Robert Rowe

Yeah !! ... I love stories like that !

I'm not sure I can top that one .... but, this may raise a few eyebrows --

I'm nearly at the end of a long, protracted "saga" with a one-owner, true "closet case", 1949 Martin Med-Bore Committee. The owner (soon to be "ex-owner") is a friend I've never met -- something of an "e-pal" ... (and a few long-distance telephone conversations). He was endeavoring to sell the horn, and in a round-about series of events, we happened to "connect" on-line. He needed a lot of technical assistance, which I freely offered. After a sale was aborted (at true market value), he offered the horn to me at a price I could not refuse. I have the horn now, through an arrangement we worked out, wherein I worked on the horn to un-stick the valves and slides. It now plays wonderfully! My 1946 Committee is actually a better horn, though, and is the subject of two top "pros" attempts to buy recently ... (I'm still thinking about it).
In any event, I now have some shop time in the 1949 horn, and ... the grand total of $225 American Dollars !

**On a different note ... I also am a guitar / mando / banjo player. I
acquired a rare Fender Electric 12-String guitar about 7-yrs ago for
$2000 -- a pretty hefty figure then. I had been looking for a guitar
of this ilk for 25 years! (It is an Artist-Promotional instrument,
not made to be sold to the public). I recently learned that it is a highly
sought after (by collectors) guitar, worth $25,000 - $30,000.

With me, "The Hunt" is always on ....

Regards,
Robert Rowe

Jeff Stewart

I looked in the local paper one day to see a New York Strad for $365. I drove like a maniac across town and didn't quibble on price a bit.(it had been used by his Jr. High daugter for marching band and with the exception of a couple of pings it was in great shape.) Another time I went into a Goodwill and found an Olds Mendez for $47. If you look you'll find.

tom turner

Hi,

My other music store "find" happened in a music store alright . . . just after the store personnel told someone trying to sell a used Strad that they didn't need any more used instruments. The year was 1976.

I overheard this conversation . . . and noticed the Mt. Vernon case, and struck up a conversation with the seller after making sure that the store didn't want to buy the horn.

IT WAS AN EARLY (pre-1956, pre-taller wrap) SILVER MT. VERNON IN PRISTINE CONDITION . . . AND THE GUY ONLY WANTED $200 FOR IT. I bought it on the spot!

It was a Model 43 in ML bore with the rare factory 1st valve trigger.

That horn was a gorgeous piece of work! I bought it as a backup horn to my wonderful '72 Benge . . . sold it a few years later . . . and doubled my investment.

I wonder what it would bring today!

In any event, it had a wonderful tone . . . but that sucker got reeeeeeal sharp as one ascended past the top of the staff. This is why is was so pristine I imagine!!! Typical Mt. Vernon inconsistency.

Still . . . what a gorgeous horn with many extra steps in manufacturing execution you can't get today.

Tom

TheMoose

Tom,

You are right about Pawn shops these days, not much there but junk. Reminds me of a friend that found a New York Bach on a trash pile, you know the one I'm talking about. Now that was a find of a lifetime!

Bruce "The moose"

trickg

I have a friend who is a brass repair tech and he used to cruise the pawn shops in the area pretty regularly (but not so regularly as to become a regular) to see if he could come up with some things - mostly he wound up with 80s era Bachs and a lot of student model Yamahas, many of them with valve troubles. He'd scoop them up, clean them up and get them working, and then sell them for profit. Once, he came across a Connstellation that had some troubles not worth fixing, but he grabbed it up anyway because at one other point he had grabbed up another Connstellation and between the two, there were enough parts to put together one fully functioning (and pretty nice playing) Connstellation which got sold to a guy who was using a Connstellation for his lead playing and was looking for one in better shape.

I need to start cruising the yard sales - I'm bound to find at least one gem or two in the mix.

TheMoose

Hi,


Yard sales can be good but you have to get there early. I think you would have better luck than hitting pawn shops. Those guys at the shops have gotten educated when it comes to musical instruments and have a list of people to call when something of intrest comes in, the soccer mom at the yard sale usually is just trying to clean out the basement and make a little cash.

Bruce "The moose"

trumpet blower88

Estate sales are good too... Well, not good, because someone had to die for it to happen, but they have good stuff there that they sell for really cheap. My friend went to an estate sale one day and it turned out that this guy used to play for a litle church orchrestra or something. Anyways, the people selling this stuff didn't know anything about it so they just sold all this high quality equipment for dirt cheap. This is what he got:

- Mt. Vernon Strad for $25
- Newer Strad 37 for $40
- Schilke 4 valve Piccolo Trumpet for $30 or $40
- Benge C Trumpet for $30 or $40
- Some cheapie Yamaha for $20 or $30
and a litle case with 10 - 15 mouthpieces for $10

I was jelious... I offerd him triple for what he paid for everything, but he was smart enough not to accept it...

Robert Rowe

Wow! That tops anything I've heard, regarding horns bought for cheap.

A friend suggested to me that I might try estate sales ... never have, but I think I will real soon.

Thanx for sharing that one (the story) with us.

Regards,
Robert Rowe

Solar Bell

ANOTHER FABULOUS STORY.

I stopped in at my local pro shop today, (like I do everyday) and my friend said "Look at what I just bought!"

He had a Martin Commitee in GREAT shape. Serial number dates it to around 1957. A lot of engraving up the bell. The Deluxe model with the nickle trim. A guy came in the store and said he wanted to sell an old Vito clarinet and an old trumpet. Beat up old case and everything. My friend said he could get more money on eBay or elsewhere and the guy said he just wanted to sell them, he didn't play or anything. The clarinet was really beat up and rusty and the trumpet was very dirty. He wanted $100 for both!
My friend tried to convince him to sell somewhere else but the guy said no.
The horn was checked out to make sure it wasn't hot and he paid him $100 for both.
I played it at rehearsal tonight and it is NICE!!!!!

You never know what might fall in your hands sometimes.
He will keep an eye out to make sure it's not stolen, but with the beat up original case, it looks good for my friend.

-cw-

Robert Rowe

Yeah -- that's another Great Story ("FABULOUS STORY") !

Shops and music stores very often get a chance to buy instruments that "walk-in-the-door". We horn-players are lucky, because our instruments are not as well known; in today's music-store business, almost every operator knows that a Gibson Les Paul guitar, or a Selmer Paris Mk VI saxophone, has high value.

Thanks, schilke b6 ....


Robert Rowe