Martin Handcraft Committee Cornet

The Martin "Committee" model has one of the most storied histories of any trumpet from the last century. Famously designed by a committee of musicians and instrument makers, the Martin Committee was used by a number of famous jazz musicians, including Miles Davis and Dizzy Gillespie. The Handcraft Committee model, which was only made for a couple years prior to WWII, shares a number of features with the post-war models, but has its own unique flair. The Handcraft Committee features "airplane" style braces from the leadpipe to bell as well as standard waterkeys. The wrap of the Handcraft Committee cornet is identical to the Handcraft Imperial cornet which Martin made in the mid-1930's. 

This cornet dates to 1941. Its sound is incredibly full and lush, and fills up the room. The valves are in great shape and have good compression considering the age of the instrument. This cornet has been relacquered at one point in time, but it was likely done in the 40's or 50's, as the lacquer appears to be nitrocellulose and has aged to a dark color. There are a couple of small dings in hard-to-reach places, but nothing big enough to drastically impact playability. The leadpipe shows minor pitting, but no signs of red rot, and no holes. We have replica leadpipes available for this model. This cornet has just received a full service cleaning at Beverly Music, including a valve alignment with synthetic pads.