WTB: Eb/F Alto Horn

ParLawGod · Post by **ParLawGod** » Tue Jul 04, 2006 10:26 pm

I'm looking to buy an Alto Horn (with both Eb and F tuning slides). I would prefer that it be bell-front. Silver-plating or lacquer is fine and I will consider any brand (except some of those cheap eBay horns - haha).

Please e-mail me if you know of one for sale - ParLawGod@Yahoo.com - thanks!

ParLawGod · Post by **ParLawGod** » Fri Oct 27, 2006 4:12 pm

ParLawGod · Post by **ParLawGod** » Mon Oct 30, 2006 12:34 am

Dan Schultz · Post by **Dan Schultz** » Tue Nov 07, 2006 10:02 am

I just sold a very nice Olds complete with the extra Eb slide. It's been on my web page for months and attracted little interest until recently. If you run across a horn that is one or the other key, it's quite possible to make some modifications to it. In the case of an F alto... usually all that needs to be done is to make a longer main tuning slide. There is usually enough forgiveness in the piston circuits. In the case of a Eb alto... it would probably have to be cut a bit to make it an F before building a new Eb slide. Either way, making a convertible horn is usually doable.

windshieldbug · Post by **windshieldbug** » Tue Nov 07, 2006 10:27 pm

Not bell-front, but looks like Eb AND F, and good strting $...

old ambassador mellophone ? in case

-and-
old ambassador mellophone ? in case

Dan Schultz · Post by **Dan Schultz** » Wed Nov 08, 2006 4:27 pm

You bought that horn from me. With the short main tuning slide installed and everything pushed you should be in F. With the long main tuning slide installed and the tuning slides set on the marks, you should be in Eb. Eb is lower that F... therefore, the long settings are for Eb.

windshieldbug · Post by **windshieldbug** » Wed Nov 08, 2006 4:44 pm

What the 'tinker said...

There's not much change required from F out to Eb, so the distance on the valve slides should not be too far. It's so close that on some types of horns, the maker didn't even make bother with the distinction.

In fact, in the 1920's and 30's, E. A. Couturier made a whole family of horns that had fixed valve tubing, where you could NOT move them at all (but you could still change the key of the horn; you were just supposed to make the adjustments through embrochure).

But to be right, it should be in for F, out for Eb.