TromboneChat

I've been playing on a King Tempo for about a year now and have loved the punch that it has. I believe the tempo has just a .491 slide, no dual bore like the 2b. I'm looking into picking up something else in that bore size, maybe even up to .500, and I'm looking for something with a wider slide than the King 2b/Tempo designs. Does anyone have some specs on other horns in that bore size area? I played a Conn 6H for a bit and foolishly sold it, but that seemed to fit my neck okay. Any other options with a wider slide?

There's a chart floating around somewhere with slide widths on it. I think the widest 500 bore is a besson 940. After that I think the Shires MD+, Selmer Bolero, and Olds Recording were next.

https://trombonechat.com/viewtopic.php? ... th#p136819

I had a King 3b slide widened using a Bach 36 crook. It might work fine on the 2b also. Check with a good tech.

Talk to DJ

Fruitysloth wrote: ↑Thu Feb 04, 2021 11:50 am I've been playing on a King Tempo for about a year now and have loved the punch that it has. I believe the tempo has just a .491 slide, no dual bore like the 2b. I'm looking into picking up something else in that bore size, maybe even up to .500, and I'm looking for something with a wider slide than the King 2b/Tempo designs.

I think King Tempo trombones (also sometimes known as Model 606) were 0.500" bore. But there may have been variations over the years.

Did King officially drop the name Tempo? If so, when?

Tempo's where .491/491 nickel bells often thought of wrongly as a poor mans Jiggs they are usually great playing horns where as the 606 is a student model

Vegasbound wrote: ↑Thu Feb 11, 2021 2:09 am Tempo's where .491/491 nickel bells often thought of wrongly as a poor mans Jiggs they are usually great playing horns where as the 606 is a student model

Correct. According to my 1973 King catalog, Tempos were model 1305 with .491 bore and 7 3/8 bell like the 2B. It had a nickel plate bell section instead of gold lacquer. Biggest difference (on paper, anyway) from a 2B was brass outer slides instead of nickel. The 605 Cleveland was also a .491 bore and 7 3/8 bell back then. Conn-Selmer says the current 606 Cleveland has a .500 bore, 8" bell, and nickel silver outers. Horn Hospital has a 606 for sale with those specs built in 1989 which they say has the larger bore and bell. When the change from 605 to 606 happened, I don't know.

Fruitysloth wrote: ↑Thu Feb 04, 2021 11:50 am I've been playing on a King Tempo for about a year now and have loved the punch that it has. I believe the tempo has just a .491 slide, no dual bore like the 2b. I'm looking into picking up something else in that bore size, maybe even up to .500, and I'm looking for something with a wider slide than the King 2b/Tempo designs. Does anyone have some specs on other horns in that bore size area? I played a Conn 6H for a bit and foolishly sold it, but that seemed to fit my neck okay. Any other options with a wider slide?

If you're looking for a small-bore horn with wide slide, check out the Getzen Custom 3508. Tried it out when I got my 3B. Too wide for me but maybe right for you!

rmb796 wrote: ↑Wed Feb 10, 2021 12:36 pm I had a King 3b slide widened using a Bach 36 crook. It might work fine on the 2b also. Check with a good tech.

You need to be careful with using a crook (like the Bach 36 crook) that has a bore that is oversized by 20-30 thousandths of an inch. I experimented with a Bach 36 crook on a two different .500 bore slides (Conn and Yamaha). Both experiments resulted in a horn that was tricky to center and somewhat difficult to play.

If you want a wider slide and wish to maintain the playing qualities of the horn, I highly recommend that you use a crook that has the same or very similar bore size. The shape of the crook (single radius or dual radius) should also be taken into consideration. In many situations, the best way to create a wider slide is to have a custom crook made.

Kingfan wrote: ↑Thu Feb 11, 2021 8:05 am

Vegasbound wrote: ↑Thu Feb 11, 2021 2:09 am Tempo's where .491/491 nickel bells often thought of wrongly as a poor mans Jiggs they are usually great playing horns where as the 606 is a student model

Correct. According to my 1973 King catalog, Tempos were model 1305 with .491 bore and 7 3/8 bell like the 2B. It had a nickel plate bell section instead of gold lacquer. Biggest difference (on paper, anyway) from a 2B was brass outer slides instead of nickel. The 605 Cleveland was also a .491 bore and 7 3/8 bell back then. Conn-Selmer says the current 606 Cleveland has a .500 bore, 8" bell, and nickel silver outers. Horn Hospital has a 606 for sale with those specs built in 1989 which they say has the larger bore and bell. When the change from 605 to 606 happened, I don't know.

King replaced the 605 with the 606 around 1975, my husband bought one of the first ones to use as a back-up to his 3B. Another interesting fun-fact is that King offered several case options back then, even for their lowly student line. For a little extra $, hubby went with the square-ended one that the pro horns came in. In earlier years (not sure exactly when, maybe through the 60's) they offered several cases, from coffin-type to french-style, and you could pick the interior color as well as the style.
The King student horns play pretty well, but the plating on the inner slides does not hold up well. I wonder if they were nickel-plated instead of chrome? I'm pretty sure the current student-line horns are imported.

EOlson9 wrote: ↑Fri Feb 12, 2021 4:21 pm If you're looking for a small-bore horn with wide slide, check out the Getzen Custom 3508.

Vincent Bach Mercedes II with f attachment
508 bore
f attachment
7 1/2'' bell
slightly wider slide than most small-bore tenors



https://picclick.com/Vintage-Bach-Merce ... 63411.html

Put a Conn crook in it.