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Help me date this trombone
Posted: Tue Sep 21, 2021 3:18 am
by Sander
Ive found a mint Holton Tr550 and I want to find out what year it is from.
I know up to 1980 all the numbers are known, and after that, Holton came into the Conn Family, and even had a Taiwanese trip.
910014 is the number, stamped with Holton U.S.A. on the slide receiver.
It feels like a decent horn, but I want a bit more info on the horn.
Re: Help me date this trombone
Posted: Tue Sep 21, 2021 6:08 am
by Crazy4Tbone86
I remember seeing quite a few of those being played by students in the late-1990s. There were a couple of similar models with that oval-shaped weight. The more common model was the TR-602 with the yellow brass bell. There was also a model that had a rose brass bell (the TR-550??). I think they were made when Holton was owned by the Leblanc Corporation, prior to Conn-Selmer buying the company in 2004.
When I did assembly-line repairs, many Leblanc Holtons came across my work bench. For me, the .500 bore Holtons have a different feel than many other brands. It was a very flexible, malleable sound.....probably due to the softer alloy that was used. The brass was almost gooey soft.
Re: Help me date this trombone
Posted: Tue Sep 21, 2021 6:27 am
by Sander
Crazy4Tbone86 wrote: ↑Tue Sep 21, 2021 6:08 am
I remember seeing quite a few of those being played by students in the late-1990s. There were a couple of similar models with that oval-shaped weight. The more common model was the TR-602 with the yellow brass bell. There was also a model that had a rose brass bell (the TR-550??). I think they were made when Holton was owned by the Leblanc Corporation, prior to Conn-Selmer buying the company in 2004.
When I did assembly-line repairs, many Leblanc Holtons came across my work bench. For me, the .500 bore Holtons have a different feel than many other brands. It was a very flexible, malleable sound.....probably due to the softer alloy that was used. The brass was almost gooey soft.
How'd you rate those TR550s with redbrass bells against any other student horn, like the 90's 18h Conn, the King models, or any Jupiter/Yamaha student horns?
Re: Help me date this trombone
Posted: Wed Sep 22, 2021 1:27 pm
by Crazy4Tbone86
I like the way they play, but my tastes in trombones can be very different than most folks. For me the Kings and Jupiters slot too tight and the modern student Conn's are all over the map. I like the Yamaha YSL-354. I would say that the Holtons are most similar to the Yamahas, but the slotting is a bit wider....more malleable.
My biggest complaint about the Holtons is that the metal is so soft. They could potentially dent from simply placing them on a trombone stand. Gooey and soft!
Re: Help me date this trombone
Posted: Thu Sep 23, 2021 3:31 am
by Sander
I picked it up y'day.
My God is that slide smooth.
A bit heavy for my liking (I'm spoiled with a 48h lightweight slide), but it is one of the best slides ive ever felt.
Its in perfect condition, no dents, basically not even a scratch and was a bargain I could not resist. Feels it can scream loud, which I will certainly try soon.
Only thing left is finding out what year it's from.