Well, this is a very cool horn indeed! This one came in to us via consignment, and it is a really rare bird.
It's kind of strange as we have another one we're waiting to list, but this is the first one we are listing for a friend of the shop.
This is a US military issue, World War II era Martin handcraft standard trumpet. Be advised that the handcraft trumpets of Martin are considered some of the finest instruments ever made. This particular one has seen a fair amount of use. Another, one of my friends told me this was the only horn being made by Martin during the height of the war era, and only issued to the military. There is a serial number on the bell engraving with the US issue, military engraving above it. They did not make handcraft imperials at the time due to the ban on the use of nickel so this is an all brass version, and it's slightly brighter.
The gold wash bell is no longer gold wash, the lead pipe has a very large crack in it, but it does not affect playability.
It looks like the beginnings of red rot have started in the lead pipe right after the mouthpiece receiver, the second valve baluster has been replaced.
That's the bad stuff now the good stuff:
It has perfect compression thanks to a Mark Metzler valve rebuild. It really plays! This is one of the finer Martin trumpets I have played I can get a replacement lead pipe made to original specs for an additional $100. Just let us know and we'd be happy to help there!
This horn has also had an alignment done by the awesome folks at Bob Reeves. There's been a lot invested into this horn and the result is a smokin' good horn with a very nimble responsiveness.
If you have additional questions, please send us an email!
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Also note weight indicated in the ad is shipping weight not actual weight of the items.
