minglis

I've jumped back into playing after 20years. Played Trumpet for 8 and now have found that Cornets are interesting. I've purchased a couple of Olds Ambassadors from the mid 50's. Also, I just picked up a Gretsch Pathfinder with a serial of 68xxx. I know that Gretsch didn't manufacture and the horn could have been made by as many as a half dozen manufactures.
Any help out there?

MFfan

No help, I'm afraid. There are not, to my knowledge, any Gretsch records from their years of selling brass instruments. I used to have a Pathfinder long cornet and wasn't able to find anything, other than comparisons to other threads and questions that turned up on them .the:entries under my HUC name, Hornman64 http://www.horn-u-copia.net/cgi-bin/...?board=Gretsch

Welcome to the forum. I agree, cornets are interesting!

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Dave Rafferty
Lemar Trumpet (peashooter-Conn?)
Lyrical Trumpet (Tokan)

Besson 609 Trumpet
1955-60 Besson 8-10 Trumpet
1948 Besson cornet
1946 King Master Cornet
www.kalamazooconcertband.org

krauseheim

Congrats on your return to playing, and your acquisition of a Gretch. I picked up an old, beat-up Gretsch Pathfinder trumpet on eBay a while back, to add to my collection of wall-hangers, i.e. trumpets better used as decor than played. Well, my regular player, a relatively new big-bore Getzen Custom, has been giving me trouble (truth... I'm losing my chops, and need an "easier" horn). So I started grabbing junkers off the wall to see if there was any help there, and wow! The Gretsch saved me. I've been using it the last month, and have a new life in terms of range, stamina and tone. Who'd a thunk it?

The horn's a mystery. It's gold-color lacquered and rather ordinary, except it's got the third valve slide on the right side instead of the left, and this slide was not built for low C#/D sharpness correction. The valve action is excellent. All four sllides are very snug and move perfectly. And it plays great. No markings on the horn other than the serial number (56363) and "Gretsch Pathfinder...Chicago/Brooklyn/U.S.A" on the bell. No foreign country stamp. If anyone knows anything about the vintage or origin, I'm all ears.

ComeBackKid

Here is a thread that coincidentally has some historical information about this brand.
http://www.trumpetmaster.com/vb/f140...tml#post460204 (My "new" Gretsch Pathfinder)

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Come-Back Kid
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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)
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