A friend - very recently - snagged one of those from eBay...for around $1100 less than that one's listed price.
It's more beat-up (but never refinished), and is here to be repaired.
I saw it...but am much MORE interested in getting the attic emptied, rather than "even more stuffed with things awaiting restorations".
I've ordered two or three things from Christian, to make repairing it a little bit easier. My friend asked about a "5th valve", but - as a professional trombonist - who makes a few thousand dollars each year playing BASS trombone, his bass is a SINGLE rotor bass. Reminding them of that, I then asked...so do you REALLY want a 5th valve on an instrument on which you DOUBLE...!?!? (to which the sheepish reply was, "no").
I'll be doing another "twin-spin", once the Holton 345's are done, because we - also - have a model 84B, here, that needs to be slicked out and sold.
I won't be putting a new finish on either 84, but our own 84 will get new lacquer on it's bell and on a few other surfaces.
(Years ago - when I bought our now: attic-stored 84 - the bell was trashed...but I have two nice 84 bells - from which to choose - to install on this instrument, and not interested in selling the other bell, because - as soon as it would be sold - I'd end up needing it here. Once stuff is sold, y'ain't got it, no more.
)
...My friend's 84 features those very old-school large-gauge (were they nickel silver...??) springs. BOY...are those things stiff !!!
I might (??) open up a discussion with him re: replacing them with the newer-style (as of several decades ago) smaller-gauge stainless steel springs....but "how hard
he will have to mash" really doesn't make any difference to
me.
I won't be tearing off the S-arm linkage (from either instrument). Miraphone S-arm linkage is
very well-made,
very easy to make silent/like-new again, and
very handsome. Being
environmentally-conscious, I don't wish to waste
unnatural resources...particularly not perfectly-good ones.
