I never told you about the trombone saga
Renaud the prof de trombone said that it was time to think about changing from the ex-rental Taiwanese Jupiter 432 that I'd been playing to a big boy's trombone - that is to say one with an F mechanism and a large bore.
hmmm. There's a second-hand trombone outfit in Mont de Marsan but Bordeaux is awful for music shops. Worse than Cardiff. And trombones are expensive here in France. In fact I'd bought the Jupiter for £150 from Britain on eBay. ( It was a good buy too )
I asked in the local shops for the sake of form. Jupiter 636 large bore with F mechanism, three times the price they are in Britain ! Up there with the Yamahas and the American trombones. Second hand ? Dream on. All this about two months before we were due to go to Britain on summer hols, though.
So I thought 'OK - while we're in the UK I'll visit some of the trombone mongers. There's one in Bristol, one in Taunton, one in Watford. That'll follow our itinerary a bit'. I phoned Taunton. They had nothing. I visited Bristol. They had an old Conn that was great but expensive. I fretted about it but it was out of my budget and I knew it. Nobody had the Jupiters.
Then when we were in Swansea I looked on eBay. What's this ? An American Bach 42, second-hand, good condition, good price, nobody bidding, in Shrewsbury, the auction due to finish the day before we passed through on the way to North Wales. Could this be a providential trombone ? I bid and prayed and waited.
And won it. We called for it and the old chap who was selling it was very nice. A retired nurse, he plays for the town band and was selling his Bach and keeping his Conn. He said "I think you're getting a bargain. It's worth more than you've paid." I said that I knew - but he was happy with the deal and he threw in three mouthpieces, a waterspray and a new pot of Conn grease. And the horn is gorgeous. The bell section dates from about 1978 and the slide from about 1998. All works well and Renaud has given it his seal of approval. He said "C'est un peu vidé, mais moi j'aime bien un trombone qui est un peu vidé". He means that being old it doesn't ring quite as much as a new trombone would. ( I sometimes think I'm a bit vidé, too. )
And Renaud suddenly bought my old Jupiter. I said "You can't play a Jupiter, people will laugh" but he needed a cheap trombone for playing in the street. I sold it to him for 150 euros which is just a little less than I had paid for it.
Que du bonheur.
Now to master this Bach. Perseverance and patient endurance.
hmmm. There's a second-hand trombone outfit in Mont de Marsan but Bordeaux is awful for music shops. Worse than Cardiff. And trombones are expensive here in France. In fact I'd bought the Jupiter for £150 from Britain on eBay. ( It was a good buy too )
I asked in the local shops for the sake of form. Jupiter 636 large bore with F mechanism, three times the price they are in Britain ! Up there with the Yamahas and the American trombones. Second hand ? Dream on. All this about two months before we were due to go to Britain on summer hols, though.
So I thought 'OK - while we're in the UK I'll visit some of the trombone mongers. There's one in Bristol, one in Taunton, one in Watford. That'll follow our itinerary a bit'. I phoned Taunton. They had nothing. I visited Bristol. They had an old Conn that was great but expensive. I fretted about it but it was out of my budget and I knew it. Nobody had the Jupiters.
Then when we were in Swansea I looked on eBay. What's this ? An American Bach 42, second-hand, good condition, good price, nobody bidding, in Shrewsbury, the auction due to finish the day before we passed through on the way to North Wales. Could this be a providential trombone ? I bid and prayed and waited.
And won it. We called for it and the old chap who was selling it was very nice. A retired nurse, he plays for the town band and was selling his Bach and keeping his Conn. He said "I think you're getting a bargain. It's worth more than you've paid." I said that I knew - but he was happy with the deal and he threw in three mouthpieces, a waterspray and a new pot of Conn grease. And the horn is gorgeous. The bell section dates from about 1978 and the slide from about 1998. All works well and Renaud has given it his seal of approval. He said "C'est un peu vidé, mais moi j'aime bien un trombone qui est un peu vidé". He means that being old it doesn't ring quite as much as a new trombone would. ( I sometimes think I'm a bit vidé, too. )
And Renaud suddenly bought my old Jupiter. I said "You can't play a Jupiter, people will laugh" but he needed a cheap trombone for playing in the street. I sold it to him for 150 euros which is just a little less than I had paid for it.
Que du bonheur.
Now to master this Bach. Perseverance and patient endurance.
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