Dr. T

Hello all,
I have a Meha that I got from my Dad. He bought it in the 1930s from his trumpet teacher in Manhattan and played it for years. When I started playing he gave it to me and I played it for over 30 years. I'd like to have it restored as new. Who would you guys suggest I send it to? Price is not a concern and I'm not in any rush. I've come across the name Charles Melk. Any other suggestions would be appreciated. You have a very nice forum here
Here's some pics
In the original case:

Dr. T

As an aside, here's an very old container of slide grease my Dad still had


It's still good!

Bagnewauckland

Welcome to Trumpetmaster

What needs restoring? Outwardly it looks in brilliant condition!

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Dr. T

It's in OK shape but close up there's quite a bit of wear. About 20 years ago when I got very serious with my playing, my Dad sent the horn to his friend, Marvin Stamm who took it into New York and had it gone over. Well I don't play much at this point and would like to retire the horn in pristine condition....I think my Dad would get a kick out of it too.

johnande

Beautiful horn in apparently almost "pristine" condition... IMHO (one of 13,700+ members of TM), you can have the horn restored at any time (now or in the future), but once restored it can never be returned to the "original" condition that it is in now. I would give very serious thought to having anything done to this fine instrument... JA

lakerjazz

If you want to restore it, then I've heard that Charlie Melk is well-trained and reliable. I think that when it comes to choosing between restoring a vintage horn or keeping it as is, it comes down to whether you would want to resell it. If you want to resell the horn, then don't restore it, but if you are planning to keep it, then have it restored. Who cares if it has an "original" look to it if you're not a collector? However, you don't want to change the playing characteristics of the horn, and from what I've heard, Melk makes the horn even better!

Good luck

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dizzyizzy

Charlie Melk...
Rich Ita...
Steve Winans (Dr. Valve)...

All have done restoration work for me...all three are TOPS in their field, per most of us, many more I'm sure...but these three are consistently in the top listings among us.

Dizzyizzy

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Dr. T

Thank you for the input guys. The horn has been fixed up before (re-lacquer and some small dings removed) so it's not like its the original finish. I think I'll contact Mr. Melk and arrange the work.

Trumpetesque

Dr.T, I have a similar situation. My dad gave me his New York Bach, Had some restoration work done years ago. It looked great but some things weren't done right and thus, did not play the same. My dads trumpet is currently being restored by Charlie Melk, I was fortunate enough to visit him at his shop. I am very impressed with his attention to detail and knowledge of vintage trumpets. Also his patience and willingness to listen and address all of my concerns is truly refreshing. Might be a few more weeks before it's done, but I can get back to you when I get it back.

Dr. T

I would love to hear how the restoration turns out. Please post pics!