Olds Ambassador

[AussieSteve]

I've read all sorts of great testimonials about the Olds Ambassador cornets. I've got a couple of questions about them I'm sure I can get some answers too here!

Is there a certain period which are considered the "good ones"?

I've actually got a very nice Ambassador which dates to late 1971/early 1972. I bought it off Ebay a couple of years ago before the prices started going up! It's in excellent condition and I think I only paid about $80 for it. It has a very good "bach-looking" case as well.

I bought it to "put away" for my kids. I play cornet all the time and have virtually never played it, however I took it out today and was surprised at how good it is.

I compared the 2nd valve slide to a couple of cornets I have here including a LB Eterna and my Wild Thing and it is a bigger bore than both of them!

Did they ever make the Ambassador in a shepherd's crook design? I've seen the short shepherd's crook Bundy cornets (they play better than they should too for what they cost!), however don't recall seeing a short Ambassador.

Stephen Williams

[Happy Canuck]

Let me offer my views on the Ambassadors:

1. I would expect the Ambassadors would be more impacted than any other model by the last years of Olds. If they were trying to make horns faster, the Ambassador would be the one (other than the Pinto). So I would put the 'best' years as anything before the early '70s. I just cleaned up 5 Ambassadors for the band I'm in, they all were late 50's - early '60s. Lots of grunge came out of them (they had been stored for a long time) but they all cleaned up nicely, valves were perfect and played great!

2. Olds did make a Shepherd's Crook cornet, and it was called the Ambassador BUT it had nothing in common with an entry level horn. It was made for UK consumption and was a top of the line horn. They kept the name since it would be an 'ambassador' from the US to the UK?! Check here to see it: rouses.net/trumpet/olds77/amba6s.htm
If you ever have the chance to buy one jump at it!

Have you toured Alan Rouses' Olds Central site? rouses.net/trumpet/olds.htm Great place for Olds info.