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trickg · 03-24-2004, 12:31 PM

Well, it finally happened to me. I finally, after 22 years of playing trumpet, accidentally damaged a horn to an unplayable condition. You have to figure that the longer you gig, the higher the probability that eventually, something is going to happen that will damage your instrument.

I was at a gig on Sunday night and unfortunately the venue was small and our staging area was VERY tight. After the band loaded in and set up, I needed to put a couple of things away, namely my accessory bag and my ProTec trumpet/flugel combo case. As I handed my accessory bag over the drums to the drummer so that he could put it behind him, I wasn't paying close enough attention and knocked my horn and stand over with the combo case. When I heard the clunk, I looked over to see that my horn had fallen (of course!) right on it's second valve slide side. Oddly enough, it wasn't the second valve that ceased to function, but the third that got locked up.

So there I was, at the gig, with a horn that would not function. I looked at my watch, which said about 4:51. I was a 30 minute drive from home and downbeat was at 6:00. I jumped in the car, drove like a madman home, jumped into my tux there, (I brought it home because I knew that it would take me longer to change at the gig site) grabbed another horn and made it back to the gig, 2 minutes to go till down beat.

The upshot of this whole thing is that I sent the horn home with the trombonist, who is a talented brass tech, and it looks like not only will I be getting my valves repaired, but he and the other brass tech are going to throw some modifications on it that I have wanted to do, but haven't because I haven't taken the time to take my horn in. We are looking at moving the forward bell brace back, and Todd is going to make a custom receiver and mount that. At some point I need to go in and play it so that they can fine tune it for me. Wish me luck!

Anyway, I just thought that I would share that.

03-24-2004, 12:31 PM	#1 (permalink)
trickg Forte User Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Glen Burnie, Maryland Posts: 2,054	The inevitable, a crunched horn! Well, it finally happened to me. I finally, after 22 years of playing trumpet, accidentally damaged a horn to an unplayable condition. You have to figure that the longer you gig, the higher the probability that eventually, something is going to happen that will damage your instrument. I was at a gig on Sunday night and unfortunately the venue was small and our staging area was VERY tight. After the band loaded in and set up, I needed to put a couple of things away, namely my accessory bag and my ProTec trumpet/flugel combo case. As I handed my accessory bag over the drums to the drummer so that he could put it behind him, I wasn't paying close enough attention and knocked my horn and stand over with the combo case. When I heard the clunk, I looked over to see that my horn had fallen (of course!) right on it's second valve slide side. Oddly enough, it wasn't the second valve that ceased to function, but the third that got locked up. So there I was, at the gig, with a horn that would not function. I looked at my watch, which said about 4:51. I was a 30 minute drive from home and downbeat was at 6:00. I jumped in the car, drove like a madman home, jumped into my tux there, (I brought it home because I knew that it would take me longer to change at the gig site) grabbed another horn and made it back to the gig, 2 minutes to go till down beat. The upshot of this whole thing is that I sent the horn home with the trombonist, who is a talented brass tech, and it looks like not only will I be getting my valves repaired, but he and the other brass tech are going to throw some modifications on it that I have wanted to do, but haven't because I haven't taken the time to take my horn in. We are looking at moving the forward bell brace back, and Todd is going to make a custom receiver and mount that. At some point I need to go in and play it so that they can fine tune it for me. Wish me luck! Anyway, I just thought that I would share that. __________________ Patrick Gleason email me at: trickg1@hotmail.com "What we do in life echoes in eternity" "At my signal, unleash hell." - Maximus Decimus Meridius