They're Still Out There - Your Best Finds?

[J.c. Sherman]

* Conn 44H Vocabell found in a thrift shop - $40.00. Minor repairs, sold for $400.00.
* Conn 76H (Basically a one-of-a-kind TIS 8H) - Trade for Yamaha YSL-356G to middle School. I had to save it from them!
* Conn 88H G Bass - $600.00. Best Bass Trombone on Earth!
* My first tuba, my Eb Imperial - $1,250 Canadian in 1987.

I've lucked out on many - these are the first that pop into mind, not associated with my role at a music store...

J.c.

[J.c. Sherman]

Could you describe it please?

Well, it looks very similar to these two horns, but will a faint scent of tobacky.

Tell you what, if you can tell me where Parksville, Ky is, the horn is yours!

RC

31.5 miles Southwest of Lexington.

Did I win?

J.c.S.

[Nick Pierce]

It's right there!!!

[The Jackson]

Every time I see this thread, the title looks like "They're Still Out There - Your Best Friends".

[Daniel C. Oberloh]

Over the years I have found a number of "gems" that were lost or tucked away and forgotten.

I found at least two Conn 8D (Elkhart) double horns, one made in the early 50s and another from the early 60s, both were found in thrift stores and they cost me about $200 each. I also got a 1933 Conn Vocabell 40B this way for about $40.00.

The best finds were those picked up in antique shops; The first was a cello, early 60s nice condition with a good bow, needed a little TLC $285 (what were they thinking?). I snapped it up and turned it over to the Luthiers who made the needed repairs and found it a very happy home. The sale of this instrument took time (about three years) but when it sold, it went big.


My favorite though is a 1910-ish, Martin four rotary Eb tuba that was brought to my attention by a friend. When I went over to Renton to check it out, I found it sitting in a store propped against the wall on the second floor stair landing. it was marked at $295.00 and they were having a Wednesday 15% off sale (lucky me!)

The best of all was a find of my Dads. In a garage sale for $100, a Revere and Hawks presentation "echo" cornet. It was a gift from a Col. Watson on his appointment to the 4th Reg. band of the Irish Riffles and dated 1891. It was probably one of a set of instruments he gave to the regiment on the occasion. I was informed that it was common to do this sort of thing back then. My Dad gave it to me as a Birthday present about fifteen years ago. I hope to some day completely restore it. Treasure hunting ca be a lot of fun but ebay has made it a bit more of a challenge.

Daniel C. Oberloh
Oberloh Woodwind and Brass Works
http://www.oberloh.com" target="_blank

[Tubaing]

My best finds would be my York tubas (see 2nd, 3rd, and 4th tuba in my signature). All found on eBay.

[eupher61]

actually a friend found my former King "Super Monster" (it's bigger than the "giant" and "monster" souzies mentioned often) in a music store basement. I waited a couple days, then went in very casually, asked if they had any junk tubas. The guy showed me the king of Kings and told me a price. I went back a couple days later, casually asked again what the price was, and the price was a bit lower. So, what the hey, I took it off their hands.
Unfortunately, it got to where I wasn't playing it enough to justify the physical strain of carrying the thing, so I sold it to a collector.

Recently I've missed out on 3 bicycles at the local Goodwill store, by no more than an hour each. One, the guy was actually checking out at the register as I was checking out the bike.

[bisontuba]

Hi-
I have been fortunate in finding many over the shoulder horns, Schreiber tear drop horns, bass horns, etc.--but here is my best find--the night before a garage sale--it is now in a museum in South Dakota:

http://www.usd.edu/smm/Brass/Baritones/ ... cello.html" target="_blank

Regards-
mark
jonestuba@juno.com" target="_blank

[eupher61]

very cool, Mark!

I rarely get those kinds of finds. In fact, never myself. Heck, I won my first ever "BINGO" a few weeks ago at a family reunion, after 40+ years of trying!

[TUbajohn20J]

My Conn 20J. Found it on ebay several years ago. It was dent free and It looked good, just tarnished. for some reason nobody else bidded on it and i got it for $800. Here are before and after pics. I just polished it up and had a valve job done and now it looks and plays like brand new.

[imperialbari]

My Conn 20J. Here are before and after pics. I just polished it up and had a valve job done and now it looks and plays like brand new.

That bell must have taken a very good polishing to change shapee.

K

[TUbajohn20J]

yes it took alot!

[tubazach07]

I had a person bring a trash bag into my band room and he gave it to my band director to give to me since he saw a newspaper article that was written about me. In the bag was a 1910 silver plated henry diston tuba with all the slides and valves intact. It has the most beautiful art work on it that I have ever seen. Every brace and bracket has been custom engraved. I hope to one day get the money and restore the tuba to performance condition. But until then I will just have to keep polishing it for now.

[OldsRecording]

When I was in high school, we were on the way home from a football game, and as we were passing by a local Amish flea market, my band director and I noticed a tuba hanging on the side of one of the barns. After we got back to school, we jumped into his car and went to check it out. It was an old Holton 3v bell-front, and they wanted $50 for it. It only had one major flaw, the top of the leadpipe had been ripped off, and despite this, it actually played fairly decently. So, we bought it, and after $200 worth of work, it wound up being a very nice horn.