http://www.hnwhite.com/second%20page.htm

I came across this web site in search of info about King trombone serial numbers. A gentleman in one of my community bands (Richard by name) is playing an old 2B that he said he played when he was in the 5th grade which was about the late 1960's.

According to the above web site, the serial number on his horn (311824) is listed as being made between 1950 and 1955. There is more info on above site about 2B's made around that time and they list model number for reference. Like the model 1407 "Liberty" for example. I haven't looked over Richard's horn closely but the bell doesn't list a model number. My 3B says 2103 on the bell but I'm pretty sure my horn was made in the mid 70's and the hnwhite web site only lists trombones made before 1965 when the company was sold. Does anyone know where I might look on early King trombones to find a model number? His horn says 2B on the bell and it is not a silver bell model.

Thanks in advance for any help,

Robert

HNwhite.com is a marvelous source for information on older King trombones.

At one time the small bore was called Liberty and it was a single bore. Then they made it dual boare and gave that version the name 2B (for dual bore). After World War II King established the 14xx models with a 2B, a 3B (0.508" single bore) and a Symphony, sometimes called 5B (0.536"/0.547" bore).

In the 1960s King adopted the 21xx series with 2102 as 2B, 2103 as 3B, 2104 as 4B, 2105 as 5B, and 2106 as 6B (Duo Gravis). 2B+ was given the number 2115, 3B+ was g8ven the number 2125, and they added 7B (2107) and 8B (2108) as independent double valve basses. Note that 2115 and 2125 came much later than 7B and 8B.

It's a little misleading because they list the Liberty as a 2B. Are the Liberties marked as such on the bell? Not very many detailed photos on the web site. I'm guessing that if the horn has 2B engraved on the bell (and not other names) that it's not a Liberty. The name King is also on Richard's bell but not "King Musical Instruments".

My 1973 King catalog lists the "1407 King 2B Liberty" .491 single bore. My 2B is from about that era and has both "2B" and "Liberty" engraved on the bell.

In the 1930s there were Liberty trombones, and Liberty 2B trombones. The 2B ones were the dual bores. The single bore Liberty died out before World War II, so it's unlikely you will ind a single bore 2B between around 1938 and the introduction of the Jiggs in the 1990s.

Note that HNWhite.com does not cover King trombones after 1965, when the White family sold out their interest in the firm to McMillan. It's actually run by descendents o the White family.

Just a little correction, the White family sold the company to the Seeburg corporation. Conn sold to MacMillan. Seeburg was nominally involved in the musical instrument industry, they made jukeboxes and organs, Macmillan was in publishing and knew nothing of the music industry. And both had very different outcomes, King continued to flourish under Seeburg while MacMillan all but destroyed Conn.