Paxman model 45 horn

Am I crazy? I’ve put down a deposit to buy one of these horns from Sax & Woodwind in Sydney, who are the sole Paxman agents in Australia. The horn will be delivered to me from Paxman in England, un-played, sometime in July 2010. It’s a very rare and (sharp intake of breath) expensive horn, custom built, and owned by only one other person that I’ve ever met: Michael Thomson. He’s a celebrity horn player from the UK, and I met him in Adelaide a couple of months ago when he hosted a horn master class. Actually his horn is a model 40, which is the forerunner to the model 45.

At this point I want to give acknowledgement to Uncle Peter, my father's brother, who died in England in 2009 and left me a sum of money, part of which is paying for this horn. Because I was only six years old when I migrated to Australia, and have never returned, I never knew him much at all, which made the gift all the more surprising. Uncle Peter - I will think of you often when I play this horn.

The model 45 is an unusual instrument, a double B flat / F descant. What I’m looking for with this horn is the promise of the descant F side enabling me to play in the top register more reliably. Right now, here’s my assessment:

  • G# - usually no problem unless it’s the end of the night.
  • A - concentrate! 90% reliable.
  • Bb - has to be early in the program.
  • B - pray.
  • C - only in the confines of practice.
paxmanmodel40.jpg

I love playing in chamber orchestras, but then my enjoyment takes a battering when I see the classic Mozart or Haydn symphony, horn in A, regularly asking for soft top A’s out of thin air.

There are a number of triple horns available, ie F/B flat/F descant, but my lack of interest in the F horn and an aversion to the extra weight made me decide on the model 45. For a moment I thought that it would not have the full range of pedal notes, but with a fundamental of the pedal C, even the descant F horn should be able to get all the way down the chromatic scale. It remains to be seen how well, however.

My other hope is that the new rotors, titanium no less, will enable me to speed up my woeful fingering. My current horn is quite worn, particularly on the first key, so I have to use thickish oil to stop the rattling.
Here's the specification:
PAXMAN MODEL 45 - B flat / F alto double horn with stopping valve

  • Bore: MEDIUM
  • Metal: YELLOW LACQUERED BRASS
  • Bell Flare: DETACHABLE
  • Lever Action: MINIBAL
  • Rotors: TITANIUM
  • Pitch: A-442
  • A hand rest (flipper) rather than a little finger hook
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