The reason I dug the Connstellation out and replaced the errant screw and put in new water key corks is that last week I'd gone by Park Avenue music where I think I might have fallen in love with a cornet.
I just wanted to see what they had, since I was in the area and had the time. There was one on the shelf, Shepherd's Crook type, let's look at that. It was not only a shepherd's crook wrap but had proper, not Amado, water keys and was a Getzen. With neat-o engraving on it no less. I asked to try it and was handed a 1.5 mouthpiece, and did mainly note-bending exercises and saw how high I could go, which was high, all of this sounding awful of course.
The price? $2500, and I asked if I paid cash, Then I'd not pay the tax so that right there would save me $250. The guy at the counter was a bit snide; "How many?" he asked. I let that slide. I said I need to do some research.
Once I got back here I did said research. The cornet, the Getzen 800DLX, seems to be very well thought of on every thread about it on Trumpet Herald I could find. I also researched the price and realized that $2500 is a deal.
So today I enacted my plan. After listing 15 things on Ebay and waiting for the rain to let up, I dropped off packages at the downtown post office, then visited the bank where I took out $2500 in $100's. The teller counted them, then I counted them. I got a nice white envelope to put them in too.
My "new" orange jacket is great in that it has plenty of pockets, and indeed is big and baggy making movement, even with a fleece on underneath, easy. However my first application of the off-brand faux-Scotchgard didn't make it very waterproof. It didn't matter though because it just drizzled or misted, and I really didn't get wet. And, a large inside pocket was perfect to put a nice white envelope containing $2500.
I went over to the music store and a different guy was there, who knew about the deal made with the other guy. I verified they had the case and the papers and so on. I pulled out my own, 3C, mouthpiece and played it a bit - "Beautiful Dreamer" and a bit of "It's Been A Long Long Time" by Harry James. I'd played the Connstellation a bit the last two nights so I felt especially with the first tune I'd have a good feeling for how the horns are different.
The guy said the other guy had misquoted the price but that they'd honor it, and I handed over the envelope. The guy counted it. Then he made out a receipt and we talked about random things.
I mentioned my plans to retire "not in this city" and for busking to be my main thing. He mentioned a lot of cities along the East Coast and said he has a friend who makes $100k a year busking in Lexington Virginia with a saxophone. I told him of the guy whose byline is "Safe Sax" and plays in Las Vegas and there's no way he's making a mere $100k.
He says his friend plays 8 hours a day and I told him about Tanya Huang in New Orleans who plays at least that, maybe closer to 10 hours a day, on her carbon-fiber violin. But that I found her playing a bit "mechanical" and I'd not want to grind away at something like that. He said he wouldn't want to, either.
All in all it was a good friendly sale all around, I don't think they feel they got short shrift and I sure don't feel I did. The going price seems to be about $3k for this horn, with a 9 or 10 month waiting time. So I figure I saved $750 and got it right away, and they got a nice sale.
Left completely unsaid is the fact that our new dictator may well turn the economy upside-down and his proposed tariffs will not only increase prices on imported goods but on all goods.
The cornet went into its surprisingly small case, which went into a plastic bag, which went into two concentric cloth bags, and I had great fun bumping it with my left foot all the way home as I pedaled the bike.
Really, the root of all this is, my back is messed up to the extent that my strength in my left hand just isn't there and I don't know when it will come back. I really wonder about my ability to hold my left arm in the position to play an instrument like a ukulele or small guitar, and moreover to be able to hold chords down. But in playing trumpet or cornet, my left hand and arm only need to hold the thing up. With a short cornet like I just bought, I'll be demanding the least of my left side. Plus all the years I've put in, I'm finally to the point where I feel truly comfortable on trumpet or cornet.
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