Roger was, of course, extremely helpful and friendly. I had no problems with my bank authorizing my funds, and Roger supervised the sale process over the phone. I ordered the horn on Tuesday afternoon, and the horn arrived at about 11:30 this morning.
The horn was very well packed, and there wasn't the slightest hint of any damage. I pulled my new axe out of the box, popped in the TU23 mouthpiece that came with it, and just started playing. Like butter. Just like I remembered it from when I tried one out at WW&BW back in May. I was amazed, though, at the fantastic sound that little mouthpiece gets in the low register on this horn! I have pretty big lips, so I was apprehensive about using such a small 'piece. But so far, I'm liking it a lot. I can't WAIT to hear what I sound like after I've had a week or two of "getting acquainted" time!
Incidentally, the pictures on all the websites I've seen show the 188 with the old spatula 5th valve key, but that's not the way mine is. Roger informed me that all the new 188s come with the bar-style 5th (like on the 1291). The thumb ring is also detachable now. I really like these changes. They allow you more freedom in how you position your hand.
Here are a couple of pics:
Here's me with my new baby
Here's a picture of the 5th valve mechanism
Well, time for me to get back to playing!!!
