Orpheum Elite Trumpet from 30's ?

Trumpetier · Regular Member Joined: 15 Jan 2019 Posts: 12

N+1 virus strikes again.

One more interesting horn in my collection.

Orpheum Elite Made in USA, clearly old (vintage ?) trumpet

I was not able to find much information: it was probably made by Buescher and Harry Pedler around 1930-37?

http://www.horn-u-copia.net/show.php?selby=+where+instrument%3D%22Trumpet%22+and+maker%3D%22Orpheum++%22

It has cool steampunk styled buttons and bottom caps:

Bottom sprung valves:

Strange "plumbing" configuration

Non ajustable slides:

It does sounds and feels different to my Yamaha or Getzen, no surprise here. It is ... darker. I think it is also much more sensitive to MPC selection. I tried 7C and 5C and it changed tone quite a bit.

After about an hour I got used to it and manage to produce sound I like, overall trumpet player surprisingly well and seems to be in very good shape (if age estimate is true.)

It seems that I can hit and slot higher notes easier on Orpheum vs Yamaha with the same MPC (while playing The Godfather love theme) and it may even have better intonation despite luck of movable slides.

Anybody can identify this vintage?
_________________
--Vadim

FirstAct in Bb

Yamaha YTR2320 in Bb
Getzen Eterna 700 converted to C
Orpheum Elite in Bb from 1930's ?

Claude1949 · Posted: Sat Apr 24, 2021 11:35 am Post subject:

Someone here mentioned hat Orpheum was made by Conn; not by Peddler. ????
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Claudio

delano · Posted: Sat Apr 24, 2021 11:47 am Post subject:

What you call 'strange plumbing configuration' is the weird Conn wrap, just like the 80A (and the 4A, 6A, 38A, 40A, 48A, 8A, 81A, 82A, 84A, 90A) cornet and the New Era 10B, 56B, 58B and 60B trumpets.
The braces, valves, valve casings, finger buttons also look very much Conn.
And of course will the slides move, they are just frozen, they are stuck.

OldSchoolEuph · Heavyweight Member Joined: 07 Apr 2012 Posts: 2440

Orpheum Elite was one of several names starting with "orpheum" used by ART Musical Instruments. (Partnership between Gus Buescher and Harry Pedler, both of whom were formerly at Conn - became Harry Pedler after Buescher died around 1937). It dates somewhere between 1932 (serial #1) and WWII. The serial number should focus that tighter, but the sequence is a bit whacked - see Jon Patton's notes here: http://www.brasshistory.net/Pedler%20Brass%20List.pdf
_________________
Ron Berndt
www.trumpet-history.com

2017 Austin Winds Stage 466
1962 Mt. Vernon Bach 43
1954 Holton 49 Stratodyne
1927 Conn 22B
1957 Holton 27 cornet
1985 Yamaha YEP-621
1975 Yamaha YEP-321 Custom
1965 Besson Baritone
1975 Olds Recording R-20