to follow the comments of a guy called ‘McGovnor’ at TrumpetHerald.com. He was a top commercial trumpeter in NYC. He said if 1 out of 100 Martin’s played well for you, you were doing good. :). I don’t think I’d ever buy one without playing it first. mine was from a local pawn shop; but I could return it within 30 days. Still, I now know much more about horns, valve alignment especially, and wish I had that Martin again. Some horns, though, and especially vintage horns, just don’t play well. It was perhaps the worst playing trumpet I’ve ever had.
Thanks for your videos, they are great, I really enjoy them. I have a dilemna, I have a 1956 Conn 22B Victor which has been my everyday horn for the past 4 years, I recently picked up a 1957 Olds Ambassador and I love it. The Olds seems much easier for me play and sounds great, both horns are in excellent condition. My problem is that I can only keep one of them. What is your opinion?
John; What a great problem - two nice horns. I've never had an Ambassador but I've had several great Conn 22B's. Whichever fits you and your playing needs best I guess is the keeper; they're probably both GOOD horns if they'very been kept well.
Hi Jon - I'm an ex cornet player (played my uncle's Olds back from ~50s). I have a son who's entering into band as a trumpet player and I'm tossing around the idea of getting him an vintage trumpet instead of something new. Good idea? bad idea?
I love vintage horns, they are very special but to play them day in and day out can be a challenge. They often have leaky valves - kind of like antique or vintage cars. That alone can make them hard to play and it's about $150 per valve to have them replated. While I always buy used (and I can almost always find a decent pro horn at a good price), I find modern pro horns to be much, much easier to play. I'm spoiled too; I reallly like the first valve pull for fine tuning (most vintage horns have the third slide pull but NOT the first). But a vintage horn would be a great gift for him later. :) Keep in touch - I've been in training all week - sorry it took me so long to get back with you (first time on a computer in two weeks, unbelievable).
Hey, which would you choose over the other? I'm deciding whether to buy a great condition Silver Holton Galaxy from eBay (which has no given date) or a Holton 48 which is in repaired and serviced condition. I know the Holton 48 is a older pro horn but wondering which you would choose?
+JazzLore Greetings! I haven't played a Holton 48 although I've read good things about them. I've actually tried to acquire a few but it hasn't happened yet. The Galaxy I had was a very nice player for the money. When dealing with vintage horns, especially when comparing two for purchase, I almost always go for the one in better playing condition. A clean leadpipe, good valve action and compression and movable slides are very all important. Good luck - let us know which one you get and how it works out! :)
Thanks for the quick reply, I'm literally just a begginer to trumpets, haven't even taken any classes. I did some research and bought the silver Holton 48 non-Deluxe version becuase I believe it would give me a much different and unique sound. I will give my feedback on the horn as soon as I receive it. I also heard this horn is more easier on the high register which should be a positive thing. I was a bit naive at first with the whole "Intermediate" and "Pro" grade trumpet mindset. Literally any horn you treasure and play right can be as good as any expensive horn you buy out there.
i love olds and the artist , had 3 differant artists , olds ambassador x3 specials x2 superultrasonic x1 4 diget serial x1 cornets in both ,
to me theartist sounded like you , on the others you sounded trained,
but the backbore of the one you played the artist with was to tight , if youtried it with a bit bigger throat you would be amazed by all areas of your play would be affected, thats an easy giantstep, when you hear a physical issue on a life player thats a gigantic hard step.
i have had loads of secound hand vintage antique even trumpets andflugelhorns. from all that experiance there seems to be a lot of thought but forgeting logic! i hope you dont mind me shareing a major one,
i dont no if everyone on earth has a simualer one ? (my dyslexcia is spelling and spellcheck is going to the gym and someone doing your workout) so i dont use it, please excuse,
so the thought ,kind of saying we understand together in the uk is,
" a friday job" "end of the month rush" " finish that and thats it for christmass" holiday, bankholiday , "finished on a friday"
im52 and witnessed every side of a friday job, my car i have was cheap because it was the last service before christmass, after the brake and to late she notice on her drive 12miles to work it would cut out at 9ish miles (first time doing that distance in one so noticed it then) the car is mint, full service and repair ,new parts paperwork, faulty £500 if good £1700ish, brought it checked paperwork and seller, looked under the hud and main hose was not on at the back , 2 secounds £1200 ,rushed last holiday job,
so what i am saying is, that mint condition time capsule strangley everyone wants probably has good reason its never been played ?
the one that has marks from being played a lot and looked after with love , no one wants ?
so with logic some advice seems doomed, why would anyone have an expensive trumpet in the attic never used ?
a time traveling miles davis fan ? compared to a weeks salary what did they cost, i have a Taylor phat boy flugelhorn , it would have to be a good reason to put it and its value in the attic? porn shop understandable,????????
if anyone wantsmouthpiece advice please ask , if johnathan milam tries the mouthpiece change i said then he will tell you if i was correct or not, thanks and a brilliant 2018 to all
Have you ever ran into Getzen eterna 900s the originals.
Russell; Greetings. I played a Getzen Eterna Severinson model from '78-'83 or so; it was a great player and similar, I think to the 900. Just a few years ago I had two Lawler's; a C7 and a TL-5, both were built around Getzen valve blocks and we're also great horns. Getzen valves are considered the best (or very close) and, unlike many companies, the Getzen Co. is zealous of quality and improving their brand. Great question, Russell. Do you have a Getzen trumpet?
No I've been wanting one badly
also how can I look up a Bach cornet and find out about the instrument, bore size, beginner, intermediate, pro model or anything about an instrument
I use brassreview.com for some info. I almost always buy pro horns - but I almost always buy used instruments; I aim for 1/3 of new price. I like Bach Stradivarius trumpets but not Strad cornets as much. Also, just google the instrument. And Trumpetherald.com is a great resource, I visit and contribute their often.
I have the serial number but that's all. Dont see a model number anywhere. It is a Strad Mt Vernon going by the serial number on bacloyalist is from the mid 50s. There is a L about the serial number does that mean large bore ?
Do you sell any of your trumpets
+eric flaaen Eric; Greetings. I sell most all of my trumpets. When I get a new (to me) trumpet in I'll play it a while until I feel like I understand it (strengths, etc.) then I video it and usually shortly thereafter I'll sell it. I'd like to keep them all - but that takes too much money and too much room. :) I don't have any for sale at the moment but when I put a new video up I almost always have a link to where it's listed for sale. Thanks for asking ~ and have happy holidays, Eric.
Not realated to this, but I have the option to purchase a ‘49 King Liberty, or a brand new Jupiter XO, I’m unsure which I’d like to purchase. Could I have a recommendation on which I should buy? (Both are $1000.00)
We all have personal opinions - and here is mine. :) I'd go with the Jupiter XO - although I temper my comment by saying that I've only played one and that was just for a moment; they do have quite a good reputation though. Vintage horns, again my opinion, can be a challenge to play unless they are in truly excellent condition and don't have severe air leakage. I really enjoy cleaning and working with vintage horns but many can be a challenge to play - especially if you're on a gig that is the better part of 4 hours or so. For me, there's nothing like the ease of a first and third slide pull that is easy to work and a horn that has excellent compression - and that's usually a new(er) horn. Great questiont though - and the King Liberty is a very nice model. Please be sure and post your choice and experience - ok? :)
Jonathan Milam will do! Thanks for the advice, I’m leaning towards the XO, but I’m still unsure. I’ll keep you updated.
Martins are overpriced and over rated
Can't hear you talk, volume is too low
True. It's an old vid, the new ones are better. You'll need headphones or earbuds to hear the speech. My apologies.