brendan

hey everyone,

okay, here's the deal. i just got a king super 20 silver sonic in REALLY rough shape.

truth be told, i got it for $50 canadian, and was planning on using it as a beater horn, but once i got it home an cleaned it up a bit i realized it's value.

anyways, i need some reccomendations on where to go to get it restored, its in HORRIBLE shape, burn marks, giant gobs of solder, and a really small hole in the 2nd valve slide, just enough to make it a bit wispy with the valve depressed.

i think i kind of owe it to the horn to give it as close to a full resoration as i can, though.

anyone know a good tumpet tech in the toronto, ontario area?

thanks in advance

Solar Bell

I have become a believer in FIRST CLASS BRASS.

If you can manage, and have the time, drop a line to Leigh McKinney.

www.firstclassbrassltd.co.uk/

Yep, Leigh fom Eclispe Trumpets.

His first business was complete restorations of brass instruments.

-cw-

Tootsall

I can also second Leigh McKinney without hesitation or reservation but you have a rather costly shipping situation to go "out of country", especially to England. If you do want "none better" however, send me a note and I can tell you what Leigh did for one of my horns and send you a link to another total restoration job.

However... you did say "Toronto" so check your private messages.

brendan

first off i ust want to find out if it's repairable. the hole in the 2nd valve slide worries me.

thanks for all the help though, i really appreciate it. i'll post some before and after pictures, and hopefully will have a wicked trumpet rescue story out of all this.

nieuwguyski

My Conn 80A Victor had a leak in the 2nd valve crook (as well as other problems). I had the horn refurbished to tip-top playing condition, and the leaking crook was neatly repaired with a strip of sterling silver, curved and shaped to wrap around the end of the crook. The work was done by The Brass Bow, back when Wayne Tanabe was the owner. I haven't heard about the quality of their repair work since Wayne left.

Dave Mickley

get ahold of Charlie Melk, he rebuilt my wife's 1930's Silvertone Cornet. He was very fair on the price and did a great job. Dave

brian moon

Ron Partch Brasswind Services, 849 Bloor Street West Toronto, ON M6G 1M3, Ron Partch, 416-516-3883

tom turner

Hi,

All the names mentioned above are good ones. Robb Stewart, in California and Rich Ita near Atlanta are also very good . . . and both are experts in vintage horn restoration.

That being said here's another suggestion that will have much better results . . . and be cheaper.

I'd recommend using your King for the purpose you bought it for . . . and find a pristine Silversonic on eBay. There are a LOT of nice ones that show up on a continual basis that do not need much done to them.

A pristine vintage specimen would simply need new valve felts, spit valve corks, a couple of minor dents removed and a possible chem-clean (about $100).

However, the one you own is quite beat up . . . usually indicative of a very, very rough life in the hands of several young students who passed it, one to the other. It would need the expense I listed above PLUS . . .

Probable Valve rebuild: $200-$350
Refinishing the lacquer $350+
Major dent removals $75+
Possible eplacement of several parts $???

Also, when buffing out the imperfections on the beater during refinishing, lots of engraving detail will probably be lost. Gone will be the crisp King engravings and they'll no longer be crisp. Instead, they will be faint and look "melted."

Most collectors want pristine horns with crisp engravings and an original, like new finish. There ARE horns out there that will fit that bill.

A pristine specimen may cost you $350-$500 . . . possibly more . . . but this is FAR LESS than trying to repair that beater!

In the long and short run, you'll save lots of money . . . and have a much better horn, if you consider following my suggestions. Restoring a beat up horn vs. finding a pristine one is a lot like restoring a beat up junkyard car vs. finding a low miles car that is/was always garaged and only owned by a careful adult.

Also, like a well maintained, low miles vintage car . . . the pristine horn will "drive" like a new one . . . and the beater will probably never come up to that level of fine playability, no matter how much money you throw at it.

Food for thought . . . from someone who had to learn it the hard way!

Sincerely,

Tom Turner

PS: Here's a pristine Silvertone, from the www.vintagecornets.com website, a website I highly recommend for you to check out:

brendan

thanks for the advice, and thanks for all the help everyone

i'm bringing it by ron partch's tomorrow, i'm still going to at least investigate, as the only things i really want to get done are dent removal, resoldering the braces, fixing that 2nd valve slide and general setup. if i can get that done and come in under a couple hundred, i'm really happy.

the valves are actually PERFECT on it. they feel as good as any i've ever played. and i'm not going to bother relaquering since it's mostly sterling silver anyway and the parts that aren't look great the way they are(except for the odd burn mark). hehe.

brian moon

If anyone wants one in excellent condition I have one for $750.

Silversonic trupet, that is.