The other of my two main horns at the moment, the first being Holton Collegiate.
Buescher Company was active in the first part of the XXth century and is primarily known for their saxes. They made pro trumpets, as well, but these never developed a cult and so are less desirable and cheaper than vintage Martin Committees or top of the line Oldses.
"The 400" is actually a name, and based on early Buescher ads, it's a reference to the 400 elite of New York, "supposedly the number of people Mrs William Backhouse Astor, Jr's ballroom could accommodate." @
It's a nice horn, dating to 1938 - much like this, but more beat up. It cost me about $130 on eBay and it took another hundred in repairs to return it to a playing condition. I had it since July but it took a little while to get it up to speed. Cosmetically it is still imperfect, with silver plating coming off at the pistons, but the valves are fast and smooth, the response is excellent, and the upper register is quite easy. There are indeed some subtle "Art Deco" touches, like the shape of the pistons, that make it a distinctive and cool design.
Ultimately, a lot about the horn sound and feel depends on the mouthpiece. I tried my Holton 24 deep V, but it felt really strange. The notes higher than top-of-the-staff G completely deteriorated. Maybe this is because some trumpets (like my Holton Collegiate?) are supposed to "slot tight" and can tolerate hard-to-control mouthpieces, whereas Bueschers "slot loose" and need a mouthpiece that is easier to control. I tried a 7C, but eventually settled on a vintage HN White Equa-Tru.
First I was using a 32 (medium), but then got an 11 (deep) and use that now. Equa-Tru's show up on eBay quite often; usually they are 32s (their "default," I guess). I wouldn't mind getting a 34 shallow, but more for collecting purposes; I dislike shallow mouthpieces.
I also bought a genuine Buescher mouthpiece, but eBay mp purchases are always a shot in the dark - it turned out to be an extra-shallow "screamer" that ended on a shelf.
