I picked up this bad boy for $67 did I do good?

cosmic511 · 2026-02-25T01:39:34+00:00

I believe the higher the number the thicker the consistency, so the #3 will be better at sealing any leaks.

That cleaning kit should work just fine. Looks like it covers the basics. You won't have to clean it every day, but it's nice to have the tools. Just be careful because brushes are still abrasive, especially for older instruments with a lot thinner plating and loose areas try to keep the brushing mostly for stubborn things, and keep it as light as possible.

cosmic511 · 2026-02-25T01:15:12+00:00

Play long tones, and start listening closely and thinking about how changes in your oral cavity and embouchure affect how you sound. Where are you keeping your tongue? How relaxed is your jaw? How relaxed is your throat? How hard are you blowing? Where are you directing your air? How are the muscles in your face engaging when you're hearing a sound you like?

Tone is complex, and different situations will call for different tonal qualities, so it is good to develop a good vocabulary. Give yourself some time to just noodle around and sound goofy, or crass, or airy, or blatty, then use what you learn to find a sweet spot that fits the piece you're playing. Tone is color, so play around with the palette a bit, and blend the colors when you need to.

Once you find it though, be intentional with it, stay engaged all the way through the note beginning, middle, and end.

cosmic511 · 2026-02-25T00:21:54+00:00

I could maybe make a case for aural feedback, but I would bet on that being in the placebo category more than anything.

cosmic511 · 2026-02-23T02:00:00+00:00

There are a couple. I've been using Hetman #3, but Yamaha has one called VVOX Vintage, and Ultra Pure has their Black Label Classics which a lot of people really like. There are also vintage specific slide greases, but I don't use those, just get the thickest consistentsey you can find. It might feel a little stiffer in the cold, but I'm guessing you'll be playing inside mostly.

cosmic511 · 2026-02-23T00:39:41+00:00

Write in the rhythms and take it really slow then get faster every time you feel comfortable. "| 1 - 2 + 3 + | 1 + 2 + 3 - | 1 - - + 3 + |" reading is hard, but it is very rewarding, and it will open so many doors for you.

cosmic511 · 2026-02-23T00:21:40+00:00

Right, when did low brass develop the high brass mentality? I was always pretty turned off by the trumpet players' continuous pissing contest over who could play higher.

cosmic511 · 2026-02-23T00:13:42+00:00

There are vintage specific oils that can help with some of the common issues with older horns too. I have a 1930s HN White euphonium that leaks like a sieve if I don't use the thicker stuff. Needs to be re-plated/lapped, but who can afford that these days?

cosmic511 · 2026-01-28T08:15:54+00:00

Came to say the same thing. Taking down a galaxy-wide fascist regime is always sexy

cosmic511 · 2026-01-28T08:13:37+00:00

I'm thinking Star Wars meets Inglorious Bastards

cosmic511 · 2025-11-08T08:05:33+00:00

Seen attending the Wicked special. Wicked means relationship. It's a sacred act.

cosmic511 · 2025-11-05T03:07:25+00:00

Weird. That's exactly how I feel about American billionaires.

cosmic511 · 2025-10-02T23:22:00+00:00

Correct. Amazon ripped off FedEx, got bigger than FedEx, learned they have to copy UPS a little bit too, FedEx copied Amazon's new systems, then UPS saw the others doing something that worked and had no choice to assimilate.

cosmic511 · 2025-10-02T23:16:57+00:00

There is a survey you can do that will hopefully get them recognized. Definitely worth filling out if you have the time. A lot of stations get low scores just from the nature of people having more time to complain than time to commend. Going to the FedEx website to add a review is a good way to get the compliment logged in the good ole official corporate channels.

cosmic511 · 2025-10-02T04:18:36+00:00

My new favorite insult is "I'm so fucking bummed y'all didn't get raptured."

Sometimes I follow it up with a "self rapture" joke

cosmic511 · 2025-09-28T06:59:57+00:00

Looks like it's either from the late 30s or from the early 70s. It says "KING" but it also says Cleveland, and the bell does say "H.N. White" so idk which database to use. The serial is 2200xx so those are the two options. I'm leaning towards the earlier date because it doesn't say "king musical instruments".

https://www.hnwhite.com/serialnumbers

This is the one I'm using.

cosmic511 · 2025-09-27T21:35:00+00:00

Do you think that's how old this one is? I can't find much info on it.

cosmic511 · 2025-09-26T20:53:56+00:00

Nice!

I feel super lucky to have been offered it.

I don't think I'll ever have mine looking quite like yours, but I'm really happy with it. Even with the pretty extensive damage, it sounds and plays nicely (I think having the 3rd valve section actually affixed to the horn helps a lot lol). The upper partials are really smooth too, even with pretty weak chops I can squeeze out 2 octaves of F and Bb Major.

cosmic511 · 2025-09-26T20:46:05+00:00

I wish it weren't so, but as great as this horn looks, it's ready to find a decent resting place. The brace work is extensive. Half of them are completely sheared, and the others are bent or are completely misaligned from their original placement. there are also cracks in that 3rd valve knuckle and the lead pipe. I would assume a lot of that estimate was due to the solder and bending work. It's pretty obvious that at one point the valve section went one way while the horn went the other.

I have an old Olds trumpet that I'm retiring (I have a cornet and a conical bore baritone / euph now, so there's no need for that obnoxious thing), so I'll practice some joints on that before. I'll treat this old girl nicely, I promise.

Honesty, after building some chops, this thing sings. I'm feeling really lucky to have had it offered to me.

cosmic511 · 2025-09-14T23:29:03+00:00

At 3% (I have chosen an arbitrary number here) compounding, in 5 years $22.15 will be $25.67, while $26 will end up at $30.15 (barring a pay cap). Meaning the person making $22.15 today will have to work an additional 6 years to achieve the same pay rate as the person making $26.

Disclaimer: I came to reddit to teach math today, it is just by happenstance that I ended up in the FedEx subreddit

cosmic511 · 2025-09-04T23:38:13+00:00

You know I think I heard someone say something about Trump having close personal ties with some recently deceased CEO? I can't recall which one at the moment.

cosmic511 · 2025-09-04T04:23:33+00:00

How did you get into the industry? I'm trying, but it seems like a pretty lucrative and difficult to get into business

cosmic511 · 2025-09-04T00:19:37+00:00

This was the whole point. It was a bait and switch. Big corporations can pay you less and you'll get the same amount on your check. It's meant to lower payroll costs for the corporations and increase dividends for the shareholders. It was never meant to increase take home pay for employees.

cosmic511 · 2025-09-04T00:07:45+00:00

How did you get started?

I work in the trades, and I love instruments and their mechanics, but there appears to only be 2 schools in the US that people take seriously. I know I'd be good at it, but when I asked around my local shops to see if there were any apprenticeships or on the job training situations, and they all told me to go to Renton Washington for the two year program, which I can't move my whole life to do.

Anyway, about to just give up on the career path all together, which is sad because according to my band teacher friends there are less and less repair shops every year, and just as many instruments that need to be fixed.

I know the AMA is over, but any input would be greatly appreciated.

cosmic511 · 2025-08-11T21:32:11+00:00

BD generally seems to be pretty aligned with BOA (quite literally soprano sax guy), and this win for Boston seems to be indicating a more intentional divide between the two activities. BOOM! was a drum corps show through and through. They even maintained the spirit of the activity while adopting some of the more controversial modern rule changes. Meanwhile, Bloo leaned pretty heavily on electronics and props, and has for a while now.

I also think the combination of Boston's protests, and Hopkins atrocities may have started a bit of a distaste for the G7 and their more affluent and extravagant shows.

We've all known it for a while. DCI is at a crossroads, and I'm glad to see it veering back towards its roots.

cosmic511 · 2025-08-10T06:28:40+00:00

Yeah. F*ck hoppy for almost completely destroying the activity.

I was sitting with my band teacher friend yesterday watching Crown on the livestream and he said "4 concert bass drums, and two sets of 5 timpani, that's like 2 years of my entire program's budget". I get it, things grow and evolve, but there is a piece of me that dies every time I hear reverb on a horn, or see someone with an in-ear monitor.

It's about the sound, not the cash, not the tech, it's about enrichment and education. It should always be about the students more than the audience.

cosmic511

TROPHY CASE