Bb Cornet
1957 Olds Recording Cornet
Procuring this cornet had to be divine intervention. Olds was an innovative, consistent, and very highly regarded trumpet manufacturer until they were bought out, destroyed, and subsequently died with the final auction of parts in 1979. Anyway, given how highly regarded and how rare these horns have become, they are viciously sought after and command high prices on the used market. When I was in a period of coveting every cornet I saw, Chris and I would be on eBay all the time looking for a good deal on a nice horn, hoping we could find something to quell my desire. There are a lot of amazing cornets I’ve wanted to try, and an Olds Recording was right at the top of my list. Anyway, we had just come home from a trip around midnight, and Chris decided to check his email and give eBay the once over. He saw this horn that had been posted for all of fifteen minutes at an unbelievably low Buy-It-Now price. He Bought-It-Then, praying it wasn’t a scam. It wasn’t. Best birthday present ever. First of all, the original lacquer is a little spotty and darkened with age, so you can’t quite see the beauty of the metals, but it has a rose brass bell and leadpipe, yellow brass valve casings and slides, and nickel ballusters, ferrules, and trim. It has a third valve slide trigger, pearl pull knobs, and (my favorite feature) an ergonomic offset second valve to accommodate the longer middle finger. If I ever get it restored, it’ll be a knockout. This horn is a jack-of-all-trades. Depending on mouthpiece it can play bright Dixieland, or have a smooth, buttery, mellow cornet sound. Every single time I play it, the first thing I think when I hit the first note is, “Wow!” This cornet has a long and well-loved life ahead of it.
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