edit: model 1159
I don't know whether it's their design, whether it's who ends up using them, or a combination of both, but their horizontal slide systems - with this model in particular - always end up getting jacked all over the place. For the first time ever, someone brought one into me and was specifically interested in having all that stuff straightened out.
As as is probably somewhat known, I'm pretty fast, but this stuff has - so far - taken two hours, it's going to take another half hour or 45 minutes, and then I'm going to have to clean up all of the solder joints and shine it all up and shoot rattle can lacquer all over the place. After that, there are some dents to remove including underneath the pinky hook and mouth pipe brace.
There are also a few dents in the multiple-curved number one and number three F side tuning slide bows, and the number one slide bow was bent down at an angle.
Dents in the flare and (what some people refer to as) the bell stem are minor, but still more work. Then the instrument absolutely needs to be chemically cleaned.
Based on post-2020 hyperinflation, this is looking like at least a $500 job to me. Does that sound reasonable to everyone else, or does anyone think I'm being too exuberant?
I never thought of these budget model King double horns as being worth a lot of money nor sought after, but in spite of this one probably being 60 years old, the rotors are in good condition.
(Other than a bunch of vacuuming - and practicing on the Miraphone 98, this is what I was doing today instead of working on that new gadgety instrument of mine.)
