Peter McNeill

I think it was a while back, and as stated in the thread he had family issues, and moved locations. In any case he now has a 100% ebay rating with over 1880 tranactions. I do not know the guy, but having just bought one of these horns, I reckon he does great work. Mine is a 1968 Ambassador, and a new bag with a Jet-tone studio mpce, for a great price. No issues with playing.

And hey, if you want a Stad, this is not a Stad. But it is a nice honest heavy horn, open all through the registers. The Looks: well it fits with my trumpet family very well.

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

tedh1951

So Peter, despite all we naysayers, positives all round then, eh? You lucky duck. (I was gunna say "You Jammy Basta*d" but I thought Messrs Moderators might wack me with a stick, figuratively speaking).

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Ted

Peter McNeill

Perhaps a good flogging with a feather is warranted..

And Ted, yeah I am happy with it. I have shared it around with a couple of players over the last few days, and pretty good comments. I played it at a rehersal today (and didn't take a spare horn), and it plays well. I would normally play a Strad at any gig (Blends better for the section.

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

Peter McNeill

Just a final follow-up on this horn... (after the honeymoon PERIOD)

It is a great re-condition job, and well worth the money. This Ambassador is a really pleasant surprise. It plays well with no obvious issues, and is built like a tank; valves are great. The reputation is well earned.

I am happy with it, and would recommend it (perhaps the Honeymoon will be a long marriage). Hard to go past for a good, reliable solid build, or even a nifty looking Jazz horn. The Bling look suits me, and the vintage is attractive.
Cheers

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

ComeBackKid

Peter,
Thanks for the update. I'm sure I speak for most of us here in saying that I am very happy that it worked out well. It is a beautiful piece and it doesn't hurt that it plays well, too.

As I read back over the postings in this thread from the beginning, it brought back a key question that was touched on several times by various posters. That is, what is the difference between the sound of an Ambassador and a Bach Strad? In your quote above, you indicate that the Bach blends better. Does this mean that other horns in your section are also Bach? Does this have to do with the mouthpiece that you are using? As I mentioned in my earlier post in this thread, I still do not know what makes a "Pro horn" different. This is especially true when it comes to the Ambassador since it was quite thoroughly evidenced that the Ambassador was fundamentally built the same as the Olds pro horns (Mendez, etc). Since you are in as good a position as anyone here to address that issue, what do you think the difference really is? Or is it all just marketing hype and personal preference in the end?

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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, & ?)

stumac

Hi ComeBack,

I have recently purchased a 1968 Mendez for restoration and when I finish it I will compare with Peter's Ambassador, (we play in the same band ).

Regards, Stuart

ComeBackKid

Stuart,
Thanks. That would be valuable input. I have 10 Olds horns but have never seen a Mendez and have always wondered if it stacks up against what others seem to think are the true world-class trumpets.

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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, & ?)

A.N.A. Mendez

Nah......They suck........

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(Above) Alexanders ragtime band-circa 1960

"Baby, I'm already the coolest, and the hippist, now you want me to be on time too?" Buddy Love

"We appointed all our worst generals to command our armies, and our best generals to edit our newspapers." Robert E. Lee

Peter McNeill

Hi Come-Back Kid,
That's a good Question:

Firstly, I am looking forward to a comparison with Stuart's Mendez. That should be a good exercise, and BTW Stuart has a lovely set of wonderful horns.

Secondly, there has been a lot of opinions from better players about section sounds, and that it does not matter about the brand in the hand.

IMO I can only use my experiences, and the best gigs played in (blended section) have been where the whole section had Bach Strads. It was not just the group that noticed the better sound, but the audience as well. In particular there is a Concert Band that I play in, and various horns used by each player. What usually happens now is we front up with Strads for important gigs. This has not been a group decision, no discussion on it, we just do it. We notice it sounds better.

Does that mean any other horn mix sounds bad? No. But for some reason it just sounds better, and blends better. It also depends on the sound desired. I personnally like the MF horn ST302, and enjoy playing it, but it does power over the group. Other horns seem to cut through, or have an edge sound.

The usual performance hardware in this group is:
Chair 1: Strad 43 Schilke 14a4x
Chair 2: Strad 37 Bach 7C
Chair 3: Strad 37 Asymmetric Lead
Chair 4: Strad 37 Bach 3C

We have another Chair 1 player who only plays occasionally due to work commitments, but he uses a Strad 37 Gold with a Kelly Screamer. There is a mix of horns usually for rehersals, and on the odd occasion we had a fully Bach line up, it the better sound is noticeable as well. I am sure the mouthpieces would contribute more to sound variations than the horns.

I am not saying that there is any bad problems with other horns, or the band sounds bad. That would not be true. The Strad line-up just sounds better in this Concert Band.
There are other horns used, Bach TR300, Yamaha, Benge, Olds, Conn and all play well.

I am not saying that all musical settings require Strads, that is just silly. There are plenty of great horns, and great players that create great music together. It does depend on the sound needed, sound intended, and listening to others in the group.

BTW my favourite horn in a BG Chinese horn (clone of a James Morrison - rose bell).
Anyway, it's my 2 cents worth.

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

Vulgano Brother

The Mendez was a copy of the French Besson, which back in the day wasn't just world-class, it was the world! Every major maker owes their lineage to the Besson! Has the world moved on? Yeah, but not that much. If you can grab a Mendez, do so. If not, well, the world has moved on.

Have fun!

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www.letsbuildhope.org