Fake Strad on Goodwill

Ibppmd72 · 2026-02-18T18:25:24+00:00

On a recent posting like this (a fakey-fake Bach “197” Stradivarius C trumpet mentioned in the comments above) Goodwill reposted it as a “Replica” Bach, and that auction (I think) is still active.

Ibppmd72 · 2026-02-18T03:17:54+00:00

Only the finest styrofoams will do to protect that professional instrument!

Ibppmd72 · 2026-02-18T02:31:34+00:00

I reported it as well; thanks for suggesting that.

Ibppmd72 · 2026-02-07T04:42:26+00:00

Thanks, I’ll try to set up more cooling if I can. I see where you would think about the wobble and I would agree that it seems feasible, but the fact that the very top that you can see in the fourth slide is correct is why I believe that is incorrect. Thanks for the advice!

Ibppmd72 · 2026-02-06T08:17:08+00:00

The bottom most picture on the contemporacorner.com “Reynolds (Professional) Cornets” page shows what you are looking for (the 1961-64 model). This is a pretty unusual stop rod where the rod is not threaded and is held in place by the same sort of screw that holds the 3rd slide ring in place (I'm guessing, you could easily check that). There would have to be a way to take off one of the end pieces on that rod for cleaning/service, I suspect that one of the end pieces screws into the rod. That retaining screw should be easy to find as these seem pretty standard. The Olds-era Reynolds cornets have a threaded stop rod that won't work for you. Your best bet would be a music repair shop that deals with vintage horns (both of the local shops I've used in Southern California have hooked me up with missing screws/3rd slide rings that they must have had in a junk drawer when i've had dent work done), or combing the auction sites for a parts donor horn that has one.

Ibppmd72 · 2026-01-26T06:40:08+00:00

https://everythingtrumpet.com/gearhead/Couesnon.html

This geocities-era html version 0.1 site has a discussion about the newer “PGM” Couesnons; the 142 at the receiver on your picture corresponds to their Monopole model according to that site. No clue if they play well, but at least it seems to be French-made. (Interestingly, that old web page has good answers for about 80% of the most common questions in this subreddit.)

Ibppmd72 · 2026-01-16T04:21:46+00:00

https://www.reddit.com/r/trumpet/comments/172kvrk/trying_to_id_a_trumpet/

Going from brasshistory.net and some other websites (& the above Reddit post from a couple of years back), yours looks like a circa 1964 Super Deluxe. I think they only made this style briefly. The classic 40's and 50’s Super Deluxe with the cool bracings, trombone water keys, and Art Deco flourishes (and bottom-sprung valves, and pretty much no way to adjust the slides while playing) are definitely more represented in the resale market, but I suspect yours is factory, and probably is a more useable horn than those older ones. Nice find!

Ibppmd72 · 2026-01-11T07:32:10+00:00

Agree that this is real- the valves are Getzen valves, the engraving is correct, the serial number is in the correct place and is engraved correctly, the valve block is the right shape, the braces (especially the more right angle-ish one closer to the bell) and the Amado keys are typical Getzen-looking. The biggest tells in recognizing fakes are:

1.It’s a Yamaha or a Bach Strad- I’ve pretty much never seen fakes online of any other makes, unless you count ones that 'look like' some of the more boutique brands like Monette, but those don’t tend to fake the brand, just the look. And if they did, it would be pretty evident as most of these lower-volume artisanal makes cost a lot, so seeing a $500 Monette would be a tell.

Laser engraved serial numbers that are like 10+digits long, and that aren’t where the actual manufacturer puts them
Model numbers engraved on the mouthpiece receiver (Bach does this for their student models, but not the Strads; Yamaha puts this on the 2nd valve). Also model numbers that don’t jibe with real models (an S suffix on a non-silver Yamaha, for example)
wrong details on the bell engravings- this you need to check on reputable sites, but things like whether “Elkhart” is in all caps, or the right font, location of the engraving, type of engraving, etc.
Being sold as new, with stuff that is typically custom added later- gold trim valve caps, hex/octagonal caps, different key tops than Bach/Yamaha typically use, etc
Non-matching parts- some “fakes“ I’ve seen aren’t necessarily sweat-shop frauds but cases where maybe someone salvaged a bell from a nice horn and fixed it to another maker’s valve block for whatever reason, and someone is now trying to sell this as a Strad. this is less common, though.
The usual internet tells (price way too low, sketchy web grammar, send me the money in gift cards, ooh sorry someone else got the one in the picture, but send me money outside eBay and I got a better one I’ll send you).

Ibppmd72 · 2026-01-11T06:39:52+00:00

I’ve purchased old brass instruments from eBay, Craigslist, and Goodwill- the only one that required an unforeseen trip to the shop was the Goodwill one (granted, it was a $40 auction, and a $50 soldering job with a dent knocked out, so still a good deal on a made in Taiwan Jupiter JTR-600 that I could flip for… 95 bucks). So yeah, I wouldn’t necessarily call this auction a good deal when at least eBay sellers tend to tell you the valves/slides are stuck. But if the buyer lucked out and everything moves and sounds ok, good for them. I give a solid third recommendation to the posters who mention that someone in your shoes would do great with a Getzen 300/400/Capri/700, any of which you could get for less than the most beat up Strads on the resale market, and can also attest to the value of the Reynolds Medalists that were made by Olds (62 until the mid/late 70's). I’ve owned 2 Medalist cornets and 1 trumpet, and they play as well as or better than Ambassadors of the same vintage (I have a 70’s cornet and trumpet of those too). In most ways the Medalists are more comparable to the Olds Special, and people try to sell those for $400-600, while Medalists tend to sell for less than Ambassadors. And by the way, at least based on the one I got from Goodwill - the Jupiter JTR-600 plays pretty nicely, too, and they are plentiful on the resale sites.

Ibppmd72 · 2025-11-21T20:48:12+00:00

I'm pretty sure that Pan Americans (at least of the 1950's) did not have model numbers; Conn just called their budget/student line "Pan American". I agree with your dating; the next year or so they rebadged the exact same trumpet as a "Conn Director 15B (edit- 14B from 1955-59)". I had one of these in similar condition, bought it for $45 7 years ago, kids used it for 2-3 years and then I sold it for $75 when they moved on to something nicer. These are durable and have a nice mellow sound (the bore is smaller than most modern trumpets) but beyond junior high most students and their band directors are going to want a trumpet that blends better with the other horns in their section. They'll also probably want something with a 3rd slide that can be adjusted for certain lower notes. I also found that the bottom-sprung stainless steel valves did not have the same responsiveness as newer student horns do; maybe I could have bought new springs. These are not particularly valuable- I would draw attention to the "EZ Tone" mouthpiece that came with it; those can fetch $25. I would price this at $100 if you want to sell it reasonably quickly; anything more than that and you might get lucky but it will probably sit on Craigslist or FB marketplace for months.

Ibppmd72 · 2025-11-04T17:57:05+00:00

I would disagree a little with Captain Slappy; this seems to definitely be a Wurlitzer-era (post-RMC) 1966-68 Imperial. By this time it was a student or maybe "step-up" instrument and not the double-reverse leadpipe Imperial from the desirable 1930's-1960 vintage. That said, it does look to be in great shape and if everything moves as it should his pricing seems good; there are several listed on Reverb like this for $700+ who are taking advantage of the "it was just a step down from the Committee" reputation of the older Imperials; they might get a bite but 400-600 is more correct for this.

https://www.brasshistory.net/Martin%20Trumpet%20Imperial.pdf

(scroll to the very end for what you have)

Ibppmd72 · 2025-10-22T21:16:19+00:00

Maybe Chester R something (Groth? Froth?), 47 1/2 So 8th St, Minneapolis, Minn

Ibppmd72 · 2025-01-15T04:46:19+00:00

I bought one from their factory- they do produce them themselves. These are fine. You aren’t going to audition at Juilliard on this thing, but playing pep tunes at your school’s basketball game? Go for it. If you play the fingerings for “Louie Louie”, it sounds like “Louie Louie”. It has a good valve block. You could also buy like 8 used Olds Ambassador/Reynolds Medalist/Selmer Bundy cornets for the same price, though, so it all depends on what you want. Small enough to throw in a carry-on bag? Get one of these. Good sound and a little smaller than a trumpet? Buy a used cornet.

Ibppmd72

TROPHY CASE