It's good to realize though that historical value and playing value are
not necessarily in conflict. Those old cats knew how to make a horn that
sounded and played great in the old days. I've seen too many of those great
old
horns "modernized" so that they now sound bland, dead, "digital", whatever you
want to call it. The way most newer horns sound. The magic was in those old
parts that got thrown away.
You really can't improve an old horn that has mechanical trouble (leaks)
by adding new parts. Fix the leaky valves and slides and you may find the
original leadpipe was pretty darn good!
Having said that, it's very possible for an old leadpipe to be just worn
out or damaged beyond use. Then you don't have much choice. Of course you
should get <blatant plug here> my new leadpipe which is in trials right now but
should be ready for production in the next couple of months.
- Steve Mumford
In a message dated 4/15/06 1:00:34 PM Eastern Daylight Time, Steve F writes:
> The sound is what matters, and historical value is for things that sit in a
> glass case somewhere. If you play the thing, make it to your liking limited
> by only your good judgement and your wallet. If your horn is of historical
> value, put it on the shelf and buy one to play!
>
> I realize I'm oversimplifying a bit but these two things - historical value
> and playing value - are really potentially in conflict. People don't
> commute in Model T's.
>
>
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