TromboneChat

My King 3B Concert has only a 4-digit serial number: 7154
I don't seem to be able to track down how old it is from this.
Any help and information will be most appreciated!

The 7154 is a part number. All King slides have one. There should be a 6 digit number that is the serial near the bell joint. Note that the 3B first appeared in 1955. King was using 6 digit serials long before that.

Sometimes a picture of the bell engraving can help the King fanatics on the Forum estimate the date.

Seems unusual then. There are only the four digits 7154

bramnash wrote: ↑Thu Apr 21, 2022 12:21 pm Seems unusual then. There are only the four digits 7154

Where are those numbers located?

I was informed, when trying to identify my Bach Soloist manufacture date with Conn-Selmer, that the 4-digit numbers are used to keep up with the parts to match to the instrument. My 4-digit numbers are on the outside slide.

King 3B slides and bell sections get swapped around a lot because they are/were compatible over about 6 decades. If you have an older bell section and a newer slide it is possible to have a 3B with no serial number. The bell section engraving is very helpful in dating a bell section. You should post a photo. In fact, a photos of the slide (top and bottom of outer slide) and anything stamped on the inner slide hand grip area would be helpful in dating each component.

For those seeking info about King serial numbers, please see the following --->https://www.hnwhite.com/Serial%20Numbers.htm
(3/31/23 - updated url to reflect new page location)
- T.

First post. How accurate are the serial numbers on the hnwhite.com site?

The only number close to a serialnumber I can find on my (borrowed) 2103 /3B only has 5 digits
it's 80756 and it's near the screwjoint where you put the slide on.
It has an F valve and it has that orange lacquer. Any idea how I could put a build date to this instrument?
It should be at least 30 years old, knowing a bit of the history.
Could there be a hidden place for the serialnumber?
There are also some other shorter numbers on it, but I guess those are partnumbers.

The bell sais:
[Drawing of a crown]
King
2103
USA
3B

King serial #s are pretty much always 6 digits. Is it possible there is a 6th digit at the end of that number that you missed? That would put your number (80756x) in the area of 1980 - which is consistent with the bell engraving.

thnx, maybe the engraving guy forgot the last number after his lunchbreak