Olds Trombone mouthpiece request

[jeffreywilliamwilliams]

I have just bought a 1935 "The Olds" trombone. It came without a mouthpiece and, being an Olds, I will need to get an Olds mouthpiece too! I have an Ambassador and because I have a fat neck I've have had the mouthpiece adjusted to a slight angle!! Easier than losing a couple of stone!! However, this horn seems to be even a smaller bore than the Ambassador and I wonder if anyone has a suitable mouthpiece they be willing to sell? Otherwise I would be happy to buy the usual Olds 3 and get the shank lathed down to fit properly...as well as getting a slight bend to accomodate my neck! Any help gratefully received.

[BGuttman]

Is it the TIS version or the "Self-Balancing" with tuning in bell? I have the TIS version (1925) and use a standard mouthpiece with almost no problems. But I do have to play it with the dihedral angle greater than 90 degrees.

[jeffreywilliamwilliams]

Thanks for the response. Don't take this the wrong way, but I have no idea what you are talking about!! I have no idea what TIS is nor a dihedral angle. The tuning is in the bell. There is no weight. The instrument is just called the Olds. Its pre Super etc. My Olds mouth piece sticks out far more than on my Ambassador. Becasue the slide and the rest of the horn is so small I have had the mouthpiece bent slightly so it stops the horn digging into my neck!

[BGuttman]

TIS is "Tuning in Slide". The original Olds trombones had this.

The bell section defines a plane and the slide section defines a plane. The dihedral angle is the angle between the two planes. I am not a small person either and find that I need to have an obtuse angle between the slide section plane and the bell section plane. Most of us keep the angle either 90 degrees or perhaps a bit less (so the two legs of the slide are equidistant from the bell).

Is the mouthpiece sticking out further causing a problem? Or are you just worried?

[Doug Elliott]

If your mouthpiece shank is bent you won't be able to get the shank turned down.

[Kingfan]

... Otherwise I would be happy to buy the usual Olds 3 and get the shank lathed down to fit properly...as well as getting a slight bend to accomodate my neck! Any help gratefully received.

I have an Olds 3 mouthpiece I don't need. PM me if interested buying it.

[CharlieB]

Another option to turning down a mouthpiece shank is to have the mouthpiece receiver on the horn reamed out slightly to the more standard Morse taper used by nearly every mouthpiece maker except Olds. That would give you way more mouthpiece options to choose from, and the Olds 3 would still fit with a couple of turns of Teflon tape.

[jeffreywilliamwilliams]

Doug, the idea was to buy a second mouthpiece, have the shank turned down and THEN bend the shank!

Bruce, thanks for the explanation! Yes, the whole horn is cramped and small. The sound is fantastic. However, I'm not sure if I can get on with it as the slide is only a 7 out of ten at best. I took it to the repairer and he reckons it needs new outers or stripping down and straightening out. It would cost too much. Still, its a good horn for playing out doors when I don't want to chance my King 2 and a half.

[jeffreywilliamwilliams]

Another option to turning down a mouthpiece shank is to have the mouthpiece receiver on the horn reamed out slightly to the more standard Morse taper used by nearly every mouthpiece maker except Olds. That would give you way more mouthpiece options to choose from, and the Olds 3 would still fit with a couple of turns of Teflon tape.

That sounds like an option. Again, I would need to check into costs fo this. Sometimes trombones, like cars, don't merit the repair expense!! Thanks for the suggestion Charlie.

[jeffreywilliamwilliams]

... Otherwise I would be happy to buy the usual Olds 3 and get the shank lathed down to fit properly...as well as getting a slight bend to accomodate my neck! Any help gratefully received.

I have an Olds 3 mouthpiece I don't need. PM me if interested buying it.

Will do, thanks!