I Can't Believe I Bought Another Horn.

[channimal]

DW is a dental hygienist and says Biotene is the real deal and works. Dry mouth is a bad thing and can lead to bacteria that would advance tooth decay. Biotene is your friend

Regarding baking soda... she says to be extremely careful with the amount you use. The problem is its abrasiveness and can damage enamel. Despite all of the horrible commercials that tout certain brands of toothpaste able to "rebuild enamel".. it's a falsehood. When enamel is gone.. it's gone for good. No getting it back. If you have problems with staining, better to ask your dentist for whitening trays. These are trays that are custom molded (from an impression of your mouth) and can be filled with a solution that will aid in whitening. They are also made to help lessen the impact of teeth-grinding while sleeping.

Interesting. I wondered about using Biotene to increase the moisture in the mouth. DW is the resident hornist here, not me, but find that at night my head fills with ..... stuff... and I end up mouth breathing and it becomes as dry as the Sahairy Desert. The aforementioned Biotene is said to increase mouth moisture better than water, but at just a bit under $20 for not very much, I was going to let someone else try it and report back before I made the outlay.

I always liked the way I perceived that the baking soda toothpaste cleaned and left my teeth feeling, and never noticed any chapping, but my musical talent is pretty much limited to tuning the radio and singing in the shower.

So it goes.

Jim

 

[AwayWeGo]

Quinn The Eskimo.

I bought a trombone on ebay today. I got it from quinn the eskimo; any experience wirh him?

As it happens, I just recently sold Quinn The Eskimo a French Horn Rescue Elkhart Conn 8D via eBay -- shipped it out yesterday.

I have sent in losing bids on plenty of Quinn The Eskimo's eBay offerings, but I have not (yet) bought any of his inventory.

It's surprising to me that a horn flipper like Quinn The Eskimo sprang for my "rescue" French horn. The price he paid doesn't leave much margin for reflipping far as I can see, although some of those classic Elkhart 8D "Connstellation" French horns have sold for a pretty penny.

I bought the "rescue" horn in terrible condition off Craig's List, got it totally repaired functionally (but not refinished for looks), & marked it up appropriately for my eBay starting bid amount. Quinn The Eskimo sniped in with 4 seconds left in the auction, overtopping 4 earlier bids from other people.

I noticed that Quinn The Eskimo buys instruments using a different eBay user name from the 1 he uses for selling -- not that there's anything wrong with that.

Meanwhile, not only did I flip my French Horn Rescue Elkhart Conn 8D, I also sold my previously flip-resistant Yamaha YHR-321 Bb single horn that I've been trying to sell for months & months.

With those 2 instruments out of here, today is French horn photography day. I'll be taking pictures of my remaining Yamaha YHR-321. Even though it looks just like the 1 that sold, I won't feel right re-using the old eBay pictures. I'm also going to snap digital pix of a very nice Selmer USA double horn that by sheerest coincidence I picked up all fixed from the instrument repair technician the same day I shipped out the "rescue" 8D & the YHR-321.

Is this a great country or what ?

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[wackymother]

DW is a dental hygienist and says Biotene is the real deal and works. Dry mouth is a bad thing and can lead to bacteria that would advance tooth decay. Biotene is your friend

Off topic a bit, but if you want to try Biotene, ask your dentist for a sample. I had my teeth cleaned the other day and asked the hygienist about Biotene, and she put a couple of small bottles in my party bag.

 

[channimal]

Off topic a bit, but if you want to try Biotene, ask your dentist for a sample. I had my teeth cleaned the other day and asked the hygienist about Biotene, and she put a couple of small bottles in my party bag.

hehe.. not just Biotene but toothpaste, toothbrushes, tongue cleaner, floss, etc. Don't be afraid to ask for samples. DW loves handing them out.

 

[AwayWeGo]

Horn Buyer Regret.

Holton-Farkas clone is flipped. Out of here. Gone.

I am virtually certain I saw that very same horn for sale on eBay and Craig's List recently.

Not a horn just like that, but that particular specific Holton-Farkas clone -- the very same instrument that I flipped.

What convinces me it's the same horn is the seller's location. Even though I advertised the horn on Craig's List in my own locality, the buyer found it & made arrangements to come here to see it from his home 900+ miles away. (They were traveling to the area anyway & added horn shopping to their trip.) They liked the instrument & bought it & thanked me & headed back with the horn.

Now, just a few weeks later, the new owner has the horn for sale again. My buyer's location is shown as the eBay seller's location. His Craig's List ad is on the Craig's List section covering his locality.

The horn is not unique, but so few of'm out are out there that there's little chance the one on eBay & Craig's List from their locality could be some different copy of that model.

So it goes.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[wackymother]

I am virtually certain I saw that very same horn for sale on eBay and Craig's List recently.

Not a horn just like that, but that particular specific Holton-Farkas clone -- the very same instrument that I flipped.

What convinces me it's the same horn is the seller's location. Even though I advertised the horn on Craig's List in my own locality, the buyer found it & made arrangements to come here to see it from his home 900+ miles away. (They were traveling to the area anyway & added horn shopping to their trip.) They liked the instrument & bought it & thanked me & headed back with the horn.

Now, just a few weeks later, the new owner has the horn for sale again. My buyer's location is shown as the eBay seller's location. His Craig's List ad is on the Craig's List section covering his locality.

The horn is not unique, but so few of'm out are out there that there's little chance the one on eBay & Craig's List from their locality could be some different copy of that model.

So it goes.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

He's a horn flipper,too? Are there a lot of you guys out there?

 

[timeos2]

hehe.. not just Biotene but toothpaste, toothbrushes, tongue cleaner, floss, etc. Don't be afraid to ask for samples. DW loves handing them out.

I got a couple of those too. Biotene isn't inexpensive but does seem to help with dry mouth.

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

Cool.

What's the web site for plastic flutes ?

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

This place sells them 18 to the box - less than $10 for the whole box. In the original packaging and unopened.

 

[AwayWeGo]

No Flipping Margin On That Horn.

He's a horn flipper,too? Are there a lot of you guys out there?

I don't think he's flipping. I think the horn player in that family changed his mind & wanted a different horn, & so they decided to resell the 1 they got from me.

If their horn sells on eBay, they'll recoup most (after fees) of what they paid me. If it sells on Craig's List, they'll just about break even, not counting what it cost them to travel 900+ miles & back.

I have seen a few of those horns on eBay offered at $500 or so above what I got for selling mine. Only reason I got mine cheap enough to flip is that the person I bought it from goofed up the eBay listing -- spelled the maker's name wrong & gave too little information for non-savvy bidders to recognize what was being offered for sale.

I claim reasonably good horn savvy -- better than most & plenty good enough for eBay & Craig's List purposes. That's why I was able to snag the horn for a ridiculous amount that left a reasonable margin for flipping.

I lose most eBay bids. And not all my Craig's List offers are accepted. Horn flippers got to be choosy -- & cheap.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[AwayWeGo]

Go Whistle.

This place sells them 18 to the box - less than $10 for the whole box. In the original packaging and unopened.

Yeh -- but the ones that come 18 to the box are not the real deal.

By contrast, the plastic trumpets, trombones, & flutes previously mentioned are authentic musical instruments (entry-level versions) rather than toys or party favors.

( Not that there's anything wrong with toys & party favors. )

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[Mamianka]

Yeh -- but the ones that come 18 to the box are not the real deal.

By contrast, the plastic trumpets, trombones, & flutes previously mentioned are authentic musical instruments (entry-level versions) rather than toys or party favors.

( Not that there's anything wrong with toys & party favors. )

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

I am a professional flutist and flute teacher. I got one of these last year on a pre-convention trail price - and son of a gun - they play! Not any comparison with a concert instrument - but if I had to take a ong vacation on a boat or in the tropics, and just wanted to keep my lips in shape - not bad. (Action on these would do my fingers no service - spongy, slower in milliseconds than my concert instrument. If it was the SAME - i could have saved ten grand.) If I got hired to play a wedding on a beach - not bad. There are higher-level plastic (resin, Grenaditte, etc.) flutes and piccolo, many by fine makers, that replace wooden bodies - concert piccolos, marhcing piccolos, flute that replace ancient-system historical-style flute, plastic contemporary flute ins wacky colors (not to be confused whit the spray-painted pot-metal trash). Many fo these have totally waterproof pads - a great boon to anyone who has to play in wet conditions. I have had a few students get GUO piccolos ($700) for marching - they hold up great, are sweet enough for concert use, too (as opposed to a metal piccolo, good for military or cicus use - and will cause you and your bandmates to bleed form the ears . . ) So for fun - and $200 - you can have one of the Nuvo cuties. They also make a C clarinet, for you single-reed players out there.

http://www.nuvo-instrumental.com/index.php?route=products/flute_specs

Mamianka

 

[JudyH]

deleted...

 

[AwayWeGo]

Lightning Strikes Again.

The FedEx Ground truck pulled up in the circle this morning, as expected. Inside the big carton left by the front door was the wrong horn. Sheesh.

When I called the eBay seller to complain that the wrong horn had just been delivered, he said he was expecting my call because the buyer of the King single horn had already called saying he received my Amati double horn by mistake yesterday.

So, the seller said he is going to E-Mail me his FedEx Ground account information plus the name & address of the guy who bought the King single horn. That way the King can go straight to its intended destination without detouring back through Lubbock TX.

Presumably something similar will be worked out at the other end to redirect the wayward Amati double horn to me. We'll see.

Oh, the eBay seller also said he'll refund the shipping cost I paid, just to compensate for the mix-up. We'll see about that too, eh?

This time, it's not the wrong horn, its no horn. The seller mistakenly sent my horn to somebody else, without sending somebody else's horn to me.

The seller fessed up that he was tardy in sending out the eBay horn I bought, but he claimed to be perplexed by my reporting non-delivery to eBay, because he said USPS reported that the item had been delivered.

It was delivered all right, but not to me. Seller said he soon got a query from a 3rd party asking why seller had sent him a French horn.

Seller now sez he will pay for the 3rd party to send the horn to me. I expect that will happen in the fullness of time, but I am not waiting on pins & needles for the delivery. The horn will get here when it gets here -- if it gets here. Time will tell.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[AwayWeGo]

Just In Case.

This time, it's not the wrong horn, its no horn. The seller mistakenly sent my horn to somebody else, without sending somebody else's horn to me.

The seller fessed up that he was tardy in sending out the eBay horn I bought, but he claimed to be perplexed by my reporting non-delivery to eBay, because he said USPS reported that the item had been delivered.

It was delivered all right, but not to me. Seller said he soon got a query from a 3rd party asking why seller had sent him a French horn.

Seller now sez he will pay for the 3rd party to send the horn to me. I expect that will happen in the fullness of time, but I am not waiting on pins & needles for the delivery. The horn will get here when it gets here -- if it gets here. Time will tell.

Horn not yet delivered. eBay "case" is open -- closes automatically in a couple of days unless I "escalate." If horn is not delivered by Tuesday, I will "escalate" Wednesday. I'd rather receive the horn than get a refund, but I will accept refund if horn is lost irretrievably.

Meanwhile, I bought two ( -- 2 -- ) Craig's List hardshell carrying cases for French horns -- no horns, just 2 carrying cases. No immediate need for'm, but they'll be useful in case I snag any more caseless horns via eBay. Being willing to buy horns without cases is a bidding advantage over eBay customers who only want horns that already have carrying cases. (Ditto horns without mouthpieces -- & as it happens I also have a cigar boxful of extra French horn mouthpieces.)

The undelivered eBay horn has no case -- 1 reason my low bid amount won.

Horn flipping has taken on a life of its own. Who'd a-thunk ?

Update: My patience with the undelivered horn ran out last night, so I "escalated" the case to eBay's customer service department. By E-Mail this morning, eBay notified me that they decided the case in my favor & I'm getting a full refund (purchase price plus shipping charge). That's OK, but I would have preferred receiving the horn. Meanwhile, I won the eBay bidding on another caseless double horn, so the hornless cases will not go unused.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[pedro47]

To the OP I just order another camera that is now nine in my collections. To the OP just sit back and enjoy your horns.

 

[AwayWeGo]

Snagged, Fixed, Cased, & Flipped.

I bought two ( -- 2 -- ) Craig's List hardshell carrying cases for French horns -- no horns, just 2 carrying cases. No immediate need for'm, but they'll be useful in case I snag any more caseless horns via eBay.

The caseless eBay horn that got lost is still lost. Too bad.

Meanwhile, I snagged another eBay horn that was also in need of a carrying case, a King (Cleveland) double horn in F & Bb. It also needed $125 worth of repairs -- mainly dent removal, now completed.

One of the Craig's List horn cases turned out to be a good fit for the King double horn.

After photographing the nicely repaired horn in & out of its Pro-Tec carrying case, I put it on Craig's List. Before long a mother & horn-playing son showed up to see the instrument. The son tried it & liked it. The mom made an offer close to the asking price & a deal was made -- another successful installment in the French Horn Rescue saga.

Is this a great country or what ?

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[AwayWeGo]

Bought Another eBay French Horn -- Premeditated Purchase This Time.

After successfully flipping my entire inventory of non-keeper horns, I made an offer on an attractive & unusual eBay horn, described by the seller (a brass instrument maker & professional repair technician) as a pro-conversion of Conn 6D.

When C.G. Conn introduced model 6D to its French horn catalog way back in the 1920s or so, 6D was the company's top-line professional horn. Years later, Conn added the famous 8D "Connstellation" model as its top professional French horn, thereafter marketing "Artist" model 6D horns as student-line instruments.

Well. If 6D was a professional-quality horn before the introduction of 8D, then it should still be professional quality afterward. That is, nothing about the addition of Conn 8D to the catalog automatically degraded the sound quality & playing characteristics, etc., of Conn 6D. If they were good before 8D came out (& they were), then they're still good now.

So when eBay seller Lanstro offered a Conn 6D pro-conversion via Buy It Now Or Make Offer, I sent in an offer -- lowball -- which got turned down in a flash.

I waited a few days, then upped my offer by $100. That got me a counteroffer from the seller that was $150 higher than my 2nd offer -- still too rich for my blood (at the time).

But after flipping my last remaining French Horn Rescue instrument, I reconsidered. The money was about to burn a hole in my pocket, so I accepted the seller's counteroffer before it expired & paid instantly via PayPal. Instead of paying for shipping, I arranged to pick up the Conn 6D pro-conversion at the seller's Orlando FL workshop in person when I'm in the Sunshine State next week.

Over the years I have bought & played & flipped so many Conn 6Ds that I can't even remember all of'm. I'm looking forward with enthusiasm to playing one now that's been professionally customized & reconfigured as a professional-level instrument.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[AwayWeGo]

Upscale Horn Resold. Buyer Regret Resolved.

I think the horn player in that family changed his mind & wanted a different horn, & so they decided to resell the 1 they got from me.

If their horn sells on eBay, they'll recoup most (after fees) of what they paid me. If it sells on Craig's List, they'll just about break even, not counting what it cost them to travel 900+ miles & back.

After months on eBay & Craig's List, the unwanted horn that those folks bought from me has sold. Their completed eBay listing indicated that an offer had been accepted. I hope they got big bux for the horn.

Plus, it's no longer on Craig's List. Last time I saw that horn on Craig's List, there was a notation that the horn player in the family had moved on to other activities.

I'm glad. I don't like to see folks stuck with pricey items they don't want -- timeshares & French horns mox nix.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[AwayWeGo]

Flipping Or Flopping ?

Until lately, the rescued & repaired horns around here have been selling just about as fast as I've been listing'm on eBay or Craig's List or both.

Now I'm backlogged with three -- 3 -- outstanding French Horn Rescue Conn 6D clones, 1 by York (Grand Rapids, Michigan) + 1 by Buescher (Elkhart, Indiana) + 1 by Anborg (Como, Italy).

After expert repairs, done locally by an experienced brass instrument technician, all 3 Conn 6D clones play great. Plus, they all look OK -- no dents. All 3 have sturdy & functional carrying cases -- 2 with replacement latches from the hardware store & 1 case heavily reinforced by Gorilla Tape.

Flipping horns via Craig's List is preferable to eBay. Not only do local, in-person sales avoid eBay fees & PayPal charges, they also give prospective buyers the opportunity to check things out & noodle around on the horns before buying. Plus, selling horns in person means not having to box'm up for shipping via FedEx Ground or UPS or USPS -- a big plus.

I have not concluded that my outstanding Anborg & Buescher & York clones of Conn 6D are flip-resistant -- not yet. It may just be that the moms & dads out there in Craig's List Land are waiting for school to start in the fall before searching out French horns for junior & sis to play in school band.

Otherwise, there's always eBay.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[siesta]

Love this thread. Its like I'm reading a journal. Keep it up and thanks for sharing.

I played the trumpet for 6 years in grade and middle school; however, these days I doubt I could still even read music.

 

[AwayWeGo]

Thanks.

Love this thread. Its like I'm reading a journal. Keep it up and thanks for sharing.

I played the trumpet for 6 years in grade and middle school; however, these days I doubt I could still even read music.

I am persuaded that French horn & bassoon & oboe, etc., are hard-core geeky instruments by contrast with trumpets & trombones & saxophones & tubas & drums, etc., which are way cool any way you shake it.

There are advantages to playing a geeky instrument. When the draft board was breathing down my neck & I auditioned for a vacancy in 1 of the many army bands that were in existence back then (1965), I was 1 guy trying out for 3 vacant French horn spots in 1 particular army band. I didn't have to be any good. I just had to be able to operate the instrument OK at a basic performance level. By contrast, if I had auditioned on trumpet-trombone-saxophone-clarinet-tuba-drums, etc., I would have had to be reasonably talented in order to get in. It is arguable that playing French horn saved my life.

After the funeral 13 years ago of a friend who had been in bands with me from grade school all through high school & college, my friend's widow offered me my friend's old trumpet -- a silver plated F.E. Olds (Los Angeles) large-bore B-flat trumpet in a shabby, worn-out carrying case. She was clearing out unwanted items, so I overcame my reluctance & accepted my old friend's trumpet.

I bought a nice new eBay trumpet case for my departed friend's outstanding Olds trumpet. Another friends sewed my deceased friend's high school solo & ensemble performance medals into the plush lining of the lid of the trumpet case. Everything looked great. But nobody played that trumpet. It just sat there, unused & mostly unappreciated.

Recently, at my college 50th anniversary class reunion, I reunited with my deceased friend's brother, who played tuba in high school & college. I mentioned the large-bore Olds trumpet, saying it was an honor to have it as a memento but expressing the feeling also that it would be better for the trumpet to be in the hands of its former owner's son or grandchildren. My surviving friend suggested reaching out to the widow (who has since remarried), describing the situation with her 1st husband's old trumpet.

So I did. She thanked me & said she would check with her son. She did. He said he'd like to have it. So I boxed it up, with plenty of bubble wrap inside the case & inside the mailing carton around the case, & entrusted the trumpet to USPS.

While the trumpet was en route, I got a nice E-Mail note from my deceased friend's son, as follows:

Hi Alan,

This is great! I would love to have this. Thank you for thinking of me as you, er, cleaned out the closet.

The timing is a bit interesting, actually; I have three kiddos (13, 10, and 6) and the middle one, my daughter, is leaving 5th grade and choosing to play an instrument going into 6th. She chose the violin, what her mom played, and I was thinking back to my decision to play the trumpet just like my dad. Even though he is not with us any more, I appreciate everything he did for me and occasionally even stop long enough to reflect on how the pattern repeats itself.

I hope you are well and always smile whenever a piece of my dad's past and life touches mine. Thank you again!

Reuniting the trumpet with my friend's family is a very satisfying & satisfactory outcome. I am sorry my friend is gone, but I am glad I'm still here -- still breathing air & still playing horn. Who'd a-thunk ?

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[AwayWeGo]

Competition For Tiger Trumpet -- The Only Surprise Is It Didn't Happen Sooner.

Non-toy plastic trumpets are here.

-- hotlinked --​

Click here for full details.

It was inevitable that a competitor for Tiger Trumpet would emerge.

-- hotlinked --​

What's unsurprising that the competition, P-Trumpet, is from the people who came out with the non-toy plastic trombone a few years ago.

More recently, they've added a smaller instrument in higher pitch (E-flat) to their plastic trombone line-up -- an alto or mini P-Bone.

-- hotlinked --​

Who'd a-thunk ?

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[pedro47]

Wow amazing pictures !!!

 

[Ken555]

Who'd a-thunk ?

Amazing. I haven't played in years but love the sound from my Bach Stradivarius. Hard to believe plastic could sound as nice. I'd like to see one of these plastic trumpets and compare!


Sent from my iPad

 

[AwayWeGo]

Bach Stradivarius Is Outstanding.

I haven't played in years but love the sound from my Bach Stradivarius. Hard to believe plastic could sound as nice. I'd like to see one of these plastic trumpets and compare!

The main things determining the sound of a wind instrument are the shape, length, taper, & bore of the piece of air that the lips set into vibration. In essence, the air doesn't care what the material is which defines the particular piece of air that's made to vibrate.

Even so, it is widely believed that the materials involved still make a noticeable, if slight, difference in sound.

I have a demo CD issued by Bach (Selmer USA) featuring recordings by the same trumpeter playing the same music on 2 different Bach Stradivarius B-flat trumpets, one with conventional silver plated brass bell & the other just like it except with a sterling silver trumpet bell. Listening carefully (through my high-tech digital hearing aids), I honestly can't distinguish any difference in sound between brass & silver. (Shux upon me.)

It would be interesting to hear a comparable demonstration of brass & plastic trumpets playing the same music by the same trumpeter.

Recently I read an internet story about blind tests for sound quality & playing characteristics of ancient Stradivarius & Guarneri violins side by side with top quality modern violins right out of the makers' workshops. Care was taken so that neither the violinists involved nor those listening to the music could tell which instruments were new & which were old. Click here for a story about the test results.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​