Olds Military Model Trumpet
The Military Model trumpet was introduced by F.E. Olds and
Son in about 1933 with the distinctive hammered finished bell as
shown here. The first image to the left is taken from a catalog
published in about 1937, which is when this trumpet was made.
There are a few earlier Olds trumpets with hammered bells that
appear to predate this introduction, but the Military was the only
model where this was standard equipment. Other makers copied
this finish but only on instruments of much lower quality. Olds
instruments were always superior in construction and playing
qualities. Conventional wisdom is that the bore of a brass
instrument must be as smooth as possible for maximum acoustical
efficiency. In my experience, Olds trumpets and cornets with
hammered bells are all excellent playing instruments (assuming
that they haven't been modified or otherwise abused or worn
out). In the manufacturing of these bells, the inside of the final
flare is scraped and polished to remove the backside of the
hammer dents, but these bumps are present in the rest of the bell
interior. The Military Model trumpets and cornets were also
available by special order with smooth bells. I have come across
a few of these and it is interesting to note that the bells are made
of extremely thin brass, measuring about .015, the hammered
variety being about .025". It certainly makes sense that a
considerable amount of brass would need to be removed from the
interior of the bell flares to make them smooth and this would
probably be impossible with the thinner bell brass. The unique
bell engraving, with American bald eagle, seen here appears on
every Military Model that I have seen whether with hammered
finish or not. From their introduction the Military Models had
mobile third valve slides and this has a stop rod to prevent it from
falling out as well as a similar looking stop rod on the main tuning
slide for quick change to A. The valve section is marked "M"
(medium) and is the smaller of three sizes made by Olds, with a
bore size of .453", a narrow bell flare and the rim diameter is only
4 1/16". The curves are narrow, making this trumpet longer than
most at 20 1/4" with the mouthpiece removed (19 3/8" from bell
rim to curve). It is a very responsive playing instrument with
excellent intonation and a very brilliant sound, especially when
played loudly. In contrast, my French Model Olds trumpet with
hammered bell and larger proportions throughout has a very
warm timbre.
The trumpet pictured appears to be extremely well preserved,
while in fact it required some restoration and replacement of parts
supplied from a parts horn.
Click on images for larger views.
Son in about 1933 with the distinctive hammered finished bell as
shown here. The first image to the left is taken from a catalog
published in about 1937, which is when this trumpet was made.
There are a few earlier Olds trumpets with hammered bells that
appear to predate this introduction, but the Military was the only
model where this was standard equipment. Other makers copied
this finish but only on instruments of much lower quality. Olds
instruments were always superior in construction and playing
qualities. Conventional wisdom is that the bore of a brass
instrument must be as smooth as possible for maximum acoustical
efficiency. In my experience, Olds trumpets and cornets with
hammered bells are all excellent playing instruments (assuming
that they haven't been modified or otherwise abused or worn
out). In the manufacturing of these bells, the inside of the final
flare is scraped and polished to remove the backside of the
hammer dents, but these bumps are present in the rest of the bell
interior. The Military Model trumpets and cornets were also
available by special order with smooth bells. I have come across
a few of these and it is interesting to note that the bells are made
of extremely thin brass, measuring about .015, the hammered
variety being about .025". It certainly makes sense that a
considerable amount of brass would need to be removed from the
interior of the bell flares to make them smooth and this would
probably be impossible with the thinner bell brass. The unique
bell engraving, with American bald eagle, seen here appears on
every Military Model that I have seen whether with hammered
finish or not. From their introduction the Military Models had
mobile third valve slides and this has a stop rod to prevent it from
falling out as well as a similar looking stop rod on the main tuning
slide for quick change to A. The valve section is marked "M"
(medium) and is the smaller of three sizes made by Olds, with a
bore size of .453", a narrow bell flare and the rim diameter is only
4 1/16". The curves are narrow, making this trumpet longer than
most at 20 1/4" with the mouthpiece removed (19 3/8" from bell
rim to curve). It is a very responsive playing instrument with
excellent intonation and a very brilliant sound, especially when
played loudly. In contrast, my French Model Olds trumpet with
hammered bell and larger proportions throughout has a very
warm timbre.
The trumpet pictured appears to be extremely well preserved,
while in fact it required some restoration and replacement of parts
supplied from a parts horn.
Click on images for larger views.
