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King Trombone, Early H.N.White Beauty
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King Trombone, Early H.N.White Beauty
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This is a beautiful old King trombone, made by the H.N. White Co. of Cleveland, Ohio. The bell measures 6.5" and is silver plated brass with a gold wash on the inside of the bell. The bell section has a satin silver finish, and has beautiful engraving on a highly polished silver background. The instrument is marked "medium bore", which is the only real indication of its model type, and It has the "lion head" stamped on the mouthpiece receiver, which was a hallmark of the early H.N. White trombones. I have not measured the instrument, but I have seen some early specifications which would suggest that it may be around a .450" bore size. The serial Nr. is 12828, which according to the manufacturer, would date it from 1910-1915. This serial nr. was stamped on literally every part of the trombone, (all matching) including the water key(!), leaving no doubt about its originality. Since the Patent date stamped on the instrument reads: "patent May 24th 1910", and according to the King serial nr. lists 15000 marks the beginning of 1915, I`m guessing it may have been produced in about 1911. The outer slide is also silver plated brass, highly polished. The inner slide tubes are raw brass with relatively short chrome, or possibly nickel plated stockings. There is no slide lock, and there is no screw connecting the slide and bell sections. The slide does have an interesting feature which I had never seen before: there are 2 small, removeable sleeves which fit into the ends of each outer slide tube. I believe they act as a guide and also as a brake, preventing the slide from easily falling off if accidentally dropped. It will normally stop the slide at 7th position. If you want to remove the outer slide completely, you can easily do so by giving it a quick and decisive jerk. The instrument is in a condition which can only be described as magnificent for its age. The silver plating is 99% perfect, and with the exception of a few very tiny dings in the bell section, the trombone is free of dents. The slide action is really amazing! When properly lubricated, this slide works on paar with most used trombone slides a fraction of its age. I wouldn`t have believed it, but it`s absolutely true! I have bought, sold, and played a lot of "modern" trombones with slides that didn`t work this well. Granted, it`s not quite as quick as a good contemporary slide, and you have to spray it with water more often, but it has no catches and functions smoothly and evenly over the entire range of movement. It`s in perfect working order, shows absolutely no evidence of having ever been repaired, and is ready to play. The engraving is really stunning, and the gold wash is at least 90% intact. It has a nice, rich color, which reminds me of gold brass. This is a truely beautiful antique trombone, a definite collectors item, and a genuine piece of American trombone history. Unlike many other antique instruments, this horn is fully functional. It plays beautifully with a very unusual sound which reminds me a little of an alto trombone. If you`ve ever wondered what trombones sounded like at the beginning of the 20th century, this is it. Although it`s stamped "Medium bore", this is a very small horn by todays standards. It`s pitched in Bb, so it can be played in any present day ensemble. It isn`t going to take the place of your large bore tenor, because it`s simply too small for most band and orchestra work, but I could well imagine using this horn in a dixieland combo. I think it would add a unique and authentic sound. It could also be an interesting alternative for high parts typically played on alto trombones. Once you get used to its vintage sound quality, it`s a lot of fun to play. This trombone is not just a collectors item which should be in the display case, but is also a great playing, completely functional instrument which can be played and enjoyed. The original mouthpiece is missing. The mouthpiece pictured (not included) is a normal mouthpiece with a sm...
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