Trumpet playing husband needs left handed trumpet that doesn't cost an arm and a leg....any help?

Nope, its gonna cost at least one leg and possibly two arms for a trumpet like that.
Seriously, I know of no such device. I use my left hand for the valves and have no problems. I also use my right hand and occasionally play it upside down (a Clark Terry trick I learned off of him years ago).

The cheapest approach would be to have a repair tech solder a pinky ring on the bell.

Thanks guys, having just seen ANA Mendez's photos, I just figured that out......how stupid am I? (rhetorical question) Just because someone suggested that I look to buy a "left-handed" trumpet I idiotically went along....hmmmmm. Thanks though, at least I am not a fool forever (in this regard anyway!)

There's nothing stupid about your original question. True, mirror-image trumpets for left-handed playing have been made in the past and are still made today:

Forum: trumpetherald.com

And Bach still advertises "left-hand design" in their catalog, as a special order:

http://www.bachbrass.com/pdf/STRADTRP.PDF

The mention of left-hand design is on page 28, under "Miscellaneous."

It's just that those options would be expensive, and likely time-consuming.

I can't get that link to work.

I once had a student that had his trumpet temporarily converted to be played left handed. Putting a hook or ring on the bell is pretty easy. He had to do it because of an accident that severed a bunch of tendons in his hand and took a couple months to recover from.

I would think reconfiguring the valves to have everything on the opposite side would cost a good bit and not something a big manufacturer would want to do often.

I am curious to see the Bach option for my future reference for students.

Maybe one of these would be an interesting solution:
Shuman Angel

Olds Pinto (unique modular trumpet): HornTrader
I'm not sure if they would work, but they might be able to be put into a configuration that would suit your needs.

Conn-Selmer redesigned the site, breaking the link. Doesn't matter -- it appears that they've officially discontinued the left-hand design option.

Eclipse now offers left-handed trumpets and cornets, though it's a pricey option:

Eclipse Trumpets, Features: Left handed instruments

I have an inexpensive alternative to suggest.

Buescher, from 1935 to 1955 (more or less), made trumpets that had all of the valve slides on the same side.

That means, of course, that the tuning slide enters on the "other" side.

I should be relatively easy to take the valve block, flip it around, reposition the first and third valve slides, and reverse the bell and lower tube for the tuning slide.

I suggest the lesser-cost horns "Elkart 'Built by Buescher'" for this.

Never done it of course but it shouldn't be too difficult.

Tom

Originally Posted by VetPsychWars

I have an inexpensive alternative to suggest.

Buescher, from 1935 to 1955 (more or less), made trumpets that had all of the valve slides on the same side.

That means, of course, that the tuning slide enters on the "other" side.

I should be relatively easy to take the valve block, flip it around, reposition the first and third valve slides, and reverse the bell and lower tube for the tuning slide.

I suggest the lesser-cost horns "Elkart 'Built by Buescher'" for this.

Never done it of course but it shouldn't be too difficult.

Tom

Tom,

I went back and found pictures of your Bueschers, and there's a problem with this plan. The bell "outlet" in the first valve is lower down the valve casing than the leadpipe "inlet" on the third valve. This means the tuning slide is bent tighter than the bell. If you tried reversing everything, the leadpipe would mount very low on the left side of the valves, and the bell would stick up above the valves on the right side.