Help Identifying Instrument

[ttf_hyperbolica]

A friend brought an alto valve trombone over. It looks like an Eb. It is playable, although I haven't tried. The engraving on the bell says Carl Fischer Artist New York. The bell is 6.25" and the overall length is about 29". The bell has a number engraved, 6038. Many of the ferrules are highly engraved. There is a lot of tarnish, and a fair number of dents.

My friend wants to know how old it is, any info about the manufacturer, and what it might be worth. The condition is not very good, it's missing the water key, with a fair number of dents and a lot of tarnish, but it certainly looks recoverable to me. I'm not sure you'd want to play this, but a collector might find some value in it. You see a lot of modern chinese reproductions of instruments like this on eBay.

[ttf_Doug Elliott]

Carl Fischer horns were probably imported from Germany.  It looks a lot like my Conn except the valve slides are quite differently placed and wrapped.  My Conn is from 1917; I would guess this one is from around the same time.

[ttf_formerfiddler]

Hi Doug, I just bought a Conn trombone here in Germany. It has a copper bell and the word DIRECTOR on the slide. The ser. # appears to be L73954. Any information on the instrument would be great. It's a good sounder with a very rich sound. I understand that the Director series was a student line but it certainly sounds way better than anything labeled "student". I bought it for occasions when I don't want to expose my 4147 or 8H to rough conditions...
Thanks for any input!

Otto Armin, "former fiddler"

[ttf_hyperbolica]

Quote from: formerfiddler on Aug 30, 2017, 12:25PMHi Doug, I just bought a Conn trombone here in Germany. It has a copper bell and the word DIRECTOR on the slide. The ser. # appears to be L73954. Any information on the instrument would be great. It's a good sounder with a very rich sound. I understand that the Director series was a student line but it certainly sounds way better than anything labeled "student". I bought it for occasions when I don't want to expose my 4147 or 8H to rough conditions...
Thanks for any input!

Otto Armin, "former fiddler"

That would be a ~1969 18h with the coprion bell. There is a discussion about these in a recent thread called "Why coprion" or something like that.

[ttf_Elkhart 88H]

Quote from: formerfiddler on Aug 30, 2017, 12:25PMHi Doug, I just bought a Conn trombone here in Germany. It has a copper bell and the word DIRECTOR on the slide. The ser. # appears to be L73954. Any information on the instrument would be great. It's a good sounder with a very rich sound. I understand that the Director series was a student line but it certainly sounds way better than anything labeled "student". I bought it for occasions when I don't want to expose my 4147 or 8H to rough conditions...
Thanks for any input!

Otto Armin, "former fiddler"

It would appear that you have a Conn 18H made in Elkhart in 1968.  The 18H was a student model with a .484" bore and a 7-1/2" bell.  The Directors from that era generally played well and had very good tone quality.  The inner slide tubes on the Directors were made of brass rather than the nickel silver that Conn used on the pro horns, so they could develop corrosion underneath the chrome plating that would cause the plating to bubble.  If yours doesn't have this problem, clean it often and count yourself lucky.

[ttf_Le.Tromboniste]

To the OP : I would bet early 20th century French or British import.

 Those decorated ferrules are probably not actually engraved, they would have been roll-pressed against a steel negative template which is "engraved" (often using acid - you draw the "engraving" pattern you want using a coating that will protect the steel underneath, then dip the piece in acid and clean it off. Only the unprotected areas will have been affected and eaten through by the acid, with the coated areas intact - creating a deep "engraving" with sharp relief. Then, that steel piece plus the roll press can be used to very easily, quickly and efficiently turn plain brass sheets into dozens and dozens of identical ferrules, braces, sleeves or whatever you're using them for)

[ttf_dj kennedy]

sometimes   bohemia   
or  caves  in crete  refugees  from napoleanic  wars    were exiled    and  made these  while  not sheepherding goats

[ttf_dj kennedy]

sometimes   bohemia   
or  caves  in crete  refugees  from napoleanic  wars    were exiled    and  made these  while  not sheepherding goats