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Check out this super fun horn that wandered in! This is probably the fourth bass trumpet to cross my bench since I started working here at the igloo, and also one of the nicer ones! It had obviously been sitting for a while and had been put away pretty dirty, but unfortunately that tends to be the case with horns like this that don’t get used as much. Everything was stuck except the pistons, but now all slides and caps are free, clean, and moving properly. It’s a very attractive instrument but has had some work done in its past....

I don't have a strong background in esoteric instruments, which is part of what makes working with Quinn the Eskimo so interesting for me. Every now and again, we receive an item in at the shop that just completely stumps me. (HEY! I'm looking at YOU, soprano trombone!) So I dug in and did a little 007-type investigating, and here is what I learned. Hopefully this short little write up will be interesting to musical experts and novices alike. Pitched at the same range as the Bb trumpet, one octave above the tenor trombone, the soprano trombone/mini trombone/slide trumpet has...

Hey, Brass Fans! We’ve had lots and lots of cool horns in the shop lately, but here’s one you won’t see every day, and it’s in really nice shape. This horn has been played, but it has also been taken care of - obviously its previous owner loved it! It shows some signs of repair, such as moisture under the lacquer on the handslide crook, but it still plays very well. Its smaller bore size makes it very good for higher register lead work, and it is solid enough to gig for years to come. One nice thing about a...

This find was a lot of fun, although it’s a bit sad that someone didn’t want to keep the medals that they were obviously so proud of! These are all medals from Illinois High School Association for band and vocal competitions, so it looks like the former owner did a lot of playing and singing in school. There was also some English Composition homework, vintage sheet music, and for some odd reason a giant hex wrench! I have no idea how it could be helpful in a trumpet case as the only screw in a Bach trumpet that takes one...

We recently bought another estate collection of 78 vintage trumpets, so I have been super busy sorting, cleaning, and getting these awesome old guys ready for their new homes! Some of them don’t need much more than a clean and polish, so you’ll see them listing pretty quickly. Included here are a few photos of horns I’ve recently finished from this collection including a 1965 58B, 1926 2B, and 1927 26B. The Connstellation even has its original case candy and receipt! They look great, smell good (big difference and very important!), and play beautifully, and are all ready for you!...