KING SILVERTONE Long Cornet # 26 70 19 here in my studio, ri

BADBOY-DON · Posted: Wed Nov 05, 2003 11:42 am Post subject:

What an interesting old horn...an engineering colleague just brought bye my studio.
It belonged to his father..who played in numberous Stage bands and dance bands in the late 30's or early 40,s.

I haven't had the time to research or revamp this old beautiful horn. The valve are bone dry and some slides and caps are frozen...but Kev left me this...to take home and play with and get it back into playing shape.
I need to drop this bye http://www.oberloh.com to have Dave and gang give me an estimate for a badly needed chem clean (this horn smell horrific.) The case hadn't been opened for almost 20 years and the little bottle of congeled valve oil smelled up the case with a smell like I could imagine how a dead body would smell...from the pits of hell..YUK! The label on the bottle reads.
"SLIKSTUF" Valve Oil "Long lasting Lubrication" made by William Brede Co. in Yonkers 5. N.Y. (trust this...this bottle's smell could rot your lips off!!

back to the cornet.
It has a flawless silver bell with beautiful tooling, It says
KING made by H.N.WHITE Co. Cleveland Ohio medium bore...# 26-70-19 (the 7 looks like it was from a larger font stamp...(so it could actually be a 1 instead of a number 7?) "marked Medium bore" The only other marking so far on the horn..as I can't remove the valve caps as yet) has this hand ingraved L with a hash mark in the middle top side of the bell just in front of the finger buttons.
It has the coolest knurled screw that must some how contain the tuning slide. This cornet has no crook..but is the long model.
The bell looks and appears more like a trumpet bell taper as well as a really beefy bell ring and the inner bell is has a thin wash gold appearing cast to the bell??? I haven't tried to clean it up as yet? It doesn't appear to be laq. but looks more like silver but a noticable tint of gold???
It has included two mouthpieces.... the best one (in excellent shape) is marked:
Frank Holton & Co. and has simply the name "Simon" stamped onto it. It appears to be around a #5 but has a very deep deep V cup shape.

The case also contain another really "sluggo LaBlancish' appearence to it...and that has had the lettering grinded and sanded off...which leaves it in bare brass condition,except for the rim in inner cup which is sparely plated...This mp appears quite shallow and small dia. with a very large open hole at the throat. The rim is also very noticably fat. (wonder if this was his father's Screamer mouthpiece.

The case is again....EXTREMELY SMELLY AND STINKS like from the PITS OF HELL!!! (perhaps from being stored with that old leaking valve oil bottle..but in truth, perhaps this alone, may have saved this old Cornet from the trash bin...as in fact. This horn looks and appears quite good in condition...with only a little red rot etc. around the leadpipe and very little missing laq. but has extensive RUB-THROUGH'S AND WEAR at the the usual places.
This horn was his fathers main axe for his dance gigs...in those days his father made his living from his dance and concert performances...with this little meager horn.

I can't wait to play or hear this little strange cornet.

Can anyone share anything about this little smelly but beautiful looking old cornet from the vintage days...

old BBD...back to the drawing boards...

[ This Message was edited by: BADBOY-DON on 2003-11-05 14:44 ]

[ This Message was edited by: BADBOY-DON on 2003-11-05 14:45 ]

BADBOY-DON · Posted: Wed Nov 05, 2003 1:54 pm Post subject:

Forgot to mention this case for the old King cornet also contained a weird mute that this old bbd has never seen in this life time.
It is a "SHA"STOCK SOLOTONE " A Micro Product registered trade mark-made in USA? It is much like a regular bottom of the line stone straight mute, but with another piece of straight mute..glued to the bottom of the first on...but with a paper stem inserted down the middle ala' harmon stem. but this one is cemented into the middle,which pauses me to wonder if this stem could be made to be pushed foward or back. This I would guess that, this alone could give this mute,even more tuning capability.
Can't wait to try this one in the old road rage besson on the way home?
"NEVER ENOUGHT $$$ OR TIME TO PLAY WITH MUTES...GADS! WHAT FUNNNNNNNNN????

Gee, I gotta get a life,huh?

valvepimp · Posted: Wed Nov 05, 2003 2:04 pm Post subject:

I can tell you one thing for sure. The bottle of valve oil dates back to at least 1963, which was when they instituted zip codes. The Yonkers 5 shows it to be a pre-zip code address.
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nacog · Veteran Member Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 232

I think it is a mid-40's vintage. I had one from about the same year and I kind of regret selling it now. I thought it was one of the best sounding cornets that I have played and they look great too with the Sterling bell and nice engraving. My consolation is that I just picked up a nice King Master cornet from 1936 in satin silver and beautiful gold inlay int the bell engraving and gold plated inside the bell. Personally I really like those pre-1950 King horns.

_PhilPicc · Posted: Wed Nov 05, 2003 4:39 pm Post subject:

Hi BBD,

I have owned 4 or 5 of these King SilverTones at one time or another. My current cornet is a 1938 SilverTone, gold plated with a first valve trigger that I had put on. My first one was a 1957, I sold that for a 1955-6 model that was custom made for my instructor at Michigan State. I traded that in on a different horn and immediately won the "Mental Midget of the Month Award". I think I also won the award for the decade on that move.

They are great playing cornets. I have never played one that was not a player. I have not had the chance to play the "Super Horn" cornets so I cannot compare the King to them. However I do know if you put a true cornet mouthpiece in that baby and it will sound like heaven. I have a Flip Oakes Classic in mine.

Let us know how it turns out and what you think.
Phil

_________________
Philip Satterthwaite

[ This Message was edited by: PhilPicc on 2003-11-05 19:41 ]

trombapaul2 · Posted: Wed Nov 05, 2003 10:59 pm Post subject:

Hey Don,

Nothing on that mute should move. The SoloTone mute is probably the best
representative sounding mute to attract any Canadian Goose or Northeastern
Mallard. It really does produce a lovely, almost "quacking" sound. You can
also "wah-wah" it like a harmon mute.

Paul

plp · Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2003 4:21 am Post subject:

BBD,

If you have another case you can put the horn in for a few days, put any of the various carpet fresh powders in the old case for a day or two. Then vacuum out and hit it with either Ozone or Febreeze. It may not come completely odor free, but it helps. One of my sons as a joke took an especially bad case outside and put it on the roof with the case open. This airing out did some good, and seems to work better than buck lure, have had 4 sightings of deer in the past week.

BeboppinFool · Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2003 4:48 am Post subject:

Cedar (chips) works very well for getting that smell out.

I have this same model, serial # 166069. I bought it from Andrew Fowler, SHS_Trumpet, and had a little work done on it, including putting an Olds Super-style thumb saddle on the 1st valve slide.

This is my second favorite cornet, of the ones that I have in my possession in working condition at the moment. My Olds Recording (which, granted, I have spent a lot more time playing) is still #1. But this is a very close second in case you're wondering.

I have a King Master that's a couple years older than this, and am sending it to get a 1st valve thumb saddle and to get the whole thing replated. It is also a fine-playing horn.

I really love the sound of these horns, and enjoy sitting around late at night in the living room playing melodies in the middle register. Seems that my articulation is somewhat better on cornet, and I can bend notes more easily and play more syrupy, sorta "Bobby Hackett with the Jackie Gleason orchestra-like" at times.

I don't have the original case for this horn. I'm wondering what that screw thing is for on the tuning slide. Both the Master and this Silver Tone have it, as does my old 1936ish Reynolds cornet. Anybody know what it's for?

Rich
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Puttin’ On The Ritz

BADBOY-DON · Posted: Fri Nov 07, 2003 6:21 am Post subject:

Thanks gang....for all your enlightenment on this old cornet that Kevin Watson father played.
Yes, that mute is somethin' else...(the chicken or egg thing) which came first, this little mute or the original harmon kwakadoodle dandy?

Thanks for the tip about resolving the DEAD-RAT SMELL!!!!

I took that old deep Vcup mouthpiece and carefully cleaned and polished it last night and took it with me to play with and compare...but on the way in this morning...I picked up my old Besson Cornet from the jumpseat....while waiting for I-5 to start moving again from a traffic tie-up from hell...

I put that old mouthpiece up to my lips....and AMAZING!!!! AFTER ALL THAT CAREFUL CLEANING AND POLISHING...I could actually SMELL THAT HORRIFIC DEAD-RAT SMELL while playing it with my old Besson.
That is some powerful smell....left over from the pits of hell?

I haven't been able to unthread the upper seized cap threads as yet...so far the penetrating oil...hasn't penetrated as yet. I even tried my old can of freon that in the past, did wonders to release stucko'-slides and threads...Hummm? I hate the thought of forcing it with rubber-tape and pliers? Ouch!!!
I think I will leave all this to Dave at http://www.oberloh.com instead. He performs amazing miracles and would razzz' me unmecifully if I damaged anything and especially since this isn't my horn.. The horns true owner, Kevin just might have me killed or fired...for messin' his fathers beautiful old cornet..
That beautiful Silver bell is absolutely beautiful and shows virtually no dings or rub marks...and after carefully cleaning with my old bottle of tarnashield...it looks like brand new and dazzels under my art studios lights. Sorry, I can't say that the rest of the horn has stood the test of time as the laq. is very poor and the pitting on the valve train, leadpipe and tuning slides is quite badly damaged from the ravages of time.

I can't wait to play this old beauty...after its cleaned and oil. I blew a few octave breaks and long tones...and with my old Besson #5V cup this horn voice is truly warm-n-soooo smooth. That old Holton deep V cup that was in the case...hummm????
Last night I played it with the Besson...and compared to the Besson mp and the old Bach 6 mp...this old beauty so far just doesn't impress me too much so far, but perhaps after trying it in this old King after the valves are freed and oiled. Perhaps this old mp just might be "the ticket?" Speaking of tickets????

I keep wondering if the police will ever try to ticket me...while dead stopped in these horrific traffic jams from hell...and they notice that I am jammin' to my car's CD!....while all the rich folks from Gig Harbor..are doing the same thing...with Cell phones and portable PC's on the dash boards of their BMW-Hummmers-and Escalade' SUVs....Hummm? I wonder????

[ This Message was edited by: BADBOY-DON on 2003-11-07 09:30 ]

[ This Message was edited by: BADBOY-DON on 2003-11-07 09:32 ]