The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I have to share my absolute thrill and excitement with this forum. I sent off a couple horns to John Duffy to remove their dents and polish them. The horns came back today and way exceeded my expectation. John is a master in straightening and polishing horns. I can strongly recommend John and his work!

Thanks John!!!!

Shawn O'Rourke

Shawn,

I second that opinion. I bought one of his black and brass horns for my Vic I and I could not be happier. Has the Patent Applied For stamp (so assume it is original as he stated), but otherwise looks almost new. Love it.

Matt

For those who do not know John;
You will not meet a nicer, more honest guy in this hobby!!!
He regularly attends both fall and spring Wayne, NJ shows and may be able to pick up horns for repair while there.
Gene

Do you have John Duffy email or web site?

Hi all,
Thank you for the compliments.

My email is [email protected], Phone is 860-966-2827. I have no website at this time.

I started to do this out of necessity for our hobby. I had been using a musical instrument shop for my repairs when the owner/craftsman came to me and said he could not continue anymore because of the time it truely takes and his requirement to earn shop wages for he and his people. Which I completly understood, but I was bummed out because there are alot of "common" horns to be saved. None of us could make the math work to spend hundreds on a horn that is worth only hundreds.

He agreed to mentor me and I have invested in thousands of dollars of band instrument dent removal equipment. I worked with my Mentor and the manufacturer to specify the "wheel", various attachments and hand tools to service phonograph horns only. I do not do band instruments! Knowingly, it is not a smart financial investment as it will take a very long time to pay off, but it keeps me out of trouble.

The general pricing idea is < 12" diameter is $30, greater than 12" diameter is $50. I reserve the right to call you and discuss the price of any horn that will need "long term care" or been "totaled" in an Ebay shipping accident ( I have had a number of those!).I also have optional buffing capabilities which we can discuss (typically $10 <12", $20 > 12" for black and brass horns). There are also some practical length limitations as there are no band instruments as long as some of the longest phonograph horns. My current limitation is 34" long and that is using extenders on the band equipment tool side. I am looking to incease that some day by ordering a custom piece.

As mentioned I attend the Wayne Show each spring and fall, so we can arrange pick up and drop offs there. Or drop offs at Wayne and I can ship to you if its feasible.Or ship in and pick up in Wayne. I am flexible.

You can call me at 860-966-2827. Email pictures to [email protected] and we can discuss your horns. Attached is a "shipping accident" before and after image.

Thanks to all again,

John Duffy
6 Northeast Rd
Farmington CT 06032
[email protected]
860-966-2827c