Expert: Kenton Scott - 12/21/2008

Question
Hello Kenton,
I just purchased an old silver on brass slide trombone with the following:
The
Buescher~Grand
Model
-L-
engraved on the the bell.

The serial number shown on both the water key and at the top of the slide is 23220.

The bell and the slide connect simply by sliding the tube at the top of the outer slide into the corresponding part of the bell, but without any kind of fastener or coupling to secure it.  It has two crooks, one much longer than the other, but they seem to be interchangeable without changing the tuning.  Higher register notes may be a bit easier to play with the longer crook, but I can't tell a huge difference between the two.

Can you help me identify when the horn was made?  The patent date (engraved in tiny print above the word Model on the bell) appears to be Oct 29, 1907.  

Would you rate this horn as a professional, intermediate, or student horn?  

I have not yet had it tuned up by my local horn doctor, but I have to say that I am very impressed so far with the stability and clarity of its tone.  It doesn't quite match my 80 year old King 3B silver sonic, but for a $30 pawn shop find fresh from it's first bath in couple of decades I am floored by the fullness of it's sound.  And who knows it might give the 3B a challenge, once it gets a new cork for the water key.  

I will see about sending a picture tomorrow if you think that would help.  

Many thanks in advance for your help.  

Answer
By the serial number your horn was made in 1914. The friction fit connection between the bell and slide and the lack of a slide lock was normal at that time.  I have a 1932 Olds that still didn't have them.  


The two crooks are for the two different pitch 'standards' of the time.  One is known as High Pitch, and the the other is Low Pitch.  Low pitch is what finally was accepted and it the current standard of A=440.  

The patent is for what Buescher termed the Split-No-Tone bell,  which was as method of increasing the thickness of the bell in the manufacturing process.

Information I have states that the production of the 3B started around 1951, but in any case, the King has a lot of years on this Buescher, and style and technique of manufacturing had changed a lot over the years.  

Buescher made excellent professional level instruments.