bandman

Do you buy horns without trying them?

I have a rule for myself that I have broken only a few times in my life. I must play the actual horn I’m buying before I buy it. I don’t like ordering horns, even great ones. I did buy my Harrelson without playing it. That was out of curiosity and it turned out being the best horn I have ever played, and I’m so happy I bought it.

I visited Bruce Lee in Houston and fell in love with a couple horns from Eclipse, but they were not the horns I thought I would love prior to playing them. I wonder how differently each Eclipse plays? Knowing, seeing, and feeling the quality of those instruments I’d bet they are very consistent.

I have played only a few Monette trumpets. I really didn’t like most of them, but one was a gem that I tried to talk the owner into selling me (with no luck). I have played Bach trumpets that were amazing, and Bach trumpets that were just hunks of metal that looked like a trumpet.

So if you order a horn you are taking a huge chance, especially if you have custom work done on that horn. So how do you feel about paying for a horn prior to playing it?

adohanian

It really depends on the horn. If you're buying a stock horn such as Bach, Yanaha, Conn etc wherever you buy them from should have a return policy. However a custom horn built for you with no refund, return, obviously you would have know beforehand what you are buying and whether or not that's the horn for you, so it really depens on what you are buying.

Adam

Mikey

Short answer: No.

Long answer: Most of the horns I buy come from Horntrader, Dillon, or one of the other reputable shops, where you have a trial period. However, I have also bought 2 horns off Ebay. One was an old Large bore Bel Canto. I could see by the pics that it was in good shape. Plus, the horn in question had just been in Akright's shop. So, a phone call to Akright helped make my decision. I ended up selling it, only because the horn took way too much air than I am used to putting out.

The other horn I bought off Ebay was a Yamaha 8310Z, tweaked by Shew. It turned out to have some interlan problems I was not aware of, but I had no problem getting rid of it. Now I stick to reputable people.

Tootsall

Yes.... and No. I bought my Schilke B1 after trying it. I also purchased my Jupiter flugel after trying it (but not having the faintest idea what I was looking for!). I did NOT get a chance to try my Eclipse MR, and I picked my Getzen 800L up from Ebay with effectively a "no return" policy (oh, I suppose I could have returned it but the customs and courier hassle wasn't worth the headache... and besides... it is a good one!)

I reckon it really depends on the manufacturer's reputation; I certainly was disappointed in the 37 Strad that I had but was prepared to buy a B1 "unsounded" (until I found a dealer within a day's drive who had stock).

In general, I wouldn't recommend it (buying "unsounded") unless you're buying absolute top notch stuff and where you can sound out other owners and be reasonably assured of consistency of the maker/model.

Dale Proctor

I bought a used Bach 184 cornet over the internet, but asked the owner her impression of the horn's playing characteristics first. I then negotiated the option to return the horn if I didn't like it. It is the best playing horn I've ever owned. I bought a Conn 6B trumpet on eBay a few months ago. It's 46 years old and is like new. Plays great - I think it will be a fantastic big band horn.

That said, I've bought other horns that I did play test and liked, only to find I really didn't like them a few months later after playing them in various situations. So who knows? A lot of it is luck.

Of course, the horns I bought long-distance weren't too expensive. I think the Bach cornet was about $1100. I probably wouldn't plop down thou$and$ without an extended trial and/or return privileges. (Actually, I don't think I would pay thou$and$ for a trumpet, anyway!)

11thchair

I have done both. And have been happy with all my horns. I bought an 40 year old Olds Recording off Ebay. Had problems with the valves. Took it to the local repair shop - they recognized the horn, said they had told the owner that the valves were shot. They even dug out the repair sheet - name on the sheet was the same as the one on the Olds certificate that was still in the case.

Negotiated a new price to get the valves rebuilt. Nice horn now.

djm6701

Maybe I'm just nuts but I have played the following horns as full-time axes: Bach Strad 37, Yamaha Mike Vax, Olds Mendez, Olds Recording, Kanstul WB1600. Of those, the only one I tried before I bought it was the Yamaha, and I ended up getting rid of it because I eventually decided I didn't like it. None of the three horns I use regularly now I tried first (the Kanstul 1600 is my main horn, I switch sometimes to the Olds Recording I bought on Charley Davis' recommendation, or a Benge 3x from the LA period that I bought off Ebay and totally lucked out on as it was in great shape and didn't have any of the issues I had heard about with Benges having flat 5th partials).

Albert Castillo

B15M

I went to the factory and played a Monette before I got mine but I didn't play mine before I bought it.

I bought a Bach E flat D in New York on a whim and played it for a while in the store. When I brought it home and used it on a job it was the worst.

I think it takes a while to get used to the trumpet so even if you play it before you buy it you could still not like it.

B15M

how did you get that font?