What are some horns you will never sell?

[slipmo]

I'd never part with my 1938 Conn 66H

That must be an exceptional horn! C'mon, give us a bit more...

Here's a blurb about it:
The Conn 66H is an interesting trombone. The 66H was produced from 1920 and discontinued in 1925. The specifications are .547” bore medium bass with rotary valve to F, tuning in the bell. My instrument was built in 1938-1940 and is marked 66H Spec on both the bell and slide section. The entire instrument is built from either red brass or gold brass and you will see the variations in material in the photo. The instrument is nearly identical to the Conn 88H in every way. The tuning slide, hand slide and bell taper is the same as my later examples of 88Hs (and are even interchangeable), leading me to believe that this instrument is perhaps one of the earliest examples of what would become the modern 88H. As the 88H was not produced officially until 1954, perhaps the 66H was the closest thing to these specifications in the Conn archives and this instrument was stamped as such. I also have a 14H in my collection, which is the same as a 66H but with TIS.

[Backbone]

I have some regrets... Horns I've traded and sold in the past... But now I've got some horns I'll never part with!

Do you guys have any horns you'll never sell no matter how destitute you are?

Here are my two basses I'll never sell!

The top is a Holton 169 I just picked up from Chris Stearn. (Chris the 60h is almost done!) It has an early TR180 slide and indy Brasslab valves. F/bG tuning.

The bottom is a full custom Minick bass trombone I've posted about before! J bend tuning slide, 9 1/4" Gold Brass wide throat style bell, single-bore slide. The original valves were in rough shape and I had John Sandhagen replace them with Olsen rotors! Plays like a Bach 50B and a 62H had a baby.



Granted... I might get the itch and trade the Minick one day for something equally cool but that Holton is never going away!

I'm excited to play these horns! And post about them

On that Indy-169, what main tuning slide and neck pipe out of the Gb valve was used?

[HawaiiTromboneGuy]

I was finally able to complete my set of Burbank Williams trombones the other week by purchasing the Model 7. I was always close, but was always missing one at any given time to complete the set.

[mrdeacon]

On that Indy-169, what main tuning slide and neck pipe out of the Gb valve was used?

The horn uses the original 169 tuning slide and the valve section is from a Brasslab commissioned Bach 50B valve set. I assume the neckpipe bit is a hand drawn Chuck piece. Whatever it is it plays well!

Regretablly the only "original" parts to the horn are the 169 tuning slide and 169 bell (which is actually a true 9 1/2"' bell!). The original horn was pretty trashed so the Brasslab valve section was grafted on and the handslide is from a very early TR180.

I've been told the original horn also has provenance from one of my all time favorite bass trombone players!!! Even if the provenance is incorrect I'm still estactic to own this horn. The provenance is just the cherry on top!

[harrisonreed]

My Eastlake 88HT-CL apparently. I want to. Just never seem to do it.

[Backbone]

On that Indy-169, what main tuning slide and neck pipe out of the Gb valve was used?

The horn uses the original 169 tuning slide and the valve section is from a Brasslab commissioned Bach 50B valve set. I assume the neckpipe bit is a hand drawn Chuck piece. Whatever it is it plays well!

Regretablly the only "original" parts to the horn are the 169 tuning slide and 169 bell (which is actually a true 9 1/2"' bell!). The original horn was pretty trashed so the Brasslab valve section was grafted on and the handslide is from a very early TR180.

I've been told the original horn also has provenance from one of my all time favorite bass trombone players!!! Even if the provenance is incorrect I'm still estactic to own this horn. The provenance is just the cherry on top!

Thanks for the information. I am rolling around the idea to modify my 181 with another tuning slide while changing the 'zig-zagged' neck pipe to a straight one. Just imagine the normal 181 wrap but without the dip inward coming out of the Gb valve.

[noordinaryjoe]

A Prayer:
"Lord, when I die please don't let my wife sell my trombones for what I *told* her I paid for them."

(not actually my situation, but this makes me chuckle)

[EOlson9]

Can't see myself selling my 62H with a Butler carbon slide. Also have a King 2125f I got from greenbean about a year and a half ago that is absolutely amazing sounding horn. Eventually gonna put an Olsen rotor and a bit of more open wrap on it.

[OldWetOneCanoli]

My 88H. My parents bought me this horn in H.S. It has sentimental value that I could not put a price on, and would never be realized in a sale.

[Fruitysloth]

A very close friend and near mentor of mine in college was our 2nd trumpet player in the top jazz band. He taught me about playing with attitude and owning what you knew how to play, and was so charismatic on stage. Throughout our years, I made it into the top jazz band, and later joined a funk group he was a part of. This summer, he and his wife moved to Oregon, and he had lent me his Edwards trumpet that he had as a backup. He mentioned wanting to screw around on a sousaphone, and I had purchased an old plexiglass one a few months before, and I jokingly said, "you wanna trade that Edwards for my sousa" and he got this crazy look in his eye. He said he had to make some money off the horn, otherwise his wife would kill him, so he asked for $500 and the sousa, to which I quickly agreed. It's an amazing trumpet, and several pros in the area have tried to purchase it from me, and I've always politely declined, but have offered to let them use it for a gig in the area if they'd like. It's more of the memories of that close friend that make me keep the horn, and I'm going to do everything in my power to keep it, until someone comes along who I know would embody the same things my friend embodies in his music. I'll post a pic here sometime soon!

[modelerdc]

I have a Shires vintage Elkhart with hand engraved bell which for me is just perfect. I like the X tuning slide and oddly a King 4G mouthpiece. My favorite bass is a Shires Q with rotors, yellow bell and a custom C tuning slide. The only horn I used to have and regret selling is a Conn Greenhoe 62H, if I ever come by another I won’t let it go!

[HermanGerman]

The last horn I bought...until I buy a new one.

[Pezza]

My grandfathers old Buescher Truetone. Too small for me, & doesn't really blend with modern horns, but it'll never go.
Also my King 5B. Due to medical reasons it's the only trom that works for me on bass. Unless I can somehow get my hands on a Bach 45!

[CarlVicVogel]

My silver plate Bach 42BO (early production) is one I would never sell. it's easy to play and has a rather bright sound for a 42. It just fits me and my personality.

However, it's slightly newer brother, a Bach 42BO in lacquer will probably be sold some day. It's plays very open with a huge sound! But, at my age and and the venues I play in, it can become overkill. A perfect Mahler horn that received excellent reviews from my son's music conservatory professor. I swear it plays as open as my bass trombone!

[Cotboneman]

The horn that I am certain I will never sell is my Getzen 1062FD dependent bass, purchased way back in 1998. It was my principal horn for almost 22 years, until I retired it to backup status, replacing it with my Bach 50AF3. My Getzen was becoming someone long in the tooth, with noisy linkages, acid bleed under the lacquer in some spots, no lacquer in other places, a stress cracked main tuning slide, and chrome plating wear on the main slide near the stockings. Not to mention 20 plus years of mute dings. But the horn had such great focused tone, as well as terrific response that I opted to save it rather than sell it. I had Jim Huwe at Ward-Brodt music in Wisconsin correct all of the problems, then strip the finish and re-finish in brushed satin. It came out beautifully. It has become my permanent backup. It's at home on pops concerts for sure, or when the other players in the orchestra section are not playing their Bach large bores.

[Sander]

So, I've been able to buy a 48H Connstellation around 2 years ago.
Battered slide, with wear on the inners. But plays a dream, super smooth and super clear sound.

Even the 48H I've bought in showroom state a year after didn't play as well and I've parted with that already again.

Also my Rath R2 with redbrass bell is staying to never leave. (unless a ridiculous offer comes by)

Next to that my beater sousaphone, a Conn 36k, worn and repaired with some boat grade fiberglass. Nobody will ever pay for that thing what I've put in or had joy of, so that's staying as well.

The rest, I can't imagine cramping to hold on to for the rest of my life tbh

[jsimmon]

I have a 1932 Conn 44H all original - mouthpiece - case - even has orig. cleaning rod and lyre - fantastic art deco engraving with the satyr - it has really modern features for its day - like bell and slide locks - in bell tuning and full rounded crooks - it's really heavy but that being said it plays really well - I'll have to pass that one on to someone who cares !

[haoscv]

Probably my sousaphone and euphonium!

Got such a killer deal that will never come up again.

On the fence about my YBL-822G, need to play in an ensemble with it to figure out if I like it or not.

[Macbone1]

I'm open minded on all of them (money talks!) but it would be hard to part with my King Jiggs Whigham 2B. So well made and such fun to play. Jiggs really got King to make something special.

Another related and interesting thread could be horns that just WON'T sell even though they are in excellent condition and play well. I could add to THAT discussion.

[MBone1968]

AWESOME !!! I thought I was only one with a 20H with a 2B Slide Crook put on it! The 20H is a real steal for the money if you can find one.