TromboneChat

Hi all, just wondering if there were any thoughts on if there are quality/sound/playability differences between Olds horns built in LA vs built in Fullerton. Thanks!

I don't think there's any real difference. It's not like Elkhart vs Abilene. Olds horns were all very well built horns.

Robb Stewart says there is none. The tooling and culture were the same. I have never had a problem with a Fullerton horn. Sometimes they’re slightly cheaper because of the myth.

The Olds trombones that I have played that were made in Fullerton are excellent. No diminution in quality from the Los Angeles horns I have played. (But they are a few years newer, so likely less "aging!")

They don't make 'em like they used to. (For such reasonable prices.)

Primary difference is prestige. Mostly the same people made them with the same tooling, but it's "cooler" to have Los Angeles on your bell.
I should know - I'm guilty of that as well.

LA to Fullerton? No significant change in quality/workmanship. Furthermore, I've never seen anything that could be described as a "last gasp" horn. There doesn't seem to be any diminution of quality/workmanship up until they turned out the lights.

I focus on pre-WWII Olds not because they are objectively better, but because they're more interesting; lots of interesting variations. After the war, things became much more standardized.

rudytbone wrote: ↑Wed Apr 24, 2024 12:19 pm Primary difference is prestige. Mostly the same people made them with the same tooling, but it's "cooler" to have Los Angeles on your bell.

Not sure about Los Angeles Olds being "cooler" than Fullerton - but as noted there's no difference in quality.

The "coolest" looking trombone that I own is a near-mint 1968 Fullerton Olds Recording R15 - with the gorgeous deep engraving on the Re-O-Loy red brass bell, the contrasting nickel-silver highlights (outer slide, tuning slide, and brace ends), and duo-octagonal inner slide, this beauty stands out in a crowd.