Vintage 1937 Martin Handcraft Imperial Trumpet in Lacquer

A Great Vintage Martin Trumpet

The Martin Handcraft Imperial is one of Trent's absolute favorite vintage instrument! This horn is all original although it appears some repair work has been done on the bell. It is equipped with a reverse leadpipe. The third valve slide stop rod is missing the stop nut. There's some general lacquer wear and scratching in various places around the horn and some general denting around the body as well. Beyond these cosmetic imperfections this horn is a great player, valves are smooth and free and all the slides work great. As always with older instruments we recommend using a heavier valve oil with this horn, like Berp #3. Please check out the photos for the condition of the instrument.

Do not confuse the later post-committee "Imperials" with this one! While the later Imperial was an intermediate horn this Handcraft Imperial was the absolute top of the line of its time for Martin. This is a beautiful trumpet with classic art deco design details (see photos). Here's a video of a similar Martin Handcraft Imperial:

If you wanted a Committee but didn't want to fight the intonation issues of that horn the HCI is a superb option. In my opinion this is the finest trumpet Martin ever made, rich, warm creamy while still maintaining enough carrying power to play in a section or even play 1st parts on. Here's a video of a Handcraft Imperial from the same era:

 Here's another clip of Trent, playing Monk's "Trinkle, Tinkle" on a similar HCI:

Comes with no case or mouthpiece

If you have additional questions send us an email. 

Prior to ordering please check our Shipping and Returns policy.

Also note weight indicated in the ad is shipping weight not actual weight of instrument.

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