Among brass instruments the’Stradivarius Model’ Bach Trumpet occupies the same supreme position as the genuine Stradivarius Violin among string instruments. Both are masterpieces, the perfection of which is beyond dispute. The Bach Trumpet is a Patrician among instruments; absolutely precise in each mechanical detail, made in exact accordance with established acoustical principles and combining every improved feature that human skill and ingenuity have conceived as applicable to trumpet building. In 1915, young Vincent Freiherr von Schrottenbach, fleeing worsening conditions in Austria and Europe, changed his name and moved to the US – and pretty much won an audition with the Boston Symphony almost immediately after his arrival! “Vincent Bach” is now a household name in the music business, but in those early days he was a talented orchestral player, and experimented with making mouthpieces. Vincent Bach later began building trumpets in New York starting around 1925. It was his intention to build an instrument of prestige, and in his 1925 catalog, Bach boldly stated that “among brass instruments the’Stradivarius Model’ Bach Trumpet occupies the same supreme position as the genuine Stradivarius Violin among string instruments”. Indeed, Bach’s Stradivarius trumpets achieved great popularity and are still the most popular model today. 0.459 ML Bore. One piece hand hammered brass bell with French bead, from the no. Brass valve guides – stamped 1-2-3. Brass top and bottom caps. BACH NEW YORK USA stamp on valve casing. For the player or collector. The serial number and shop card dates this trumpet to January 1951 – the 15th of January, to be exact. Putting that into some perspective, it was only days before that the iconic United Nations building opened in nearby Manhattan. The bell is marked as the Stradivarius Model, and stamped “43” to indicate the bell profile. NOTE: This is not the original bell. The bell hallmark reads “Mt Vernon” whereas the 2nd valve casing is stamped NEW YORK. This came to us with badly deteriorated lacquer, and in need of repair to restore it to playing condition. The horn already had evidence of previous repairs, large and small. There is some pitting on the third piston and a mar on the mouthpipe, a cracked bell wire, chipped receiver, and various other trauma – most of which appears to have been competently repaired. The trumpet has now been stripped of all remaining lacquer, and hand-rubbed to give it a more uniform look while retaining much of its original character. And of course to preserve the clarity of the stamps and bell engraving. The response was better than expected. That 43 bell is one of my favorites, and I liked its brilliance as I did the final play test. I did detect an anomaly in the sound, which I cannot quite attribute to tinnitus. In the course of bringing this instrument to playable condition I examined all braces and checked each joint for leaks, but the bell wire had cracked at one time and evidently a small solder repair keeps it from rattling. There is a small amount of damage near the small end of the mouthpipe, almost at the receiver. That is considered a sensitive area of the horn. One would expect that sort of damage to possibly cause the horn to play “squirrelly” – that is, difficult to center the pitch, especially in the upper register. I did not experience this personally, but I have always played larger bores. Nevertheless, for me the horn slots and sings clearly at the high E-F-F# and G, so your mileage may vary. The “blow” will feel familiar, but these pistons are old and worn, and you may notice. I used a synthetic oil of higher viscosity when finaling the horn. I can still tell the pistons fit loose but they move smoothly, quietly and reliably. Despite the aforementioned pitting on the 3rd valve, the pistons are all quiet and smooth. This trumpet has been brought back into alignment, that is, the valves port correctly. The trumpet will come with the vintage looking green top cap felts – not the classic black or vintage white rubber – sorry. The 2nd slide crook was heavily damaged and required replacing. The 3rd slide end pull appeared to have been dropped previously, and had been inexpertly repaired, so it required a patch. The finger button on the 3rd valve broke off but has been replaced. As well, the valve stem was highly corroded and had to be replaced. All original parts are included with the horn, of course. There is only minimal evidence of red rot. Slides move freely and appropriately. NOTE: this trumpet does not have 1st / 3rd slide rings or push rods. It is very comfortable in the hand, however, and the intonation is good. A colleague at Conn-Selmer expedited my request for the shop card. Not much information to glean, beyond the usual information that Vincent Bach deemed necessary to record. Details such as the bell-bore-mouthpipe combination, date of sale, and other info such as the original finish (baked epoxy lacquer). Apparently the original sale included a quick-change-to-A tuning slide, which I’m sure is since lost forever. The floral bell work is elegant, and it has been speculated that this trumpet was engraved by the master Jerome Brownstein, who did a lot of engraving work for Bach in the 1950s. A name is engraved on the flare: “Freddy Guzman”. Who is Freddy Guzman? Freddy was a New York trumpet player, a cat with good chops and a lot of friends. The story goes that Freddy also had a habit. This fine brasswind has undergone a professional cleaning and inspection prior to listing.
