crowmadic

I need to get rid of some of these horns I've acquired. How would you suggest I go about culling the collection? They are primarily "vintage" student horns. Here's the list:

1. F. Besson International (silver)
2. King 600 458 bore (gold)
3. C.G. Conn-high pitch/low pitch (silver)
4. Holton Collegiate (gold)
5. Conn Victor 22B (1963) re-plated in silver
6. D.N. Noblet (gold)
7. Bundy- ML bore 1981 (silver)
8. Olds Ambassador 1958 (gold)
9. Olds Ambassador cornet 1950s (gold)
10. Noble cornet 1950s (gold)

HELP!...Crow

Vulgano Brother

My inclination would be to save the Conns, the Besson and the Noblet first if my house caught on fire, but I'm more of a player than a collector. You can give the other horns to relatives for Christmas; maybe they'll just shake their heads and give them back to you. Why are you culling? You didn't just find your dream horn on e-bay, did you?

__________________
www.letsbuildhope.org

rowuk

I think the Bundy and King and maybe the Holton should be the first to go. The rest are VERY collectable

__________________
Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.

Dale Proctor

I did something similar to this a few years ago. First, I divided my excess horn collection into two groups - those that played well and those that were so-so players (or worse). Then I looked at the so-so group and divided them into two more groups - rare and/or collectible horns, and common ones.

The common so-so horns went out the door first - some on eBay, some on TM marketplace, some on other sites. Then a few of the collectible so-so horns went on eBay, including my '55 Mt. Vernon Strad. I included it in the so-so player group because it didn't play any better than my '76 Strad. I hardly ever played it, it was worth good money, and I wanted a new cornet, so......

Anyway, I culled 7 or 8 horns this way, and kept the players. I rarely get rid of a good player. Notice at the beginning I said excess horns. The first thing, of course, is to set aside your stable of horns you regularly play. Those are not touched unless a better replacement is found, or dire financial circumstances demand a sell-off.

__________________
"Brass bands are all very well in their place - outdoors and several miles away." - Sir Thomas Beecham

Olde Towne Brass
www.otbrass.com

Brass Band of Huntsville
www.brassbandofhuntsville.org

crowmadic

bye bye Bundy! You've all helped me make my first choice. I'll follow a bit of all the suggestions with the rest. Vulgano, purchasing all these horns has provided me more hands on education about construction and sound than I would have gotten otherwise. Each horn provoked a question that was addressed on TM, and answered by seasoned collectors, players, and repair persons. Of course I've been hoping for one of those horns to be a "winner," but what I found out was that most horns have some inherant appeal. That's what's making it so hard to part with any of them. Yet I'm feeling an obsurdity in keeping so many horns when I need the money more. When it comes down to it my Conn Victor 22B and the Noblet trumpet give me all I need at my level of playing. Collecting and refurbishing horns has become a bit of a hobby so I'm not finished with Ebay purchases, and Pawn Shop hunts................thanks all, crow