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This is not quite a Euphonium, but it's close... a 1926 Salvation Army "Triumph" Baritone. Hopefully it's allowed here! I am primarily a Eupho player, so I'll lean on that and hope I get away with it!
The baritone has been fully restored (including a full valve rebuild), and came up a dream - it plays really well.
But... the case was pretty sad.
I don't think it is the original case, as it's not a perfect fit, but I have seen other similar era Salvation Army instruments in cases that have very similar designs. So I THINK it's period correct, but possibly for a longer (non compact) Baritone.
The case exterior was a brown vinyl, and the interior was a green felt lining, which had absorbed quite a strong and nasty smell from cigarettes from a previous owner somewhere along the line. So... a restored vintage instrument deserves a restored vintage case!
I stripped it back to bare timber, threw away the brown vinyl and the green felt, and removed all the hardware. All the nails were falling out, so I re-glued everything, then applied a layer of fibreglass to the outside. Several weekends of sanding and bogging later... then a few coats of undercoat and fresh red paint went on. I'm not gunna lose this case in a rehearsal room!
I built a custom form fit interior with red velour for the base, and fitted a top lid liner with a cool brass design. Turns out to be a nice snug fit! Even has a little compartment for some valve oil!
It's not perfect... I have learnt a few lessons along the way, but I now know what I'll do for the next one (which will be for my 1912 Salvo Compact Eupho).
It was a fun project, and I'm very happy with the result. Here are a few photos... I'd love to hear from others who have restored old cases like this.
Jason.
The baritone has been fully restored (including a full valve rebuild), and came up a dream - it plays really well.
But... the case was pretty sad.
I don't think it is the original case, as it's not a perfect fit, but I have seen other similar era Salvation Army instruments in cases that have very similar designs. So I THINK it's period correct, but possibly for a longer (non compact) Baritone.
The case exterior was a brown vinyl, and the interior was a green felt lining, which had absorbed quite a strong and nasty smell from cigarettes from a previous owner somewhere along the line. So... a restored vintage instrument deserves a restored vintage case!
I stripped it back to bare timber, threw away the brown vinyl and the green felt, and removed all the hardware. All the nails were falling out, so I re-glued everything, then applied a layer of fibreglass to the outside. Several weekends of sanding and bogging later... then a few coats of undercoat and fresh red paint went on. I'm not gunna lose this case in a rehearsal room!
I built a custom form fit interior with red velour for the base, and fitted a top lid liner with a cool brass design. Turns out to be a nice snug fit! Even has a little compartment for some valve oil!
It's not perfect... I have learnt a few lessons along the way, but I now know what I'll do for the next one (which will be for my 1912 Salvo Compact Eupho).
It was a fun project, and I'm very happy with the result. Here are a few photos... I'd love to hear from others who have restored old cases like this.
Jason.
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