How long should a horn take to pay for itself?

[deputysgttuba]

The first decent horn I bought in 1984 (Reynolds 4v BBb Contempra) paid for itself in gigs in about three years and I kept it until 1996. The Bohm & Meinl 4v CC paid for itself in about four years of gig income. Bought it in 1996 and used it until January 2009. My new PT-20P, at the lowered income level I had for gigs this year, will probably not pay for itself until 2018..But who cares, its a helluva lot cheaper than lots of other activities spread out over several years! BTW, The Bohm & Meinl will be for sale soon (Joe B., are you still interested?)
Some of you may notice a common tendency here - if you buy a horn, keep it 10-12 years and you probably will get your money back or even more, especially if you bought used at a good price!