GOOD VINTAGE FRENCH COURTOIS C-TRUMPET, CIRCA 1950 Valves rebuilt, dents removed! Start Price USD 550.00 Current Price USD 663.30 Time Left - Bid Count 3 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Wednesday, July 23, 2008 End Time Wednesday, July 30, 2008 Location Wichita, Kansas See more about 'GOOD VINTAGE FRENCH COURTOIS C-TRUMPET, CIRCA 1950' Description Wichita Band Instrument Co. 2525 East Douglas Ave., Wichita, KS 67211, USA tel (316) 684-0291; FAX (316) 684-6858 E-mail Professional-quality Vintage French C- trumpet by Antoine Courtois. Pro C trumpet by A. Courtois (Paris) serial #7010. Good original condition with 90% original bright silver finish, bell dings to the flair & spout recently burnished out in our shop. The bore size is medium: we measure it as 11.25 mm (.443 inches). The instrument came to us with some wear to the valves, so we’ve sent it to Anderson for a full valve re-build and re-plate. Pistons are now absolutely perfect. Engraved on the bell “ hors / concours / Chicago 1890 / St Louis / 1904 “ and “ Antoine Courtois / brevete / facteur du conservatoire / national / 8 rue de Nancy / PARIS / 1er prix / medaille d’or Paris / 1878 , 1889 , 1900 / grands prix Liege 1905 / Bruxelles 1910. Liege 1905 / Geneve 1927 ”. Valve casings are marked “ 4 , 5 , 6” and the second casing is stamped with serial number 7010 and “ A. Courtois / Paris” inside an oval circle. From the early 1950’s until the mid 1980’s, the G.LeBlanc Corporation of Wisconsin imported Courtois brasses. LeBlanc-France initially manufactured only woodwinds, but as the market for their instruments became stronger, LeBlanc-USA president Vito Pascucci made an agreement with Courtois to produce trumpets under the LeBlanc name. It’s the reason almost no “Courtois” brasses are to be found in the States. They’re still in business in France, still produce high-quality trumpets and cornets that are widely used by pro players in Europe. In America, the Courtois trumpets made under the LeBlanc name were very well received in the sixties and later. Conrad Gozzo, Al Hirt and, as I recall, the Condoli brothers all used LeBlancs. Made in France by Courtois. Our trumpet wears about 90% of the original French bright silver finish. We have, in our shop, burnished out a number of small dings to the bell flare and spout. We often have similar instruments in our inventory. Some are “pristine”, others reflect the fact that they’re very good players and have been used a bit. And some are less perfect and are priced accordingly. This one comes with a compact case from Pro-Tech that’s in good condition. Made about 1940, we think. But perhaps as late as 1950… In any event, it’s a fine pro-quality trumpet for a “best buy” price. Please keep in mind that this particular instrument is NOT for everyone. It’s been played a bit, does show evidence of burnishing and balling out dents, some of the work from our shop and other repairs from many years ago. The important thing to remember is that the bore size is smaller than that of most modern trumpets. The bell taper is smaller, as well. In our opinion, the instrument would be perfect for use with a church orchestra or perhaps for an orchestra player who wants to recreate the tone-color of pre 1940 French compositions. Ravel, Milhaud, even Stravinsky, perhaps. Wichita Band Instrument Company is a small musical instrument emporium located in the center of the USA. We’ve been in business since 1953 and have had the same owner since 1963. Originally we were a repair shop that specialized in wind instrument restoration. Today we have 18 employees including eight of the finest repair technicians in the country. Virtually ALL the items we sell have been fully reconditioned in our own shop, although we do sell a few unrestored historical instruments each year. It’s sometimes possible to buy a good cornet, trumpet or t-bone on Ebay for a low price, but unless that instrument has been fully reconditioned by a reputable shop, you won’t know how it plays until you spend another few hundred to have it mechanically overhauled. With an instrument from OUR shop, you know it’s in fine condition when it arrives at your home! Wichita Band’s service warranty is the same as it’s been for more than thirty years: “ALL new and all used instruments sold by Wichita Band Instrument Company come with our 24 month service warranty. It’s in addition to any factory guarantees. For two full years, we will repair or replace, whichever in our estimation is the more advisable, pads, corks, springs or other parts required, at no charge to the customer. The customer is responsible for shipping and insurance charges. Cases and plating finishes are not covered by our service warranty but are sometimes covered by factory guarantees.” Wichita Band’s service warranty does cover dents and dings to your instrument. If your instrument sustains damage to the body, end bow, neck, slides or bell, we’ll burnish out the dents and make it look “like new” again. The cost you is absolutely nothing except for shipping and insurance charges. Wichita Band Instrument Company maintains a repair department capable of restoration work of the highest quality. Even though repairs are essentially “free” for the first two years, after that period has expired, we remain at your service to maintain and repair your musical equipment forever. It’s our “service after the sale” promise and has been since 1953! In the event that a customer requires service under factory guarantees or Wichita Band’s service warranty, the item must be returned to us and not directly to the manufacturer. Anything we sell can be sent to you for a short approval period without obligation. We collect NO SALES TAX, unless you’re lucky enough to live in Kansas. The customer is responsible for shipping and insurance and must pre-pay back to us any freight charges on returned equipment. International shipping is available. Returned items will be refunded within 3 weeks of receiving the item. We’re happy to send any instrument “on approval” for ten days, but ask the prospective buyer to pay shipping both ways and to please reimburse us for clean-up and re-stocking charges, 2.95%, on any returned instrument. VISA/MASTERCARD/DISCOVER/MONEY ORDER/CHECK/WIRE TRANSFER ACCEPTED. Credit cards not accepted from some countries. We must ship to the credit card billing address with exceptions made only at our discretion. We’re happy to correspond with musicians, players, parents and enthusiasts of all types. Written appraisals are always available, but please don’t write or telephone and ask “what’s granny’s baritone sax worth?” Do an Ebay search and you’ll learn far more than we could ever tell you. Place a Bid!