Early Super Olds Trumpets
I had been planning a page featuring an early Super Olds trumpet
that was made in 1939, but just recently an earlier example came
along that was made in 1937. It is the third oldest Super Olds
trumpet listed in The Olds Register and was likely made within the
first year that Olds produced this model. This was just two years
after the introduction of the first versions of the Super Olds
trombones, and probably very close to the time that the newly
redesigned Super trombone was introduced. The first two photos
show the earlier of these trumpets and the third and fourth photos
are of the two trumpets side by side. At first glance, they might
appear the same, but there are a surprising number of details that
were changed from the earlier production. The most visible
differences are the wider "tone ring" on the earlier bell and the
second valve slides that slope different directions, the earlier
towards the bell as seen on Besson trumpets. Not visible in these
photos are different diagonal braces between the bells and
mouthpipes, which on the earlier trumpet are very much like those
used on Special model trumpets made after 1948 and the prototype
Mendez model trumpet. Look a little closer and you'll see that the
later trumpet has a stop rod mechanism on the third slide and the
first slide outside tubing and ferrules are different lengths. I've
found three additional differences that aren't easily seen. The bells
were made on two different mandrels, the earlier is smaller through
most of the taper, but flares larger through the last five inches to
the rim. This is much like the large bore Martin Imperial and
Committee model bells in character. Also, the bore is slightly
larger in the earliest Super trumpets, at .462" compared to .460" in
the later Supers and most other trumpets made by Olds.
Interestingly, this is the same large bore size used by Bach and
seemingly used only for a very short time by Olds. Another
difference was very surprising to me: the mouthpipe on the earlier
Super has a seam, being made from sheet metal rather than a
seamless tube. Besson and Benge trumpets had seamed
mouthpipes until the 1950s and I haven't seen this in any other
Olds trumpet. This is something that I'll have to start looking for,
but a quick look through all my older Olds trumpets finds them all
to be seamless. The last image to the left is a page from a circa
1938 Olds catalog that shows a Super Ods trumpet with the earlier
style second valve slide, braces and wide tone ring.
These trumpets are both 18 3/4" from bell rim to bell curve, but at
19 7/8" to the end of the receiver, the earlier is 1/4" longer. The
diameter of both bell rims is 4 3/4". The color difference in the
bells is due to the darkened lacquer on the later trumpet. Neither
of these have original finish.
that was made in 1939, but just recently an earlier example came
along that was made in 1937. It is the third oldest Super Olds
trumpet listed in The Olds Register and was likely made within the
first year that Olds produced this model. This was just two years
after the introduction of the first versions of the Super Olds
trombones, and probably very close to the time that the newly
redesigned Super trombone was introduced. The first two photos
show the earlier of these trumpets and the third and fourth photos
are of the two trumpets side by side. At first glance, they might
appear the same, but there are a surprising number of details that
were changed from the earlier production. The most visible
differences are the wider "tone ring" on the earlier bell and the
second valve slides that slope different directions, the earlier
towards the bell as seen on Besson trumpets. Not visible in these
photos are different diagonal braces between the bells and
mouthpipes, which on the earlier trumpet are very much like those
used on Special model trumpets made after 1948 and the prototype
Mendez model trumpet. Look a little closer and you'll see that the
later trumpet has a stop rod mechanism on the third slide and the
first slide outside tubing and ferrules are different lengths. I've
found three additional differences that aren't easily seen. The bells
were made on two different mandrels, the earlier is smaller through
most of the taper, but flares larger through the last five inches to
the rim. This is much like the large bore Martin Imperial and
Committee model bells in character. Also, the bore is slightly
larger in the earliest Super trumpets, at .462" compared to .460" in
the later Supers and most other trumpets made by Olds.
Interestingly, this is the same large bore size used by Bach and
seemingly used only for a very short time by Olds. Another
difference was very surprising to me: the mouthpipe on the earlier
Super has a seam, being made from sheet metal rather than a
seamless tube. Besson and Benge trumpets had seamed
mouthpipes until the 1950s and I haven't seen this in any other
Olds trumpet. This is something that I'll have to start looking for,
but a quick look through all my older Olds trumpets finds them all
to be seamless. The last image to the left is a page from a circa
1938 Olds catalog that shows a Super Ods trumpet with the earlier
style second valve slide, braces and wide tone ring.
These trumpets are both 18 3/4" from bell rim to bell curve, but at
19 7/8" to the end of the receiver, the earlier is 1/4" longer. The
diameter of both bell rims is 4 3/4". The color difference in the
bells is due to the darkened lacquer on the later trumpet. Neither
of these have original finish.
Click on images for larger views.
