King Trombone Question

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jrod93
Posts: 36
Joined: Jun 21, 2018

by jrod93 »

Looking at getting a King 2b. Not real sure if it is a 2b due to no marks on the bell other than King with crown. Does have the curved bell brace and the water key on the side of the slide. Serial number is 10XXX. Bell and slides all match. I know for a fact the tuning slide is a replacement

Anything I need to look at to determine the true age?
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BGuttman
Posts: 7368
Joined: Mar 22, 2018

by BGuttman »

King used 6 digit serial numbers on all instruments after around 1925. At that time there was no 2B. A King with a 5 digit serial would probably have a double brace on the inner slide with one straight brace and 1 arced brace. This was in use from around 1907 to 1925 (dates approximate). Horns made before World War II did not have a simple crown/King engraving -- it was much more elaborate. In fact, the Crown/King engraving generally started in the 1960s or 1970s.

There are more than a few things that don't make sense unless you can give us some pictures, we may not be able to help.

Note that there is a curved brace Tempo, 1306, that isn't a true 2B, but is a very popular instrument, especially for Latin bands where a lot of volume is generally needed.
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Chazzer69
Posts: 296
Joined: Jul 06, 2019

by Chazzer69 »

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jrod93
Posts: 36
Joined: Jun 21, 2018

by jrod93 »

Here are some pics
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Macbone1
Posts: 501
Joined: Oct 01, 2019

by Macbone1 » (edited 2025-09-22 3:45 p.m.)

Water key might give it away as a Jiggs Whigham 2B, at least the slide section
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tbonesullivan
Posts: 1959
Joined: Jul 02, 2019

by tbonesullivan »

Is there any marking on the inside of the bell?
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jrod93
Posts: 36
Joined: Jun 21, 2018

by jrod93 »

No marking in the bell

The tuning slide weight looking like a 606 with the king logo and crown. It does not look original