Expert: Kenton Scott - 3/5/2009

Question
QUESTION: I have a Frank Holton horn serial number 18178. Is there any way to date it? Looks to be in pretty good condition.

ANSWER: It should say Chicago, if so it is from 1912.



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QUESTION: Thank you for the prompt response.

I've been told that this is a "Peck Horn" manufactured by Frank Holton. Would the date be the same? It does say Chicago on it.

From what I gathered in my own research, this would be pitched at Eb. Does that make it roughly equivalent (pitch-wise) to the Alto Trombone? Or is it an octave off?

Where do you go to look this stuff up?

Finally, it has a silver finish. What would be a good polish that will not degrade the finish?
I appreciate your service.

ANSWER: Yes, it plays in the same range as the alto trombone.  Peck horn is a slang term that is used to refer to both the mellophone (roughly a French horn shape) and the alto horn (roughly the baritone shape.) and derives from the fact that the music for the instrument frequently consists of afterbeats.  

One place you can look is on my WEB site:  http://www.horn-u-copia.net

Use a good silver polish like Haggerty's.



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks again.

Two more questions -

What do I get for a mouthpiece? The pipe you'd insert the mouthpiece into has about the same interior diameter and a 7C trumpet mouthpiece. So it has quite a bit smaller bore than a trumpet.

Second, it seems to have three tuning slides - one for the air output from each valve. But it seems there is no "master" tuning slide - unless I am missing it because it has been frozen up or has been welded shut. Is this common?

Answer
The mellophones typically have one of two mouthpiece sizes.  A smaller one that is roughly the same as the cornet, and the other is about the size of the trumpet.  The cup part of the mouthpiece will need to be larger than a trumpet/cornet mouthpiece, in order to get a decent sound out of it.  Generally the smaller one is called the mellophone mouthpiece and the larger one is called an alto horn mouthpiece.  In any case you need one of those.  Use a cornet and a trumpet mouthpiece to determine which shank size you need.

It is likely stuck.  Holton would have made a horn without a main tuning slide, and it would be foolish to solder one shut.

I don't have a very good picture of a Holton Chicago mellphone, but here is the one I do have.

http://www.horn-u-copia.net/instruments/Holton/Holton-Silver-Mello.jpg

The tuning slide would be the tubing where the water key is.