Recently, I've been taking a lot of pride in my horn and my playing ability (I am in the school senior band, and although I'm not that great, I've been improving alot lately).
I have a wonderful horn that I am rent/buying from the school. It is a John Lidle double horn (brass). I can get quite a nice tone and I love having a fourth valve. However, because of its previous use at the school, it is dinted here and there and scratched all over, although it doesn't look that bad.
How much do the dints affect the instrument?
Also, looking on eBay, there are quite a few Horns floating around at the $500 mark, brand new. These wouldn't be worth buying, would they?
Thanks
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When I say around the $500 mark, this even includes doubles
Some dents can affect the sound seriously and some not so much.
Dents in the bell from the end and the next 16 inches won't affect it too much. Small dents in the slides shouldn't affect it too much. But big dents near the finger hook, dents in the leadpipe/mouthpipe and severe dents in any other tubing can affect the tone and the ability to play certain notes.
$$$$$$ Money $$$$$$$$
You can no longer base your purchase on the amount of money. New French Horns for $500 USD, I doubt are very good. Think about how long it takes to make a Horn and the cost of the materials. To buy the materials and pay the labor and still be able to make a profit selling it for $500?
Used instruments can vary all over the place. I have seen adverts for used Conn 8D's for way more than they are worth. And I have seen beautiful horns advertised for far less than they are worth. Sometimes the sellers are knowledable about what they have and sometimes they are not. eBay is like a garage sale - you don't really know if the seller is being honest 100% or if they even know what they are talking about. And one persons' idea of 'valves work great' can be quite different from someones elses.
You really need to have the instrument played by a knowledgable person to know, until you have enough experience to do it yourself. And by the way, experience is expensive. It's cheaper to pay someone else - experience comes from making all the mistakes you can.
My horn has none of these fatal dints and I think I'll stick to it - at least for the moment. I'm quite attached to it, and you're right about the experience. Thanks again
I've been thinking about buying a Bach trumpet used for 250$ i'm not a pro or anything obviously but its not tarnished or anything and it was going to come with two mouthpieces..not sure if that's a deal or a steal? any help?
Every instrument is different. I recently dumped a Bach student student trumpet. I didn't think it was worth a dime. Why? Becuase my son stepped on it & crushed the lead pipe & the bell. ha ha ha! But seriously, you may be getting a really good deal for $250 or you may be getting ripped off. I'd advise you to find an experienced player to give it a test run before you buy it. Valerie
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