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Getzen Power Bore Trumpet 90PB |
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Getzen Co. Length = 18.5" Original cost in 1960 = $210 [$2,152 in 2023] After over twenty years of collecting instruments, I finally bought my first Getzen. I'll have to admit that I have never been a fan of the Super Deluxe models with their copper trim and bracing, and many that I have seen for sale had crumpled bell flairs. It made me wonder if they made their bells thinner than others. Then I came across this absolute mint original example of the Power Bore model and fell in love with it. This design uses more traditional slide bracing and has a nice contrast of brass and silver. The fact that it was also their large-bore model and that it appeared to have been never played really made me want to add this to my permanent collection. If you want to know what one of these looked like brand new, check out these photos!
Model number stamp on the unique Getzen receiver.
Getzen's unique stamped valve to bell bracing also includes a hand grip section that prevents wear to the valve casings. My only complaint to Getzen would be to do a better job aligning the valves at the factory. I am assuming that this set-up was all original yet it wasn't even close to being aligned correctly. I had to carefully cut the inset felts in half to get them to go down far enough and had to remove half of the felts inside to get the open height correct. The lesson is to never trust the factory to get it right.
Other unique Getzen designs; the lead pipe brace right at the beginning of the receiver and the bell coupler. Brett Getzen reports that quality and durability were key components of the early Getzen designs. The bell coupler enables the bell crook to easily be replaced when damaged.
The third slide works beautifully and thankfully retains all the stop nuts.
Brett Getzen says that the "Pat.Pend." mark was never for any real patent but rather a marketing ploy. This appears on almost all instruments up to the sale of the company in 1960.
The tuning slide brace is angled slightly; another unique design feature. This was likely intended to make it quicker to solder together without the need for silver-soldered end flanges.
Not having an early Getzen before, I didn't know they used this fancy valve guide with a small wheel riding in a slot. After having owned hundreds of cornets and trumpets over the years, I will have to give Getzen the prize for most expensive valve guide design.
The case is nearly mint with just some minor damage in two spots. Thankfully, the worst damage is on the bottom and likely came from moving this around over the years rather then from actual use.
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