In a message dated 9/29/2003 5:48:16 AM Pacific Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
> I have some students needing good beginner horns but they unfortunately > can't afford much more than 500 Euros / Dollars or so. They've run across > something called "Palatino" horns on Ebay Germany selling for about 279 Euros new. > Also a screw bell model engraved "Tim Hendson" going for 340 Euros. Has > anybody had any experience with these, and are they as bad as I suspect they must > be?! > There are an awful lot of Asian horns coming on the market under all kinds of names. I played a pretty decent Bb horn at a NAMM show, but who's going to show a bad one? Since you have access to eBay, there are some good deals on used horns, but also a certain risk. The risk can be minimized by careful questioning and checking of feedback. A check of feedback left will usually turn up a knowledgeable buyer who will often reply to an email concerning the credibility of the seller. Since I'm a collector, I can usually volunteer information to the seller about the instrument they are selling. The responses I get tell me volumes. It really is hard to fake sincerity. I usually send instructions how they can determine the condition of the valves. My big concern is whether the valves have been destroyed in an acid bath, and I can almost always get a promise of return privileges once I explain the difference between that damage and normal wear and tear. I do some repairs myself, and I'm often buying a horn for a young, promising student. The horns I particularly look for are Elkhart 6Ds, any Reynolds horn. The 6Ds are apt to come from a school program, which puts them at risk of the acid demolition, but are otherwise only in need of dent work. Reynolds horns might get dissolved, so check, but Reynolds valves are probably the best fitting and designed ever made. Even after forty years, a bearing tightening job makes them as tight as many new valves. The professional quality of Reynolds horns is just now being discovered, and the Elkhart 6D has always been a very professional horn, and becomes world class with a custom leadpipe. On Ebay, all these horns are selling regularly below $500. Any decent technician can remove major dents from one end to the other and tighten the bearings in three to four hours, often much less. The first thing I do is strip the lacquer. This is not something to pay to have done unless someone has access to professional equipment. With the lacquer off, major dent removal goes fast, but stay clear of dent machines unless you are dealing with a major shop, and even then you want to know who is running the machine. Once the major dents have been reduced, polish the horn nicely, and I always put on a leather hand guard that is easily made from scraps from a leather shop. The overall appearance should be quite professional with the scars still showing, but everything working perfectly. For $500-$600 you'll have an instrument that any knowledgeable professional will recognize as worthy of any ensemble in the world. My teacher played a 6D in the Boston Symphony for years. _______________________________________________ post: [EMAIL PROTECTED] set your options at http://music.memphis.edu/mailman/options/horn/archive%40jab.org
