Peter McNeill

Hi Ted,
I just bought one of these Ambassadors 2 weeks ago, and I am waiting for delivery to Melbourne. John has a 100% rating with 1880 transactions.
They look good to me, and it is the playing that matters; but the looks help.

I would not like a Blue one, I think the Silver/gold trim looks smart.
The Green felts looks OLDS, Red felts would look CONN to me. Maybe Blue felts as a compromise.
Cheers

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Peter
Stopped Counting horns,
But just 1 more will be perfect...

tedh1951

G'day Peter - once again this shows the diversity in taste of TM members. As you may have guessed, the gold/silver mix is not quite to my taste - I prefer simple frosted finish with shiney highlights. It's good that you have found a horn that calls to you, I reckon it will play better because of that attraction. I've had second thoughts about the felts - I think a set of the Getzen black rubbers would look really sweet without being austentatious.

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Ted

MusicShop-More

Peter your Ambassador left on the Plane this week. I hope you like it. It was very nice.

tedh1951

Hey Peter,
If you could play it in flight, wouldn't those notes be high?

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Ted

Peter McNeill

Hey Ted,
Probably the highest I will ever play

AND John,

Thank-you, I think it is great to see life put back into these Oldies. I have been watching your work for a long time. Thanks again, I am pregnant with anticipation on getting hold of this one.

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Peter
Stopped Counting horns,
But just 1 more will be perfect...

stumac

Bring it to band when you get it, I would love to see it.

Regards, Stuart.

Peter McNeill

Hi Stuart,
I will bring it in and give you a gander at it; and Of Course a play as well.
Cheers

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Peter
Stopped Counting horns,
But just 1 more will be perfect...

Peter McNeill

The 1968 Olds Ambassador arrived to home today.
First Impression: Great looking horn.
It plays really well in the bottom register, a wonderful tone (Asymmetric Lead mpce). It sounds nice and even right through to the high G, above High C. Valves and slides are like butter.

Pleased? You betcha.. Thankyou John & Wilma. (Great Case, takes 3 mutes & the JetTone Studio was a nice touch)

I will take it around to a few bands I play in, and see if anyone wants to write an unbiased review.

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Peter
Stopped Counting horns,
But just 1 more will be perfect...

ComeBackKid

As a comeback player, I guess I can wade in on this on both fronts:
(1) The horn that started this thread is a gorgeous item - but everyone has different tastes so the person who created it and the person who bought it are really the only two votes that count on that level. Speaking as one who only recently purchased a completely overhauled Olds Ambassador, I like the one featured here better than the one I bought, which is satin brass. I wish I had seen this one first. But, that's just my opinion.
(2) On the issue of the Ambassador as a model, I have some experience to add. I purchased my very first horn in 1955 - an LA Model Ambassador (they hadn't moved to Fullerton yet). I still have that horn and it is still in perfect playing condition. I am considering having it restored, too. I have a personal friend who worked at the Olds factory and he has confirmed to me the accounts that indicate that the Ambassador was built on the same mandrels and same lines as the other models because Olds had not figured out how to make them cheaper. In fact, that was one (of many) factors that led to their demise.

As far as the Ambassador stacking up against pro horns, I am not quite qualified to make a judgment based on experience. Because my skill level has not reached the point where I can fully exercise a pro horn, I cannot really tell the difference. I have played (briefly) a Bach Strad, a Yamaha Xeno, and a Cannonball and I could not tell much difference between those and my Ambassador (or, my Selmer Invicta for that matter). I guess I would be like a beginning driver trying to assess the handling differences between a Corolla and a Ferrari. In fact, after reviewing numerous threads that debate, in one way or another, the spectrum of horns from 'student' to 'intermediate' to 'pro' I have not yet found a concise, organized description of what puts any particular horn in one category or another, except for the marketing department of the manufacturer. I would be interested if someone could point to an effective dissertation on this topic.

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Come-Back Kid
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Selmer Invicta London (T)
Olds SuperStar (T)
Olds Super (2T)
Olds Special (2T+C)
Olds Ambassador (9T+7C)
Andreas Eastman (2T)
Conn Director (T+C)
King Cleveland Superior (T+C)
Holton (T602+C605 Shep Crk)
Holton Collegiate (T+C)
Blessing (T+C)
Yamaha (T+C)
Getzen 300
Amati ATR213
(+Revelle, Bundy, Alcazar, & ?)

ltg_trumpet

wow... some of those are horror stories... :(

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super collegiate tri-tone (raw brass)