Well, I got my truetone in my hands (finally). Opened the box.... Newspaper shavings.. Trashed em... The horn case wrapped in a trash bag. Opened the bag. Immediately assaulted by that musty smell that accompanies all older things (Antique store smell or old house attic smell). Opened the case. The horn, though it has no laquer on it whatsoever (Can see the bell was two piece, and can see the line where the metal was put together to make the bell. Are you POSITIVE this horn isn't worth repairing?!?) Well, went through the case. Found a little something wrapped tightly in bubble wrap. Opened. It looks like your average bach mouthpiece, but slightly wider (The cup is a little more "V" than "U" shaped, as well.), with a longer length and SIGNIFICANTLY thicker rim. I look at the engraving: Vincent Bach Corp 1 1/4 C So, I've cleaned it with the cream from Wal-Mart (Crap works wonders), and it looks about as good as new (No dings, dents, scratches..), but I'm having trouble getting rid of that damned smell. Is there anything about the old mouthpieces that make them more desireable? Just checking. I'll play on it tomorrow, and give a low-down on it.. Van
Hmm, well, I'd try to flush it in the bathtub. That'll get rid of the bacteria causing the odor, but as for the odor itself, well, I dunno. Just try flushing it out and see what happens.
Smell might be caught up in the felts. Since they're porous they are great breeding grounds for bacteria & other "wee bugs". You might try taking the horn apart and leaving the bits out in the direct sunlight for a day or two. I suspect that a chem clean might get rid of the smell but if it doesn't you're going to be on the hook to get the felts replaced if the odor is that bad. If they are "original" felts you might want to do that anyway to reestablish some semblance of vertical alignment.
Yeah, I think tomorrow will be sunny (Today was, but I forgot about doing that). I'll be sure to just leave the case open on my porch for a while tomorrow. Noticed the valve circumfrence is smaller, and that the main tuning slide goes into the horn where the third valve slide normally is (they're switched). Strange little ditty, but its in amazing shape for a horn as old as it is. I'm really wishing it wasn't just a decoration, now...