TromboneChat

Does anyone know what the star after the mouthpiece model indicates? I have a very old Olds 12C* and wanted to know if it was different than their 12C.

Thanks!

I know a 1* is definitely different from a 1, so I would give a provisional "yes". How it's different I could not say. Nothing in any of the Olds literature I have about the star mouthpiece models.

Which style of blank is it?

It is the first later style.
They seem to play very close to one another.

There is apparently nothing straightforward about the Olds mouthpiece numbering system.

I was given several Olds mouthpieces by a retired trombonist, including some with an engraved "star" after the number. They all have the old-fashioned Olds "tulip" blank. The "star" versions are indeed slightly different. Here is what I have measured:

Model: Cup I.D. | Throat
3C: 24.25mm / 0.955" | 5.85mm / 0.230"
3 (old): ~24.20mm / 0.953" | 6.15mm / 0.242"
3 (newer): ~24.25mm / 0.955" | 6.15mm / 0.242"
3*: ~24.25mm / 0.955" | 6.25mm / 0.246" [Slightly larger throat than standard Olds 3]
4: ~24.0mm / 0.990" | 6.15mm / 0.242"
12C: 24.50mm / 0.965" | 5.85mm / 0.230"
1: 24.50mm / 0.965" | 6.35mm / 0.250"
1*: 24.50mm / 0.965" | 6.25mm / 0.246" [Slightly smaller throat than standard Olds 1]

I have a theory about the Olds 1* mouthpiece: it is made for competitor's horns with regular small shank receivers.

That's my hypothesis, anyway, as I have an Olds 1* and it fits my Olds tenors like a Bach, or other normal Morse taper mouthpieces. That is to say, it doesn't go in far enough. It fits no better than a Bach 12C, or a Conn 3, or an Elliott with a regular shank.

Example: If my regular Olds 3 sits 1.12" into my Recording's receiver, the Olds 1* only sits in .88". But, it fits perfectly in my Conn 6H (like 1.10").

If anyone else has an Olds 1*, see how it fits your horns of other makes. I'm curious to know.

Ciao,

Frank

BTW, the Olds 1* seems to have measurements similar to ones mentioned in the 1939 Catalog for the Olds 1, but maybe they were a fudging the diameter a bit:

The catalog says a 1" diameter cup (measures more like a Bach 6 3/4), and a "deep" cup (which turns out to be like an Elliot C+ cup), and a .250" bore (E drill). The backbore is like an Elliott #2 backbore.

But the taper on that shank, though...*shrug*