Just a story

[CharlieB]

Caveat emptor aside, sometimes ebay can work out...........
In 2006, an Olds Recording caught my eye on ebay, and reminiscent of my high school days, I bought it.
First impression; the case was immaculate, both inside and out.
The slide had perfect action and showed zero wear.
OK. Lets put her together and see how she plays.
Oops. The tenon is too large to fit the socket.
No wonder everything looked like brand new. It was. Never been played.
Defective from the factory.
With a little dye marker and emery cloth, I was able to fit the tenon into its socket.
Then, I had a brand new, 1956 Olds Recording.
***********************************
Now, the rest of the story (a'la Paul Harvey).
The case held paperwork showing that Olds had delivered the horn to a Texas music store on December 17,1956.
In checking that out, I learned that the store had long ago gone out of business. I can only assume that Olds had replaced the horn with a new one, and somehow the original horn was never returned to Olds, forgotten in back of the store for 50 years, until I bought it 19 years ago, and played it for the first time.

[Posaunus]

Great story.
Isn't the Recording a fine trombone?
(Especially with an Olds-tapered DE Shank. )

[CharlieB]

Yes, the Recording is a fine trombone.
It has a pleasingly dense, fat tone without sounding woofy.
It is very happy with a Bach mouthpiece, even though the mouthpiece taper is slightly mismatched to the horn's.

[mikerspencer]

Great story!

I've an olds super, but the slide is shot. I'd love to bring the bell into service again. I suspect the cheapest way is to fit a receiver which fits my modern small bore.

My modern small horn does have a slightly larger bore than the super, so questions remain on what this might do... But it's cheaper than getting a new slide made!