| A very nice vintage Bach from the New York era. Date of manufacture according to the Bach Loyalist is 1939. The lacquer is about 80%. Just some tiny miniscule dings in the bell. Nothing serious as far as cosmetics. The 3rd slide has a flat small spot from being dropped a few times. I'll find some Bach stop nuts to alleviate that problem. No patches or red rot. The compression is excellent. The bore size is Large Bore (.462) The bell is light weight designated with a (*) and the number 48 under the signature. I don't know what mandrel the bell is I will get the shop card soon. The leadpipe is a #6 The valves are fast and smooth. All slides pull and the compression is good, especially the 1st valve. The numerical codes found on the bells of New York Bach trumpets and cornets are artificial gauge numbers invented by Bach. They are the first two digits of the brass thickness when converted to millimeters. Based on a limited survey of instruments, there are three gauge numbers most often found on older Bach Bb trumpets and cornets. They are 45, 48 and 50, which would correspond to brass thicknesses of 0.018, 0.019 and 0.020 inches, respectively. |
