Both of my saxes being away for an overhaul, I couldn't resist to have something silly to play & practice with. Something to keep my head off work stuff even for small moments - sax mpc practice doesn't really cut it for that purpose.
So, I found a cheap (50e) junker trumpet from a fleamarket. It's in surprisingly good shape - the valves work smoothly etc. I can even play some little tunes, occasionally with a pleasant sound even. That's a lot considering my only experience with reedless horns is a couple of days with my russian junker tuba. The trumpet certainly plays better than the tuba...
I'm curious about the details of manufacture. The trumpet is otherwise in great shape, but some support posts are detached, and the body is bent near the mouthpiece. The nickelplating is almost flawless. Again, I'm pretty clueless about brass, but the valves seem to be in good shape. As are the removable sliding U-tubes. Would this be a repair-worthy horn?
I can't find any manufacturer stamps, serials or other info. Do brass instruments always have those, like saxes do? Makes me suspect it is a no-name asian or russian horn.
On the other hand it does have a "Galaxy" engraving that looks hand-made. Is there any chance this could be a Holton Galaxy (60's)? I read those should be very fine horns.
I would think, if it is trying to be a copycat Holton, any pirate manufacturer would rather do a pro model instead of the intermediate Galaxy...
So, I found a cheap (50e) junker trumpet from a fleamarket. It's in surprisingly good shape - the valves work smoothly etc. I can even play some little tunes, occasionally with a pleasant sound even. That's a lot considering my only experience with reedless horns is a couple of days with my russian junker tuba. The trumpet certainly plays better than the tuba...
I'm curious about the details of manufacture. The trumpet is otherwise in great shape, but some support posts are detached, and the body is bent near the mouthpiece. The nickelplating is almost flawless. Again, I'm pretty clueless about brass, but the valves seem to be in good shape. As are the removable sliding U-tubes. Would this be a repair-worthy horn?
I can't find any manufacturer stamps, serials or other info. Do brass instruments always have those, like saxes do? Makes me suspect it is a no-name asian or russian horn.
On the other hand it does have a "Galaxy" engraving that looks hand-made. Is there any chance this could be a Holton Galaxy (60's)? I read those should be very fine horns.
I would think, if it is trying to be a copycat Holton, any pirate manufacturer would rather do a pro model instead of the intermediate Galaxy...