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Hauer Music here in Dayton is moving, which means they marked down some of their stock. I've been keeping an eye on this Reynolds Contempora since I got to town and finally decided to spring for it. Finish is nothing special, but the horn plays very well. The smaller bore is a nice break from my MW 25, which I'm convinced is trying to suck the life out of me one breath at a time. Serial number suggests a manufacture date of 1962. Intonation is surprisingly good for a 3-valve horn and I'm looking forward to seeing what the nifty first valve slide piston contraption brings to the party. I've tried a few of my mouthpieces to see which it prefers. Interestingly the TU23 (C4) is the best compromise of tone and responsiveness... my Helleberg sounds thin in this horn.




I've included a closeup of the first valve tuning apparatus... more to follow on how it seems to work.

Congratulations on the new addition. I saw that horn at Hauer a few times and wondered where it would end up. That recording bell will be a great fit for outdoor events.

Pat - enjoy the horn! I played one of those back in the mid-60's, and I think you will like it.

If memory serves, the 1st valve circuit is made short so you can "shove" for flat fifth partial 2nd space C to be in tune. To use the mechanism, you loosen the setting, then pull the 1st valve slide out so Ab and Eb are in tune, and secure the setting. Then instead of manually pushing or pulling, you lever or trigger it either way, and the spring will automatically return the slide to its neutral position after shoving for 2nd space C or pulling for the other valve combinations that tend to be sharp. Great idea, turned out to be cumbersome, and it was only used for a couple of years.

daytontuba wrote:Pat - enjoy the horn! I played one of those back in the mid-60's, and I think you will like it.

Maybe you played this one... you never know!

I've had the same horn for about a year and hadn't played it a lot (a combination of starting business school at an advanced age and trying to fall in love with a 38k sousaphone after a valve job -that part has worked). But the contempora is my main horn for now, its mostly in tune, the 1st valve slide works great, it has power, presence and is fairly nimble. Enjoy yours, mine should take me through a couple of weeks of "Sound of Music" this summer, then we'll really bond.