1958 Getzen Eflat/D Trumpet Rare & Collectable

This listing was posted on Americanlisted.

1958 Getzen Eflat/D Trumpet Rare & Collectable

Location:

South Portland, ME

Description:

For auction without Reserve is a rare 1958 Getzen Deluxe Eflat/D trumpet, serial number 103600 - Eckhart, Wisconsin. I bought this horn out of curiosity about a year ago and for various reasons I need to reduce the number of horns I have hanging around. My decision is an opportunity for someone to add this to their collection.Caveat. I am a novice and this is the only Getzen I have ever owned. I do my research but what I write about this horn is based on research and there maybe someone (I am sure there is) who knows a whole lot more. To the extent my assumptions and conclusions may be wrong I defer to someone with more knowledge and experience. But this is what I think based on my research - for what it is worth.This is an unusual beauty and a fine example of American craftsmanship. It is heavy - weighs just half an ounce shy of 2 pounds and when you pick it up you immediately notice that it is solid. They spared no expense in building this horn, with one exception that I mention later and think was a manufacturing error. It has some nice purely artistic touches, like the scalloped pinky ring and the two tone design for the slide receptor pipes. The Pat. Pending reference is entertaining (middle valve above Getzen and the serial number, which according to a published history was a ruse - there was no patent pending. So there are some nice curiosities and artistic nuances. Mechanically, the valves look almost unused and probably this horn has seen little use. Hard to judge compression because it is so small but seems good and the slides are tight, tight, tight. It really looks like this horn has seen very little time out of its case. Case is original and the warranty card is included. Brasshistory.net places this horn at 1958 based on its reconstruction of the pre-1964 Getzen horn serial numbers - looks like they canvassed the Getzen community (company records lost in a fire). Judging from the horn's construction and the case that seems about right. There are no purchase records for this horn. Getzen horns from this era were highly acclaimed, even by competitors. In around 1956, two years before this horn was made, Vincent Bach commented that Getzen produced "very beautiful horns and Getzen can be proud of being able to turn out such a fine instrument . . " Coming from one of the premier and much acclaimed trumpet artisans of that era (boy were times different) that endorsement says a great deal about the quality and craftsmanship of the Getzen horns of the 1950s. I lean toward pre-WWII horns (olds and Bach) and this post WWII horn demonstrates that same solid construction and attention to detail. Brasshistory.net has an inventory of Getzen's product line from 1949-1960 with photos and interestingly this horn (Eflat/D) is not in that inventory - more evidence suggesting it is rare if not altogether unique. https://www.brasshistory.net/Getzen%20Trumpets.pdfIn terms of condition, this is a museum piece. There are some very minor almost imperceptible cosmetic issues (bell) but they are basically blemishes, so very minor you would not see them except on a very, very close inspection. The one obvious cosmetic/appearance issue is the 1st valve bottom cap which looks as though it was not lacquered. Very strange. it might have been replaced - it looks like a perfect match to the other 2 valve bottom caps - so I think the better explanation is that this was a manufacturing error and the cap just never got lacquered and it escaped quality control inspection somehow. Maybe this was a prototype and that was overlooked and the horn went home with someone from the company??? Who knows. Getzen produced these horns in the modern era (1964 forward) and some can be found for sale but I have not found another one like this from the 1950's or before.Playability - this is a hard one and I want to be honest. I would not play this horn other than in my practice room but that is me. Someone else might like the challenge. I do not like combination horns generally - find them pitchy. This horn is certainly pitchy and because it only has third valve slide adjustment you need to work on the 1+2 valve combinations in particular. Probably ore work than the horn would be worth as a playing instrument. It is fun to play. Other than intonation it has a nice small horn Getzen sound. It blows freely and the valves fly like they are new - which I think they pretty much are. It really is a lovely horn, is playable by an experienced player (but an experienced player would not really put up with this horn's challenges) and would be a great addition to someone's Getzen collection, or for a general collector. It certainly is something that should be preserved in my opinion. There is an excellent history of Getzen, which really took off in about 1962 with the support of Doc Severinsen, at https://www.getzen.com/about/history/Because Getzen records for the 1947-1964 period (trumpet production began in 1947 (the company started in 1939) were lost in the fire there are a lot of unknowns. This is a unique horn just because of its age, condition and it being an Eflat/D. There probably were not many of these horns made by Getzen, if others exist I have not found any. I looked at Brasshistory.net's list and this was the only Eflat/D listed! They were produced in the modern era but even then there seem to be only a few out there. The modern one's are listed for sale in the $600 range. When I bought this it was advertised as "RaRe". My limited research seems to confirm that representation. This seems to be very rare (I am not a Getzen person so I am making assumptions and will defer to someone with better knowledge or information), and it may well be more than rare; it may be unique - it may be one of only a handful of these horns made and may even be the last of them surviving for all I know. It may have been a prototype. Without records it is almost impossible to know.So that is the skinny on this Getzen. I was going to include a sound file but to be honest I play so poorly that it was too embarrassing. It sounds like a higher pitched horn and if you are really interested I can take another shot at putting a sound file on the listing. If I had room and all the money in the world I would keep it just because it seems so unusual and it is a pretty horn. But I need to downsize and that decision makes this horn available to a new owner. Shipping has been estimated by Ebay and I will do the best I can to keep shipping to that price - even if it means I have to absorb some of that expense. Insurance is an expense the buyer needs to shoulder and will depend on the final sale price.

Category:

Trumpets

Posted:

March 21 on Americanlisted