I agree that Schmid horns are beautiful made, and as with all horns, in the right hands sound terrific. (I can't play an 8D like Myron Bloom!) However, I do want to put up a warning of something I've been seeing lately. In the last month I have had 4 Schmid horns come through my shop - all with redrot. I have done some research on this matter and found that Schmid uses chemicals to remove excess solder on his horns. These are typically very caustic chemicals and Yamaha found that their use of Enthone was causing their rot problems in the early eighties. Some manufacturers use no chemicals at all, and simply buff the extra solder away - a more labor intensive process. If you own a Schmid horn, check your 3rd F and the Bb return slide (the one that comes from the first valve and goes underneath the cluster to the 4th valve) for little red dots. Most of the horns I have been seeing are all around 2 - 4 years old (far too young to have this problem). Hopefully this problem is limited to a very few horns as they are so highly respected.
Sincerely, Ken Pope "Just Put Your Lips Together And Blow...." http://www.poperepair.com US Dealer: Kuhn Horns & Bonna Cases Pope Instrument Repair 80 Wenham Street Jamaica Plain, MA 02130 617-522-0532 _______________________________________________ post: horn@music.memphis.edu unsubscribe or set options at http://music.memphis.edu/mailman/options/horn/archive%40jab.org
