tom turner

Hi Emile,

Although you must be careful to get a model with a great reputation, as well as a specimen in great condition, a quality vintage instrument can truly amaze you!

The workmanship on many is not seen today and you must remember, they were made in the "glory days" of brass instrument popularity!

I've played my 1911 Boston 3-Star (which was so nice it only needed a mild restoration and valve rebuild) on many gigs. I'd put it up against the finest cornets today. Doc S. uses an identical model Boston 3-Star (his is goldplated), for the cornet of choice, on his concerts. They are that good!

Nick DeCarlis (of www.vintagecornets.com) gigs exclusively on his favorite vintage cornet, an early '30s Olds model simply called "The Olds." Last time I played with Nick he said he is very picky what cornets he'll play on gigs, but added that my Wild Thing short model would be on a very, very short list for him.

Jim Callum, of Riverwalk Jazz fame on the US radio program on Public Radio, has gigged for years on his '20s era Conn 80A "Victor" cornet. I have a pristine 1939 Victor in original frosted and bright silver w/ goldwash bell that is a truly wonderful cornet with an even blow from the petals past its easy Double C!

LIKE OLD AUTOMOBILES . . .
Old cornets and trumpets can sometimes be really worn out and surely not worth playing seriously on at a professional level. HOWEVER, a "very low miles" type vintage cornet will amaze you if it is a great model.

THE KEY . . .
The key is to find a specimen that was well taken care of (by adult standards) and rarely played. THESE HORNS EXIST and come out of closets after 50+ years on e-bay occasionally. Avoid the ones that are bent, rough or have obvious repairs. These horns will only be liked by your local repair man for the money they'll make off you fixing it up!

THE CASE . . .
I love finding a great vintage horn in a great condition original vintage case. These horns were probably bought by adults who babied them or kids who quit really fast. Best is to find a "kit," (a complete instrument with case, original mouthpiece and all original accessories. A fine original case will add about $100 to the value of a great old cornet. Complete accessories? Add another $100 in some instances. No, it won't add $200 to the value of a nice but less desirable make . . . but for the really desirable cornets or trumpets it will!!!

WHERE YOU LIVE . . .
I don't know what cornets were most popular where you come from but look and ask around.

WARNING, HIGH PITCH VS. LOW PITCH . . .
A=440hz (called low pitch) was not standardized until well into the 20th century. However, low pitch was the way most horns were primarily made from about 1900 forward. Beware of turn-of-the-century horns WITHOUT both high and low pitch tuning slides (and in some cases double sets of HP/LP valve slides too). If the original case is obviously missing a set of slides, I'd pass on the horn unless absolutely sure that the slides in the horn were for LOW PITCH!

"High Pitch" was about a full 1/2 step higher than used today, and high pitch was what was used around 1860-1900 on many instruments. Again, a world-wide standard was not used, to my knowledge, so many bands in the 1860s would have to buy a complete set of instruments from a single manufacturer sometimes!!!

Usually, many cornets/trumpets made from about 1910-1925 would still offer the high pitch slides also . . . just in case one was playing with some musicians using 30-40 year old horns that might be in high pitch.

BTW, my 1911 Boston 3-Stars (I have two) have both high pitch and low pitch main tuning slides. Unless I ever possibly play with an entire group of instruments made in the mid-late 1800s I'll NEVER need the high pitched slide.

Hope this helps a little!

Sincerely,

Tom Turner