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no name cornet in for repairs.
Aug. 9th, 2012 09:11 amI sent this guy in for some repairs and maintenance. It's a cornet I bought off eBay by an unknown maker. The seller was in the UK. I like it very much, it has an unusual shape, but it was in bad condition when it arrived. I had to get some major krinkles out of the bell tube where it looked like somebody had compressed it like a bendy straw. It probably dates from around 1910-1920, but I don't know for sure.
The case is made of pine and is coffin shaped, the horn slips down into the green felt lined case bottom first with the front end to the left and the bell to the right, and there is a small moulding along the bottom edge of the lid, with the case corners having dovetail joints - very modest but much appreciated by a woodworker like myself. It was painted brown when I got it and I sanded off (most, not all) the paint to show off the joinery. It has a nice little skeleton key and a keyhole in the front.
This time in, I am going to have a complete cleaning done, which includes all new corks and felts, and a good inspection for any leaks. The valves are worn and could use some expensive work although the horn still has some compression which one can demonstrate by the popping sound when pulling out the tuning slides quickly - the valve job can wait. I didn't pay much for this baby, and although fun to play, it isn't that good of an instrument: beauty is in the eye of the beholder sort of thing.
The narrow pipe that inserts between the mouthpiece and the horn - the lead pipe, is a little too long and the repair people said it is probably an A pipe rather than a B flat, so the horn plays a little bit flat. Old horns like this one came with extra crooks and lead pipes so they could transpose themselves into the pitch that the music was written in. Now in modern horns, one buys separate instruments if parts are written in different pitches - the standard for trumpets and cornets is B flat, but in classical music, C trumpets and cornets are often the standard. The excellent repair person Rachael (she knows several of my antique music reliquaries) can make a new B flat lead pipe for $175.; I'll think about it. I only ever play this instrument at home and alone for my own pleasure, thus, the pitch is irrelevant; plus, I am excellent at transposing into any key by ear, so... to bad Rachael.
On this horn, I like to play Baroque classical stuff like Handel and Bach. It has a narrow bore, and so is agile and light which one needs for that kind of music. Anyway, so much for Cornet Appreciation 101. I probably can pick up my refurbished beauty in SF at Union Music in a few days.
The case is made of pine and is coffin shaped, the horn slips down into the green felt lined case bottom first with the front end to the left and the bell to the right, and there is a small moulding along the bottom edge of the lid, with the case corners having dovetail joints - very modest but much appreciated by a woodworker like myself. It was painted brown when I got it and I sanded off (most, not all) the paint to show off the joinery. It has a nice little skeleton key and a keyhole in the front.
This time in, I am going to have a complete cleaning done, which includes all new corks and felts, and a good inspection for any leaks. The valves are worn and could use some expensive work although the horn still has some compression which one can demonstrate by the popping sound when pulling out the tuning slides quickly - the valve job can wait. I didn't pay much for this baby, and although fun to play, it isn't that good of an instrument: beauty is in the eye of the beholder sort of thing.
The narrow pipe that inserts between the mouthpiece and the horn - the lead pipe, is a little too long and the repair people said it is probably an A pipe rather than a B flat, so the horn plays a little bit flat. Old horns like this one came with extra crooks and lead pipes so they could transpose themselves into the pitch that the music was written in. Now in modern horns, one buys separate instruments if parts are written in different pitches - the standard for trumpets and cornets is B flat, but in classical music, C trumpets and cornets are often the standard. The excellent repair person Rachael (she knows several of my antique music reliquaries) can make a new B flat lead pipe for $175.; I'll think about it. I only ever play this instrument at home and alone for my own pleasure, thus, the pitch is irrelevant; plus, I am excellent at transposing into any key by ear, so... to bad Rachael.
On this horn, I like to play Baroque classical stuff like Handel and Bach. It has a narrow bore, and so is agile and light which one needs for that kind of music. Anyway, so much for Cornet Appreciation 101. I probably can pick up my refurbished beauty in SF at Union Music in a few days.