A reader writes:
I have a 1953 King Cleveland horn that plays good. Is this horn close to a Pro model? I also have a Bundy (alto) with Bundy written on the G# key i think it was made around 1970. Would that horn be considered a True Tone? What would be a good mouthpiece for these horns? Thanks for your time and feed back.
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Thanks for getting in touch. The Cleveland would have been considered a student line compared to, say, the Super Twenty. But it is still better made than any "student line" horn you can buy new today. Set up right, with the appropriate mouthpiece, it would compete with many "intermediate" horns today.
If your Bundy JUST says Bundy (not Bundy II), and has the low B and Bb pad on the left side of the bell from the player's point of view, it would have been made largely along True Tone lines, although the improved low Bb keywork is borrowed from the Aristocrat.
I recently played a well set-up, late '60s Bundy tenor with my C* mouthpiece, and was very pleased by the sound. For 90% of what I play, it would do nicely. That said, a comparable Cleveland would probably be at least as solid, if not a bit more.
Neither horn should, technically "hold you back," although you could conceivably "outgrow them" eventually. Also, if you become a music major or join a working jazz band, they might expect you to invest in a better horn. But plenty of great music has been made on the ancestors of your pieces.
Hope this helps - Paul