VINTAGE NICKEL-SILVER REYNOLDS FE-01 DOUBLE FRENCH HORN Totally original, no dents / damage, new case, pro horn Start Price USD 1,250.00 Current Price USD 1,250.00 Time Left - Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price USD 1,450.00 Reserve Price - Start Time Tuesday, September 30, 2008 End Time Friday, October 10, 2008 Location Wichita, Kansas See more about 'VINTAGE NICKEL-SILVER REYNOLDS FE-01 DOUBLE FRENCH HORN' Description Wichita Band Instrument Co. 2525 East Douglas Ave., Wichita, KS 67211, USA tel (316) 684-0291;  FAX (316) 684-6858 E-mail wbic@wichitaband.com and E-mail wbic@aol.com   VINTAGE F.A. REYNOLDS “FE-01” DOUBLE HORN.   Rather than type a long history of the relationship between the F.A. Reynolds Company and New York Philharmonic hornist James Chambers (1921 – 1989 ), we invite you to have a look at the web site “contemporacorner”.  Don’t know who’s put it all together, but there’s a wealth of information on the site that’s very interesting.   Our own first encounter with Reynolds French horns dates back to the early 1960’s.   Wichita Band Instrument Company started in 1953, but it wasn’t until a decade later that we began selling new French horns.  Bach trumpets we’ve sold since the mid fifties, but Reynolds horns came later.   Actually we did, in the early sixties, have a handful of Reynolds-RMC instruments.  In 1961, Paul Richards bought the Martin Band Instrument Company and the E.K. Blessing firm (both in Elkhart) and added the F.A. Reynolds (Cleveland) factory soon after.     I’m afraid I remember it all too well.  Richards had twelve road salesmen, calling on music shops all over the US.  He bought all of them new Nash station wagons.  And by the end of 1963, his empire was wheels-up and gone forever.   Blessing went back to being owned by the Blessing family; Martin’s name was taken over by LeBlanc-USA and Reynolds production was acquired by the Norlin Coporation, was moved to Abilene, Texas, later to Fullerton, California.   By the early 1970’s, we were selling a large number of Norlin’s FE-01 Reynolds horns.  Solid nickel-silver, well-made, with good control and a more focused sound than an 8D.  They were priced at the same figure as a Holton Farkas or a Conn 8D and many of our customers preferred the Reynolds horns above all others.  Generally well-built, of nickel alloy a bit heavier gauge than on Conn 8D’s of the time.   The Texas / California Reynolds horns were similar to those made in Cleveland, but not exactly the same.   The big difference was in the alloy of the metal.   Cleveland instruments appear to have just a little bit of gold color to the metal….quite unlike the steel-colored nickel of an Elkhart 8D or of the later Reynolds horns.   The metal is not stiff and hard to burnish, like an Elkhart 8D is. The alloy is quite different.   It’s not a horn for everybody, though.   Our horn has come to us in good original condition, without dents, all original and without thin spots or patches.    The original rotors are still very good, have good compression and do not need to be re-plated.   They were tight forty years ago and still are today.   Our FE-01 Reynolds horn wears serial number 244,085 (built in early 1969) and still has sharp engraving to the bell section.     There is no lacquer finish to the instrument.  The metal is of Reynold’s unique-alloy solid nickel-silver and wears no lacquer at all.    Bore size, measured at the second slide, is .468 inches.  Bell spout is rather wide…not too far from a new Holton H-179 or a Conn 8D.   It’s not a “closet queen” that’s in pristine condition, but it’s a totally unique horn that’s best suited for use by an adult amateur player.   Remember that it has no lacquer to the metal, so it probably would not be properly appreciated by a school musician.   The horn’s clean, as well.  Inside and out…   The bottom line is that our EBay  Reynolds-FE-01 is definitely a “best buy” with a “buy it now” price of $1650.    Or, if you want to risk it, we’ll start the bidding at a lower figure and maybe you’ll get it for a bargain price.   All original, new case, no dents or dings, top recommendtion.   Questions about French horns?  Email us at wbic@wichitaband.com or telephone Richard Bentson, our horn specialist, at 1-800-835-3006.   *****     Wichita Band Instrument Company is a small musical instrument emporium located in the center of the USA. We’ve been in business since 1953 and have had the same owner since 1963. Originally we were a repair shop that specialized in wind instrument restoration. Today we have 18 employees including seven of the finest repair technicians in the country. Virtually ALL the items we sell have been fully reconditioned in our own shop, although we do sell a few unrestored historical instruments each year.   It’s sometimes possible to buy a horn on Ebay for a low price, but unless that instrument has been reconditioned by a reputable shop, you won’t know how it plays until you spend another few hundred to have it mechanically overhauled. With an instrument from OUR shop, you know it’s in the finest condition when it arrives at your home!   Wichita Band’s service warranty is the same as it’s been for more than thirty years:    “ALL new and all used instruments sold by Wichita Band Instrument Company come with our 24 month service warranty. It’s in addition to any factory guarantees. For two full years, we will repair or replace, whichever in our estimation is the more advisable, pads, corks, springs or other parts required, at no charge to the customer. The customer is responsible for shipping and insurance charges. Cases and plating finishes are not covered by our service warranty but are sometimes covered by factory guarantees.”   Wichita Band’s service warranty does cover dents and dings to your instrument. If your instrument sustains damage to the body, end bow, neck, slides or bell, we’ll burnish out the dents and make it look “like new” again. The cost you is absolutely nothing except for shipping and insurance charges.   Wichita Band Instrument Company maintains a repair department capable of restoration work of the highest quality. Even though repairs are essentially “free” for the first two years, after that period has expired, we remain at your service to maintain and repair your musical equipment forever. It’s our “service after the sale” promise and has been since 1953!   In the event that a customer requires service under factory guarantees or Wichita Band’s service warranty, the item must be returned to us and not directly to the manufacturer.   Anything we sell can be sent to you for a short approval period without obligation. We collect NO SALES TAX, unless you’re lucky enough to live in Kansas. The customer is responsible for shipping and insurance and must pre-pay back to us any freight charges on returned equipment. International shipping is available. Returned items will be refunded within 3 weeks of receiving the item. We’re happy to send any instrument “on approval” for five days, but ask the prospective buyer to pay shipping both ways and to please reimburse us for clean-up and re-stocking charges, 2.95%, on any returned instrument.   VISA/MASTERCARD/DISCOVER/MONEY ORDER/CHECK/WIRE TRANSFER ACCEPTED. Credit cards not accepted from some countries. We must ship to the credit card billing address with exceptions made only at our discretion.   We’re happy to correspond with musicians, players, parents and enthusiasts of all types.   Written appraisals are always available, but please don’t write or telephone and ask “what’s granny’s baritone sax worth?”   Do an Ebay search and you’ll learn more than we could ever tell you.       Place a Bid!