When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
ITEM SPECIFICS
- Brand: F.E. Olds & Son
- Model: Super / Super Olds
- Instrument: Tenor Trombone
- Serial Number: 20538
- Approximate Year: Circa 1947
- Era: 1940s
- Key: Bb
- Bore: .485\"/.500\" Dual Bore
- Bell Diameter: Approx. 7.5\"
- Bell Material: Bell Bronze / Red Brass
- Construction: Nickel Silver with Bell Bronze Bell
- Tone Ring: Nickel Silver
- Slide: Duo-Octagonal / Fluted Inner Slide Design
- Mouthpiece Receiver: Small Shank
- Configuration: Straight Tenor
- Skill Level: Advanced / Professional
- Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
- Manufacturing Location: Los Angeles, California
- Case: Gator Case
- Condition: Pre-Owned / Vintage
MODEL DETAILS & SPECIFICATIONS
The F.E. Olds Super is one of the company\'s best-known professional trombones and was produced from the mid-1930s through the end of Olds production.
Typical specifications for this early Los Angeles Super configuration include:
- Bb professional tenor trombone
- .485\"/.500\" dual-bore hand slide
- Approx. 7.5\" bell
- Bell Bronze / red-brass bell
- Nickel-silver body components
- Nickel-silver Tone Control Band around bell
- Patented Olds Duo-Octagonal / fluted inner slide tubes
- Small-shank mouthpiece receiver
- Straight tenor configuration
- Compact bell and medium-small dual bore suited particularly well to jazz and lead playing
The unusual fluted slide was one of Olds\' signature engineering features and was designed to provide fast response and distinctive slide action.
SERIAL NUMBER / AGE
Serial number 20538 falls within the early post-WWII Los Angeles production period.
Available Olds serial-number research places instruments in the 20,000 range at approximately 1947, with documented 20,0xx instruments reportedly purchased new around 1948 and believed to have been manufactured during 1947.
Because early Olds production records are incomplete, the date should appropriately be described as circa 1947 rather than assigning an exact manufacturing year.
CONDITION DESCRIPTION
Previously owned and obtained from an estate. The trombone appears to have been well cared for and remains in good overall vintage cosmetic condition.
As expected with an instrument approaching 80 years old, it may show light scratches, finish wear, patina, discoloration, small marks, or other signs of normal age, storage, and previous musical use.
No professional brass-shop inspection or recent servicing is represented unless otherwise noted. Please review all photos closely for the exact condition of the bell, slide, finish, fittings, serial markings, and included case.
Includes a Gator protective trombone case.
DESCRIPTION
Desirable vintage F.E. Olds & Son Super professional tenor trombone, serial number 20538, manufactured at the historic Olds facility in Los Angeles, California, circa 1947.
The Super is one of the most recognizable and respected vintage Olds trombones. Designed as a professional instrument, it combines a compact Bell Bronze / red-brass bell with extensive nickel-silver construction and Olds\' distinctive Tone Control Band around the bell.
A particularly notable feature is the Super\'s patented .485\"/.500\" dual-bore Duo-Octagonal hand slide. Rather than conventional round inner tubes, Olds developed specially fluted inner slide tubes that became one of the defining features of early Super trombones.
The resulting design earned the Super a longstanding following among jazz, lead, commercial, and vintage-brass players for its quick response, projection, flexibility, and distinctive tonal character.
Serial number 20538 places this instrument in the desirable early postwar Los Angeles production era, approximately 1947.
This example was obtained from an estate and appears to have been well cared for. It is accompanied by a modern Gator protective case, providing considerably better protection and portability than many surviving vintage cases.
A very appealing instrument for a professional player, jazz musician, Olds collector, vintage brass enthusiast, or someone looking for a classic American-made professional trombone.
Key Features
- Genuine F.E. Olds & Son Super
- Serial number 20538
- Circa 1947 production
- Los Angeles, California manufacture
- Early postwar professional model
- .485\"/.500\" dual bore
- Duo-Octagonal / fluted slide design
- Bell Bronze / red-brass bell
- Nickel-silver body construction
- Distinctive nickel-silver Tone Control Band
- Straight Bb tenor configuration
- Small-shank mouthpiece receiver
- Highly regarded vintage jazz / lead trombone
- Estate obtained
- Appears well cared for
- Includes modern Gator case
INCLUDED
- F.E. Olds Super Trombone Serial #20538
- Gator Trombone Case
- Mouthpiece only if pictured
- Any additional accessories shown in photos
- Only items pictured are included
