i don’t have a closeup pic, but it’s a brass Bflat with the stamp ‘Mid-East Manufacturing’ on it.
does anyone have any info about that maker?
beat you to the draw! 
ahhh! thanks!! i suppose i should have googled it! i just assumed it was an old brand, and didn’t try. 
anyway, when they sell for 10$ new, i am guessing it’s something i can live without. 
probably.
It’s a crap shoot, I think, because they’re very inconsistent. Some people have tried examples of these in various keys that were halfway decent. The ones I’ve personally tried have been uniformly bad.
thanks for the info, m! i’ll save my $ for a more reliable cheapie, i think… 