LyndonVanwagner

Hi. I'm a new-comer to trumpetmaster; having returned to trumpet & cornet playing after 2 decades of silence. I'm currently playing in 2 community bands and at church. Last year I tracked down the family cornet that I learned to play on, and got it back. It turned out to be a 1918-ish Henri Gautier Virtuoso belonging to my uncle. I've played that for a year, but the valves are leaking so its not playing right, and was looking for a "stop-gap" horn until I could purchase the dream one (Getzen Eterna 800s).

Any way, I purchased a 1972 Besson Westminster FB from eBay for $130, and its tone is really nice. But the valves are difficult to remove - they are extremely tight, almost to the point of damaging them if I remove them. The previous owner oiled them from top & bottom without removing them. Is this normal ?

--Lyndon

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Lyndon Van Wagner
Bands:
Honeoye Falls Community Concert Band
Greece Concert Band
Henrietta Community Band
Horns:
1975 Model 37 Bach Stradivarius trumpet, MP: GR66M, Bach 3c
1918 Henri Gautier Virtuoso silver shepards crook cornet, MP: Bach 3c
1972 Besson Westminster FB silver shepards crook cornet, MP: Bach 3c
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MFfan

Shouldn't be normal, I would think. I have a Besson 8-10 trumpet from 55-60 and and 8-10 cornet from 67, both of which have easily removeable valves, in fact it is more trouble to line them up again because of the lack of definitive guides. You might want to take it to a shop for inspection, but if the horn has worked a long time as is, maybe it wouldn't be worth the trouble.

rowuk

There used to be the school of thought that you should NOT take the valves out to oil them. I think this was bad advice. The horn should come apart easily for cleaning. They were all originally built that way and if your valves have a problem, it is more likely grunge and not metal that is holding you back. If you are concerned about damage, get professional help.

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