Expert: Kenton Scott - 1/18/2010

Question
Good evening Mr. Scott,

I have a Martin trombone, Model - Reg. 3 or J. - Serial #189973 - Finish 1. My father bought this trombone for me in the mid 1960's. A friend of my dad's by the name of George Sanford who worked for either the Conn or Martin company in Elkhart, Indiana for many years in many different capacities, told my father that the company had just received a shipment of trombones that had been used in the film "The Music Man" with Robert Preston and mentioned that he could get my father a very good deal on one if he was interested. Since I was playing in the grade school band and using a rented instrument, my father jumped at the chance to purchase one. Just recently I was cleaning out the attic and came across the instrument. It is in excellent shape and the slide glides just as smooth as it did the last time I played it over 45 years ago. Is there a way that you can find out if the trombone was actually one that was used in the film, and how much would this style be worth today? When I was younger, I never took stock in what George had said about the history of the instrument, but now that I have found it again, the story sparks my attention. Your assistance and expertise in this endeavor would be greatly appreciated. (Note: The Guarantee card is still in the case)

Thank-you very much for your time,

GREGORY  

Answer
I would probably be easier to decided if the story is not correct than to document that it is correct.  

I don't know that there would be any to determine whether that particular instrument made the movie set or not.  

But, it might be possible to determine that it was NOT in the movie.  

You might want to watch the movie and see if you can spot an instrument that looks the same as yours.  If they used a different brand, you might be able to spot that.

The horn was made around 1954.  I would guess that the movie makers would have likely done one of two things, they either would have selected instruments that matched the era in which the movie was set - in which case a 1950's trombone wouldn't be a good fit; or instruments that were new - but I just looked it up and the movie was made in 1962.

So, I have my doubts, but then again my assumptions may be wrong.