ChasStarr

I am anxiously awaiting delivery of my new Kanstul WB in brushed gold plate.

(By the way, I ordered through PiCK music. Ms. King has been a pleasure to deal with and has been very informative and helpful in giving me information to help me make my choice! Recommend Highly!)

Anyhow, does anyone have any insight on what I should expect or do in caring for this new horn?

Caring for the finish, valve lubrication and break in, slide grease? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

camel lips

You should be able to find information about the care of valves on this board.Read the thread Terribly sticky valves and you will get a real good education.

Basically soak the horn and snake it out when you first get it and use only pro oil during the break in.Repeat often.Pro oil is a blended synthetic oil and works best with tight tolerance valves.(I found this out the hard way)

Its going to seem like it takes forever to break the valves in but 2 or three months isn't that long when your talking about the life of the instrument.

For slide grease I use some of the slickest stuff know to man.Its called Kleen bore tw25b.It is a high tech lubricant used on high quality firearms.Stuff makes your slides smooth like butter.

Ill yield to the experts here on the finish issue.

King High

I have seen some of those posts here about the valves. All I can say is that noone who bought an instrument from me has complained about valve break-in problems.

One of the first things I do when I get an instrument is wipe the valves, casing & re-oil. I also play each horn enough to know that it is playing properly. All of the PiCK trumpets go out with Zaja oiled valves and a bottle of Zaja goes to every customer.
Along with that I also include a microfiber cleaning cloth which I recommend for wiping the experior.

I've had good success with Zaja slide grease and lube too. For the fast slides I have been using a mix and seems to work great.

I have to think these valve troubles are isolated incidents that should have been worked out by the dealer before the horns were sold, or taken care of by the dealer/Kanstul at the very least as soon as the problem became apparent. I've NEVER sent a horn back to Kanstul for valve issues.

The only "Problems" I've seen were students who simply didn't use enough oil often enough. They have this idea that as long as the valve moves it doesn't need to be oiled.
Otherwise - the comments about Kanstul valves are overwhelmingly positive. They should work great when you get the horn - expect nothing less!

PC

connman

First, welcome to the PiCK Family ChasStar!

I think you'll find that your WB will be working at "Top Notch" right out of the case the day you get it. My Kanstul Flugelhorn (925) played like that. I never played a new horn that felt so good fresh out of the factory as that. Over the last year and a half I've played MANY brand new Kanstuls and they ALL played that way. I'm sure once in awhile one will come along that doesn't, but I imagine they are far and few between.

You're gonna LOVE this new toy!

ChasStarr

Yeah, I'm looking forward to getting it rather impatiently. PC actually play testing the thing before she sends it out has given me a pretty high level of confidence that it will be right, right out of the chute.

Is there anything better for a trumpet player than getting a new horn? Maybe my first dubba, but other than that, I don't think so.

This will be my first new Bb in 29 years!

drac

Would you be willing to disclose the approximate amount the brush gold plate adds to the price of the horn?? I am am very interested in this finish but I have a feeling it is extremely pricey....by the way I am just about certain that I will be picking up a WB as well. You'll have to let us know how the plating changes the sound. Good luck with you new horn!!!!

ChasStarr

Drac, when I spoke to Ms. King at PiCK Music to quote a price with the brush gold plate finish she told me to expect between $450-$500 for the finish. It fell within this range. However, with the price of gold fluctuating like it tends to do, I would recommend giving her a call or email for something exact. She's great to work with.

I am going nuts waiting for delivery. We trumpet players are always so patient! :wink:

When I get and have played it for a while, I'll post some thoughts.

dyeabsley

I've been waiting for my Kanstul 1530 cornet in brushed lacquer for a million billion years (that's about a month in normal time). :wink:

-Daniel

lonelyangel

Hi ChasStarr, maybe I didn't understand but I thought you were asking for advice about how to care for the brushed gold finish on the horn - rather than the horn itself (oiling and greasing etc).

I have never seen a Kanstul horn so I am not exactly sure how his 'brushed' gold finish looks but I wonder if it is similar to the scratched gold finish from Eclipse. I can tell you how I care for my own horn. I would say - most importantly - NEVER polish the horn. Any kind of abrasive polish or impregnated cleaning cloth, will gradually degrade the even matt surface. You would eventually remove all the scratch or brush marks in the gold and end up with a shiny horn.
To keep the surface of my horn looking even, bright and glowing - the way it left the factory - I use fairy liquid and a J-cloth (I hope these generic brand names won't get lost in translation). I use a slightly damp J-cloth with some neat fairy liquid worked into it. I use the cloth to wipe over the whole surface of the horn - trying to work in the same direction especially on the bell. This leaves a the horn with a coating of suds or foam. I then use another clean J-cloth (with no detergent this time) and wipe the suds off leaving the horn sparkling and dry.

The washing-up liquid (Fairy) removes all grease from the surface of the horn and thats really all you need to do with this kind of finish. Of course you could allow a film of dirt and grease to build up on the horn if you prefer the darker and more antique patina that gradually develops - personally I like a clean machine!

Hope this helps - and enjoy your new trumpet when it arrives.

PS I would double check with Mr Kanstul or PC as to exactly what kind of care they suggest for the brushed gold.

All the best, Noel.

Tootsall

Noel, thanks for your description of "wash it, rinse it, dry it, don't polish it". Yes, we have J-cloth here in N.A. What we (OK...I) am confused on... what's "Fairly Liquid"?