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1935 King Liberty



 
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Nickyboy2
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Joined: 07 Aug 2004
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Location: Atlanta, Ga

PostPosted: Sat Feb 25, 2006 10:02 am    Post subject: 1935 King Liberty Reply with quote

I recently saw a horn for sale claiming to be a "1935 H.N. WHITE - KING LIBERTY MODEL No. 2 SILVERTONE PROFESSIONAL Bb/A TRUMPET WITH A SOLID STERLING SILVER BELL TUBE AND SATIN FINISHED VALVE BODY & LEAD PIPE IN EXCELLENT CONDITION"

I was wondering if this is a good horn or if they are playing it up a bit. They say that was popular among professional players in the 30's and 40's. I just want to know if it is a possible good investment.
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Nick P.

Getzen 300 Series (Lacquer)
Zeus Guarnerius (Copper, Nickel. Brass)
1918 C.G Conn Wonder Cornet (silver)
NYTC Stage 1 California C (Silver)
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Bill Scott
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Location: Tahoe

PostPosted: Sat Feb 25, 2006 11:39 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Very good horn, bright lead sound---it won't blend well with a section made of Bach's though. These were hand made, carefully crafted horns. They play and sound a bit different than a modern horn, but are certainly good horns to buy if you can pick 'em up cheap---especially with a sterling silver bell!
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There are two sides to a Trumpeter's personality: There is the one that lives only to lay waste to the woodwinds and strings, leaving them lying blue and lifeless along the swath of destruction that is a trumpeter's fury. Then there's the Dark Side"
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Nickyboy2
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Joined: 07 Aug 2004
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Location: Atlanta, Ga

PostPosted: Sat Feb 25, 2006 11:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I dont worry about blending with Bachs, for one i don't like them, and 2 we only have 2 Bachs in my class, and they don't blend very well (neither have the best tone in the world) with the rest of us. Our trumpet section is A Yamaha Xeno, Bach Strad, i think 2 blessings, ZueS (me) Getzen and a coronet but im not sure what kind.
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Nick P.

Getzen 300 Series (Lacquer)
Zeus Guarnerius (Copper, Nickel. Brass)
1918 C.G Conn Wonder Cornet (silver)
NYTC Stage 1 California C (Silver)
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tom turner
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 25, 2006 12:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The Liberty is a very small bore trumpet, and of a wrap not eventually winning out in the evolution of the modern F. Besson-clone trumpets . . . that include both the Bach Strad and your own Zeus (model 37 Bach clone of the original F. Besson that Bach copied in the 1920s).

You'll find a Liberty to have a smaller, bright and beamy sound . . . and even stuffier than your current horn. You'll also find the blow quite "strange" for trumpeters used to the Besson-clones for the past 70 years or so.

Nonetheless . . . the H.N. White "King" instruments were crafted by a very proud family that gave the world some wonderful, wonderful instruments and . . . based upon the 2B's (Liberty) popularity back in the '30s . . . there are a lot of 'em hitting eBay on an almost daily basis.

I LOVE how the Liberty looks, especially some of the earlier versions, so a neat, pristine Liberty would be a welcome addition in most collector's display cabinets. I doubt many trumpeters today would play one though. They blow really strange.

Tom

PS: The King trombones weren't screwed up by UMI, so the King 2B trombone is still used by many people today. Like it's trumpet counterpart, the 2B is the "peashooter" trombone and has a bright, beamy sound suitable only for lead trombone duties.

Kings most popular and versatile trombone is the 3B, a bigger bore instrument (that's not huge) that has a rich, all-around sound. LOTS of trombone players play the 3B.

Sometimes I think trumpeters can understand peashooter vs. normal horns by comparing the 2B and 3B trombones rather than understanding what a shrill, small bore design does to a trumpeter's sound . . . for the "damage" is done out front!
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Nickyboy2
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Joined: 07 Aug 2004
Posts: 533
Location: Atlanta, Ga

PostPosted: Sun Feb 26, 2006 6:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well, I was able to pay up tp 500. I got home from work and the bid was 655. Gods way of telling me i cant have it. I hate being a high school senior on a tight budget. I really wanted this horn. Oh well. Im doing fairly well on ebay i think. Ive bid on 3 items and lost all 3. I guess its a good way to save money.

[edit] Sold for 1075 and some change, I wish i had that kind of money
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Nick P.

Getzen 300 Series (Lacquer)
Zeus Guarnerius (Copper, Nickel. Brass)
1918 C.G Conn Wonder Cornet (silver)
NYTC Stage 1 California C (Silver)
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Bill Scott
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 26, 2006 9:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Nicky, if you're looking for a good vintage horn there's quite few for under 500. I've even seen a couple of Constellations in good shape go for just under $500---and the Constellation is a heck of a horn. The Conn 22b's can often be picked up for $300 to $400 in real good shape--and they fine playing horns. Darker and sweeter than a Constallation, but tons of projection and they play easily.
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There are two sides to a Trumpeter's personality: There is the one that lives only to lay waste to the woodwinds and strings, leaving them lying blue and lifeless along the swath of destruction that is a trumpeter's fury. Then there's the Dark Side"
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Nickyboy2
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 27, 2006 3:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thank You, I wasn't quite sure how they were but i did have 1 or 2 on my watch list. I just really liked the look of the King.
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Nick P.

Getzen 300 Series (Lacquer)
Zeus Guarnerius (Copper, Nickel. Brass)
1918 C.G Conn Wonder Cornet (silver)
NYTC Stage 1 California C (Silver)
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eisystem
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Joined: 19 Feb 2006
Posts: 13

PostPosted: Tue May 30, 2006 1:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

i picked one up at a pawn shop in pristine condition. (not silver) It's from around 1915, and I paid $60 for it.
I also loved looking at it. Let's see the Chinese make something like this! Economics wons out, though and I sold it for $300 to a guy who is putting it in a display case.
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Mark_Heuer
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Joined: 27 Jul 2005
Posts: 152
Location: Chicago

PostPosted: Tue May 30, 2006 1:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I owned a 1929 King Liberty for a while. It was easy to play with short stroke valves and small bore. Nice little horn. High quality construction.
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J. Landress Brass
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Joined: 29 May 2006
Posts: 423
Location: New York City

PostPosted: Tue May 30, 2006 4:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

eisystem wrote:
i picked one up at a pawn shop in pristine condition. (not silver) It's from around 1915, and I paid $60 for it.
I also loved looking at it. Let's see the Chinese make something like this! Economics wons out, though and I sold it for $300 to a guy who is putting it in a display case.



LOL!!!!

Pawn shops are great places to find old horns. I picked up a NY Bach at a pawnshop for $200 and once purchased a 1958 Gibson Les Paul Gold-top that was spray painted black for under $100. I too would like to see the Chinese manufactures do that.
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wardsd
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Joined: 12 Mar 2003
Posts: 504

PostPosted: Tue May 30, 2006 5:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Tom,
If I am not mistaken (no link to the Ebay auction) the question is about a King silvertone #2, not a Liberty 2B.

Bore size is .448 which is small compared to modern ML bore instruments. Many trumpets back then were this or smaller (Conn bores went down to the 430's). I play a King Silvertone (1st edition) as my main trumpet in church and I really like it. The first edition also came in a L size bore of .468 (known as the artists bore) so you can still get a silvertone with large bores if that is what you like (they are difficult to find though). Not sure what you are referring to on the wrap - it is reasonably normal. Maybe a little tighter than a modern day Bach, but far from a peashooter wrap. The sound is more focused than a Bach, but I like the overtones of the silver bell, and I don't think the sound is small.

Here is all the info on King Silvertones and king Liberty's you need (a silvertone is a Liberty with a silver bell). http://www.hnwhite.com/Silver%20Bells.htm

Steve
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