New Large Bore Double Trigger Lacquer Bb Cornet From a top UK Instrument Retailer & Gold Power Seller Start Price GBP 0.99 Current Price GBP 200.00 Time Left - Bid Count 14 Buy It Now Price GBP 599.00 Reserve Price - Start Time Thursday, September 04, 2008 End Time Sunday, September 14, 2008 Location Northampton See more about ' New Large Bore Double Trigger Lacquer Bb Cornet' Description Be sure to add me to your favourites list!Check out my other items! First Brass Limited   You are looking at a  stunning VB-128 double trigger Bb Cornet in Lacquer.   This high specification instrument is brand new but has been on display in our shop , there are no dings in the instrument, (there is a very small mark under the lacquer on the end of the 3rd slide but you have to look close up to see it)  the valves, slides and triggers all move smoothly. The instrument is in a Lacquer finish, triggers, water keys, top and bottom valve caps, copper/rosebrass bell, and plays with a lovely rich tone The instrument is very similar to the large bore sovereign 928 cornet in both bore and trigger design, I could give you a long description about the instrument however earlier this year it was reviewed by AlexThomas (previous British open Solo Champion of Great Britain) in the British Bandsman magazine, so we have included below a copy of that review so you can read it yourself.  Included with the instrument is a new mouthpiece and a high grade Pro Cornet case with shoulder strap, straight mute, lyre as well as a pro carekit.     Virtuosi cornets aiming for high-end market By Alex Thomas   British Bandsman recently asked me to review two instruments from the new manufacturer, Virtuosi, whom I have heard impressive reports, so I agreed and awaited arrival of these instruments with much anticipation. I had seen the Virtuosi student instruments on a trade stand at a contest in January and was impressed by the quality and finish, so I was extremely curious as to how the company’s top-end instruments would measure up in this capacity and, more importantly, with regard to how they sound and play.      The instruments arrived in very smart black cases, which are reinforced with hard wood on all surfaces and feature a cloth-covered moulded foam inner to protect the instrument form any impact. This case has a study zip and useful A4 size music pocket on the front.  There is room for four standard mutes inside and other equipment such as valve oil and lyre etc. A care kit comes with the instrument and this comprises of valve oil, tuning slide grease, a cleaning cloth and brushes which are all very useful. Something I have not encountered before was the inclusion of a music stand case, so the players and transport a stand around with their cornet, which I found to be quite a novel idea. The instrument also comes with a Virtuosi V4 mouthpiece, which has a medium sized cup.       The two instruments I received were in silver plate and lacquer respectively and, again, first impressions were excellent. The silver plated instrument has excellent bright, even plating, which is absolutely blemish free. The main tuning slide, 3rd valve slide and 2nd slide are finished in gold plate, and are the valve tops and bottoms, which give an extra special look to the cornet and suggest a price tag greatly exceeding the RRP of £599 including VAT. The lacquered cornet has a rose brass bell and yellow brass main body, with lighter lacquer highlighting some of the tubing, which again looks very smart indeed. The valve top inserts are unusually emerald green, which gives the cornet a modern, and ‘funky’ appearance.       The instrument features 1st and 3rd valve slides triggers, to enable players to fine-tune those problem notes, and these work admirably. The water keys are airtight with good quality corks and, again, the mechanism is good. Top-sprung Monel valves with nylon guides worked smoothly straight from the case and, with a single application of a little oil, these have worked perfectly throughout the test period. The instrument is robust, with good quality and thoughtfully placed sturdy struts to aid its rigidity, without losing sound quality.      Aesthetics are all very well, but without making a good noise and being an enjoyable music-making experience, an instrument nigh on useless.  Pleasingly, the instrument has a warm, cloaked sound; with the lacquered model sounding a little clearer than the silver-plated one. There is come back pressure, but this is not offensive, as it has a very similar feel to the much-loved Besson Sovereign and, indeed, the Virtuosi has the same size of bore as the large-bore 928. In playing, the instrument is generally quite responsive, but really excels when it is opened up at a louder dynamic, especially within the stave. Some minor intonation worries can be adjusted by using the triggers.     Articulation can be heard clearly and whilst it is not quite responsive as some of the leading cornets I have played, it still has strength in this area. Overall the instruments strengths are a strong warm sound, ideal for sectional playing and ensemble work.      The question isn’t about whether the Virtuosi instrument is good or not, because it is, but rather where to place it in the market. As a peripatetic teacher, I’ve seen a variety of sub-standard imports and blatant copies in many shapes and sizes, and I can honestly and thankfully say that the Virtuosi cornet does not fall into this category. It is traditional in feel, sound and appearance, and it would not look for sound out of place in all but the elite ensembles. For the majority of cornet players in brass bands, it would be more than an adequate choice of instrument. I teach many children who have surpassed beginner stage and need a cornet with features such as tuning triggers to help them progress further, for example GCSE or A level performance, and I feel that this instrument would be ideal for that level of playing. As a soloist in professional situations, I would like more responsive and more projecting instrument. Virtuosi have certainly filled a void in the market and are delivering a high quality product at a very reasonable price. I would certainly recommend this instrument to serious cornet players, particularly those who are still improving and learning their trade. What should be commended is the overall package offered by Virtuosi at and excellent price too.    Alex Thomas hails from the north west of England, where he started playing the piano aged seven, switching to the cornet at the age of ten. He played with Standish, skelmersdale and besses o’ th’ barn bands before joining YBS, with which he won two European championships, the British Open, the All-England Masters and the Yorkshire Area. He completed his BA (Music) degree in 2005, gaining 1st class honours distinction in performance, from the University of Salford. He works as a peripatetic brass teacher for Wigan Instrumental Teaching Provision and with Wigan youth band in November 2004. Alex became the British Open Solo Champion and consequently represented Britain in the Ern Keller International Brass soloist of the Year Championships in Australia. Alex is currently the principal cornetist of Freckleton Band.       With our spring clearence sale we are offering you the chance to buy a Professional grade instrument at a bargain price, we are selling with a 99p start and no reserve !!!!                    About First Brass Over the last 2 years we have become one of the largest retailers of musical instruments and accessories on ebay with over 30 years experience in the music instrument industry we know a thing or two about quality instruments at bargain prices. With feedback of almost 100% we now have many thousands of satisfied customers.   The Virtuosi Range of Instruments The extensive range of instruments and accessories from this UK company offer excellent value for money. Stands to Cases, Flutes to Trumpets, Violins to Drum kits and Student instruments to Professional instruments, you can be assured you are buying quality instruments at very low prices.   What about  VAT ? As a legitimate UK registered company (Company Reg No 5274868) all of our imported products are all import duty and VAT paid ( VAT No 857842774). Beware of many small private sellers on ebay who import items supposedly for personal use and then illegally resale them having not paid the import duty or VAT.   Are the items in stock ? Unlike a number of UK ebay sellers who sell items that have to be shipped from abroad, all of our items are in stock  here in the UK. Our Northampton warehouse currently holds around half a million pounds worth of musical instruments and accessories.   Warranty All of our new instruments come with a 1 year manufacturers warranty supported by Virtuosi Instruments  Ltd England.Your instrument will come with a warranty certificate which will be dealer stamped by ourselves here at First Brass. Should there be a problem you should contact us here at First Brass.   Payment options We accept payment by cheque (made payable to First Brass Limited), Postal order, COC or credit/debit card via the Paypal payment system or over the telephone. We do not not charge extra for any of these payment methods.   Postage/Shipping/packaging costs Please note that the postage quoted is for Uk delivery only please email us for international shipping rates. If your item is heavier than 1kg it will be sent using a 24hr trackable delivery service (UPS or Fastway)(mainland only), this insured service includes insurance and a trackable delivery service, please note a signature will be required on receipt of the item. Unfortunately this service does not cover N.Ireland , customers buying from this area will have their items sent using standard service (usually parcelforce standard service or 1st class Royalmail) unless they wish to pay an additional £10-00 for the trackable service. All items that weigh under 1KG will be sent out using 1st class mail. Please note we use the invoice sent to us by ebay for the details of the delivery address we cannot be held responsible if the address details you have supplied to ebay are incorrect (such as missing post code or missing road name). Due to the number of items we send out each day you will not receive a confirmation email that your item has been sent, however if your item has not arrived within 3 days of making payment please contact us and we will give you the tracking details. The cost of packing your item is included in the postage charge as is the insurance. The postage and packing fee is not negotiable.   Now you are ready to buy ? Buying could not be easier either use the place a bid icon if it is an auction item or the buy now icon if it offers you this option. If using buy now please only press the icon once, more than once and you will be committing to buy more than one item. Cheques can be sent to First Brass Limited, Unit WS1, Moulton Park Business Centre, Redhouse Road, Moulton Park, Northampton, NN3 6AQ. All payments should be received within 7 days, if paymant is not received negative feedback will be left, you will be reported to ebay as a non-payer and proceedings will be started with ebay to recover all our fees/costs.             On 23-Mar-06 at 16:45:25 GMT, seller added the following information: On 14-Feb-08 at 21:49:58 GMT, seller added the following information: Place a Bid!