chooch

I just realized after 30 years that the trumpet my father gave me sitting in it's case in my attic is a Benge #4810 made in Burbank. I don't play the trumpet but after reading a little about Benge trumpets I am excited to have found it. It is a bit tarnished and I suppose it needs a cleaning. Would someone please give me some advice on restoring it and on any reputable shops in the NYC area. Thanks.

mlynch

Hey Chooch:

Sounds like you've got quite a find. If I were you, I'd suggest tracking down Zig Kanstul at Welcome to Kanstul Musical Instruments. He used to be production manager for Benge back in its heyday. He produces several high quality horns today in Anaheim, CA. One of the lesser known facts is that Kanstul does repair and refurbishing work on horns. I've got an old Bach and a Kanstul-built Besson MEHA in the Kanstul plant right now being put back in to like new condition. There's probably nobody better to refurbish the horn than the guy who most likely oversaw its original production.

Best of luck to you.

Regards,
Mike

topo3man

mlynch,

I have a large bore Chicago Benge that I would like to have restored by Kanstul. Do yoiu have any contact info for Knastul?

Tootsall

Just click on the link that Mr. Lynch put in his post. Or go to the Kanstul website which is Welcome to Kanstul Musical Instruments

mlynch

I've dealt with Charles Hargett who is the Sales and Marketing Manager for Zig Kanstul. Charles has always gone above and beyond the call of duty to help me out and to add the personal attention that you wouldn't expect from such a busy company; once even giving me a factory tour when I stopped by the shop just to buy a mouthpiece.

As I understand, any horn that is sent to the shop for work gets personally inspected by Zig, but Charles is a great starting point for questions, etc. You can e-mail him at Kanstul at the following: Charles@kanstul.com.

Good luck,
Mike

meauxhorn

Chooch, I recently acquired a Chicago Benge from Lee Thornburg off Ebay. The horn was restored very beautifully by Larry Comeau out of Los Angeles. I know you mentioned the New York area but this guy does terrific work. Benge's are light weight horns and if any buffing is needed to restore plating or laquer , great care must be taken. As Lee put it, if his chicago was buffed , it was done with the utmost care. When I got the horn , it was better than Lee described it. Just google Larry Comeau and the music shop where he works should come up. I saw it the other day but forgot the name of the shop. meauxhorn