F.E. Olds and Son 1925 Catalog
This is likely the first full catalog published by Olds (click link below). I have never seen
any earlier promotional literature but I would assume that they would have, at a
minimum, printed a price and/or model list previous to this. Please let me know if you
have any early Olds literature. This catalog states that Olds had set out to produce
instruments 12 years earlier, or 1913. We can surmise that Olds had some success in his
plating business which he had started 24 years before that date and was likely repairing
and experimenting with brass instruments during those years. He had enough success to
purchase the rights to the 1912 trombone design patent from George Riblet so that he
could incorporate these features in his own instruments. By 1925, he had developed at
least 5 slide bore sizes and several bell sizes. The catalog describes the "braces and hand
grips" are made of nickel silver. The earlier trombones that I feature here utilize nickel
silver for the brace flanges only. These also represent some of the bore and bell size
combinations available. All the trombones offered here have tuning in the hand slide,
which was a new idea when Olds introduced his first trombones and was only a slight
modification of one of the patented design features. This was copied by all the major US
band instrument makers as well as Olds' former employee Earl Williams. By the time that
the next known catalog was published in 1927, Olds introduced a new model that they call
"Self Balancing", with the tuning slide in the bell section and the brace tubes substituted
by solid brass rods for weight in the back of the bell. Also introduced at that time is the
slogan "It's a Bear" and the logo picturing a trombone playing bear. I hope to narrow
down the date when this bear first appears engraved on the trombone bells but based on
the evidence that I have at this time I would assume that it was between 1925 and 1927.
any earlier promotional literature but I would assume that they would have, at a
minimum, printed a price and/or model list previous to this. Please let me know if you
have any early Olds literature. This catalog states that Olds had set out to produce
instruments 12 years earlier, or 1913. We can surmise that Olds had some success in his
plating business which he had started 24 years before that date and was likely repairing
and experimenting with brass instruments during those years. He had enough success to
purchase the rights to the 1912 trombone design patent from George Riblet so that he
could incorporate these features in his own instruments. By 1925, he had developed at
least 5 slide bore sizes and several bell sizes. The catalog describes the "braces and hand
grips" are made of nickel silver. The earlier trombones that I feature here utilize nickel
silver for the brace flanges only. These also represent some of the bore and bell size
combinations available. All the trombones offered here have tuning in the hand slide,
which was a new idea when Olds introduced his first trombones and was only a slight
modification of one of the patented design features. This was copied by all the major US
band instrument makers as well as Olds' former employee Earl Williams. By the time that
the next known catalog was published in 1927, Olds introduced a new model that they call
"Self Balancing", with the tuning slide in the bell section and the brace tubes substituted
by solid brass rods for weight in the back of the bell. Also introduced at that time is the
slogan "It's a Bear" and the logo picturing a trombone playing bear. I hope to narrow
down the date when this bear first appears engraved on the trombone bells but based on
the evidence that I have at this time I would assume that it was between 1925 and 1927.
