Brian H. Smout

Hi All,

Near 30 years ago I bought a new cornet a King Opus 7 and played it for a couple of years until Benge produced the 8Z. As I already had invested in a Benge 3x+ and a 3FL flugelhorn I had to round out the set - at least that's what my then gullible wife was led to believe. So a friend got interested in cornet solos and bought my "old" King. For some reason I missed the horn even though I loved my Benge. I recently went back to my hometown and gave my friend a call as I had not seen him in years. Turns out he never played the "old" King very much and it was dust collecting in the closet! I bought it back in an eyeblink - dirty with frozen slides, a mute ping in the bell and some cosmetic scratches. Got it home and plugged in a Curry 3VC - Oh My!!!!! I remember why I missed this horn. Easy blow with a clear sweet tone - MMMMMMMMMM!

Its scheduled to go to the tech to get it fully functional and I can't wait. This is actually better than when I bought it new. Any one else had a prodigal horn return to be loved and cherished?

Cheers,

Brian

Dale Proctor

Not exactly, but I played an early 60's Conn 6B Victor trumpet in high school and college. After a 5-year layoff after college, I joined a community band, practiced hard for a few years, auditioned for and made the local symphony. Now, I couldn't play an old Conn in the symphony, right? So I sold it and bought a Bach Strad (which I still have - a very nice horn). A few years later, I began to regret selling the Conn, but I had no idea who I sold it to. I decided to try to find another one on eBay and did this year, 20+ years after I sold mine. Exactly like my old one, even with the same case, and it plays like a dream, even better than I remembered. So, I didn't get MY old trumpet back, but one just like it. It's a beauty.