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Old "G" Getzen Bugles


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This topic is something I've been wanting to do for some time. I've worked at Getzen Music in Elkhorn, WI for 12 years this August. I work in the Pro Shop with my brother Andy (he is acn on DCP). Anyway, we still had a few very old bugles laying around, and four in our little "museum" that are in like new condition. I've been a drumcorps fan for over 20 years, and always find the G vs Bflat arguments intriguing - I also like to read about drum corps history. So the first picture is an ad from November 1958 - it is a scanned from the original, which is safely put away.

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The next one is a picture of the above mentioned "rotary slide" - This is in like new condition, and I'm guessing aroung 50 years old

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The next two are two old ones that have been laying around in the factory for years. The first is a two piston mellophone, and the second, I think is a baritone - one piston/no rotor. I'm not sure but I think the second one is at least 50 years old. I'm not a horn player (a drummer if you couldn't guess from any of my posts :P ), but I am thinking about getting one or both of these back in playing condition. If I do, I will post some before/after pictures.

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The next four are in the museum - they were played by the 1964 Sr. VFW National Bugling Champion (in all 4 captions) - they have never been handled without gloves, and were traded staight up back to Getzen for a 590S trumpet at some time in the 80's. A 590S is now a step up from a student line horn - silver plated.

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Anyway, I think it's a cool piece of Drum Corps history. I know there has been some discussion about if corps would ever switch back to G bugles. Well, a lot of our tooling/machinery is virtually unchanged from the 1960's. Of course, many improvements have been made, but it would not be difficult at all to make G bugles :P - Wouldn't that be cool???? Enjoy

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This should go on the main Div 1 page. While the horns my be old - G horns are still being used by Pioneer, I believe, and certainly have been used in Div. 1 since '95.

Plus a heck of a lot more people would read it. :rolleyes:

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I agree - how would I request to move it???

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The slide section coming out of and back into the rotar seems awfully long on the chrome soprano. I don't remember my OLDS having such a long rotor slide. (edit just answered my own question, I see that it is a G/D soprano and not a G/F soprano.)

I played a power bore with the "hair tuning" on the slide. It was a simple adjustable screw mechanism and a stop. Worked, though. At one point we had lacquered or gold finished bugles and then made a switch to chrome. More fuel for the which is better fire because the chrome finish sounded much better than the lacquered ones. The gold ones were Getzen and the chrome ones were OLDS Ultratones.

I wish every soprano player could experience those old P/R sops. Some, like me, loved them and others not so much, but at the time they were great fun to play because they are so unusual. I knew guys that actually broke the finger hook on the bell off by pulling so hard. Obviously a bit too much pressure!

Cool stuff.

Edited by Martybucs
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Hard to tell without seeing them first hand but guessing the bottom pic is a "Bass Baritone" which has the voicing of todays Baris. Next to bottom looks like a Tenor Bari which has a voicing between the Bass bari and sopranos. Also looks like the one valve horn to be repaired is a Tenor Bari. Tenor Baris were in use roughly 1930s to early 1960s and Bass Baris came in something during the 1950s. Have two Tenor Baris at home but neither is a Getzen.

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Hard to tell without seeing them first hand but guessing the bottom pic is a "Bass Baritone" which has the voicing of todays Baris. Next to bottom looks like a Tenor Bari which has a voicing between the Bass bari and sopranos. Also looks like the one valve horn to be repaired is a Tenor Bari. Tenor Baris were in use roughly 1930s to early 1960s and Bass Baris came in something during the 1950s. Have two Tenor Baris at home but neither is a Getzen.

Here are a few shots a little closer up

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I for one really enjoyed seeing these pictures. Great thread. Thanks MJN for taking the time to display this nice piece of drum corps history.

Not a problem - you're welcome

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