bloke had to pass his own test.
Posted: Thu Feb 15, 2024 3:15 pm
I always seemed to have a few of those old small-bore (Elkhart/Abilene) Conn trumpets on a dusty shelf.
These "Director" models were sort-of similar to the (small-bore/beloved/2-tone: nickel plating and lacquered brass) Connstellation Model, but not as fancy, and the "Director" bell wasn't as big.
A young adult (was a customer as a school-aged student) is looking to buy his younger sister a trumpet.
I pulled down a few for him to choose from and - perhaps, because this one is silver plated - he chose this one for her.
Actually, it was the last old "test" trumpet that I still had on hand.
..................................................................
When braggarts would come in looking to be hired to repair brass (back during our brick-and-mortar days), I'd pull one of these down whereby I had removed the top #3 outside slide tube, removed the (3 delicate solder joints) vertical lyre holder, screwed up the #3 slide alignment (as they have no brace), and bent the bell/mouthpipe downward slightly (goofing up the main slide alignment and mouthpipe straightness.
I told them that the "test" to be hired on is to align the bell, straighten and align the mouthpipe, put the #3 slide back together (properly aligned, reinstall the (again: three contact solder joints) vertical lyre holder, do all of this with both slide tubes "hitting" the outside slide together, without using an expander, sandpaper, or the buffing machine on machine surfaces, and with the #3 circuit holding a decent vacuum.
No one ever passed (most failed near the beginning - not being able to even solder the 3-solder-joints lyre holder in place...not ever crooked - I would hear those things fall on the floor over-and-over
), but it let people know who LITTLE they knew - prior to (at my discretion) any of them being hired on.
...so I had to pass my own "test" today, and (after a few minor bell dents are smoothed out) this one will be ready to sell...
...so no more "test" Conn trumpets.
(The idea of the vertical lyre holder was so that BOTH a lyre AND a #3 slide ring could be simultaneously utilized.
Conn pressed a crease in the lower half of that square stock, so that that the lyre would stop without a tension screw.)
These "Director" models were sort-of similar to the (small-bore/beloved/2-tone: nickel plating and lacquered brass) Connstellation Model, but not as fancy, and the "Director" bell wasn't as big.
A young adult (was a customer as a school-aged student) is looking to buy his younger sister a trumpet.
I pulled down a few for him to choose from and - perhaps, because this one is silver plated - he chose this one for her.
Actually, it was the last old "test" trumpet that I still had on hand.
..................................................................
When braggarts would come in looking to be hired to repair brass (back during our brick-and-mortar days), I'd pull one of these down whereby I had removed the top #3 outside slide tube, removed the (3 delicate solder joints) vertical lyre holder, screwed up the #3 slide alignment (as they have no brace), and bent the bell/mouthpipe downward slightly (goofing up the main slide alignment and mouthpipe straightness.
I told them that the "test" to be hired on is to align the bell, straighten and align the mouthpipe, put the #3 slide back together (properly aligned, reinstall the (again: three contact solder joints) vertical lyre holder, do all of this with both slide tubes "hitting" the outside slide together, without using an expander, sandpaper, or the buffing machine on machine surfaces, and with the #3 circuit holding a decent vacuum.
No one ever passed (most failed near the beginning - not being able to even solder the 3-solder-joints lyre holder in place...not ever crooked - I would hear those things fall on the floor over-and-over
), but it let people know who LITTLE they knew - prior to (at my discretion) any of them being hired on....so I had to pass my own "test" today, and (after a few minor bell dents are smoothed out) this one will be ready to sell...
...so no more "test" Conn trumpets.
(The idea of the vertical lyre holder was so that BOTH a lyre AND a #3 slide ring could be simultaneously utilized.
Conn pressed a crease in the lower half of that square stock, so that that the lyre would stop without a tension screw.)