SOLD Beautiful Vintage Olds Opera
- ACBEric
- Posts: 37
- Joined: Apr 11, 2022
Circa 1957 Olds Opera Tenor Trombone. This is a beautiful vintage horn and perfect for the trombonist that likes a bigger horn for small group jazz, playing 3rd trombone in a big band, playing in pit orchestras, or looking for a great straight horn for solo playing. Olds Opera trombones are great for so many different situations! Famously, Curtis Fuller played an Olds Opera on the album Blue Train by John Coltrane. This horn does not disappoint and provides rich, full, engaging sound with a great core of tone. While the Opera is a symphonic bore horn (.547") it feels more like a medium bore (.525) to even a larger small-bore (.508). The reason is that the Olds Opera leadpipe is a little smaller than the conventional .547 bore trombone. This is a serious horn for serious players and we are so excited to have it in the shop!
The trombone is vintage and shows some signs of its age with a few scuffs, a few small mute dents in the bell, and wear on the lacquer, none of which affect the playability of this horn.
The slide is in amazing playing shape! Overall the horn is ready to go from the case to the stage without needing a stop at the repair shop.
Specs:
.547 bore
8.5" bell flair
Nickel Finish
large shank receiver
<LINK_TEXT text="https://www.austincustombrass.biz/beaut ... lue-train/">https://www.austincustombrass.biz/beautiful-vintage-olds-opera-trombone-amazing-jazz-trombone-same-kind-as-curtis-fuller-played-on-blue-train/</LINK_TEXT>
The trombone is vintage and shows some signs of its age with a few scuffs, a few small mute dents in the bell, and wear on the lacquer, none of which affect the playability of this horn.
The slide is in amazing playing shape! Overall the horn is ready to go from the case to the stage without needing a stop at the repair shop.
Specs:
.547 bore
8.5" bell flair
Nickel Finish
large shank receiver
<LINK_TEXT text="https://www.austincustombrass.biz/beaut ... lue-train/">https://www.austincustombrass.biz/beautiful-vintage-olds-opera-trombone-amazing-jazz-trombone-same-kind-as-curtis-fuller-played-on-blue-train/</LINK_TEXT>
- Posaunus
- Posts: 5018
- Joined: Mar 23, 2018
The Olds O-25 (very briefly named "Opera" in its early life) was 0.554" bore, and had a red brass bell. It was rebadged simply "O-25." The "Opera" name was then given to the Olds O-23, which was a different (perhaps more 88H-like ?) trombone with initially a 0.554" bore but subsequently 0.547" bore, a different valve, and nickel-silver bell and slide. I don't think the 0.554" bore lasted long on the O-23 Opera; most were 0.547".
- JohnL
- Posts: 2529
- Joined: Mar 23, 2018
[quote="dxhall"]Weren’t Operas larger than .547?[/quote]
Depends on when they were made. When they were first introduced, the bore was listed as .547"; sometime between the 1962 and 1966 catalogs, the spec was changed to .554". Since this is an early one (he says 1957 in the video and the engraving is consistent with that), it should be .547".
BTW: It's solid nickel silver, not nickel plated.
Depends on when they were made. When they were first introduced, the bore was listed as .547"; sometime between the 1962 and 1966 catalogs, the spec was changed to .554". Since this is an early one (he says 1957 in the video and the engraving is consistent with that), it should be .547".
BTW: It's solid nickel silver, not nickel plated.