Holton Stratodyne 67 - Request for Info

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MrHCinDE
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Holton Stratodyne 67 - Request for Info

Post by MrHCinDE »

It might be a bit late, seeing as I've already bought it on an impulse but what can anyone tell me about the Holton Stratodyne 67 from the mid-1950s?

Here's the actual instrument which should be on its way to me soon, though it may take a while to come across the pond:
https://www.ebay.de/itm/1954-Holton-Str ... 3853751417
I might have got a bit carried away with the price, especially buying untested, but am hoping for something with a bit of character that is enjoyable to play, whether at home in my practice room or fingers crossed in an ensemble at some point in the future. Buying blind from eBay is a lottery anyway!

I was attracted by the nickel silver slide and gooseneck with red brass bell. The bell might actually by more gold brass than red which would also be ok for me, I'll know once it turns up. I have it in mind for playing lead in big band and possibly some jazz combo.

Since I'm pretty impatient, can anyone who has or has had one of these give me a few hints on what it might play like? Does anyone know about the history of these instruments, when they were built, who played/(or plays) them etc.? For reference and as a point of comparison, my regular small bore is a late '50s 6h.
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BGuttman
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Re: Holton Stratodyne 67 - Request for Info

Post by BGuttman »

I have one. 1964 vintage. It used to belong to a guy who played a lot of Dixieland (small combo). I've played lead on it. Nice horn. Not tinny at all.

Feels more 3B-ish than 2B-ish.

Bell is gold brass.
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Vegasbound
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Re: Holton Stratodyne 67 - Request for Info

Post by Vegasbound »

Buddy Morrow was holtons big name player right through from the late 30's through to the end of the 1960's

DJ is the one to chime in on the vintage Holtons, but they developed from various model 65 to the later 67 and the stratodyne their are several versions of each regarding bore sizes and bell materials
Mamaposaune
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Re: Holton Stratodyne 67 - Request for Info

Post by Mamaposaune »

I had one for awhile, around the same time I had a Yamaha 691 (I think) both were .500 bore, red or gold brass bell, and nickel tuning slide, gooseneck, and main slide.
Great players, IMO. Not really ideal for the type of playing I do so I sold them, but I don't think you'll be disappointed.
MrHCinDE
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Re: Holton Stratodyne 67 - Request for Info

Post by MrHCinDE »

Thanks, I’m feeling quite optimistic now.

The great thing about vintage small bore tenors is the variety you can get for a few hundred $.
droffilcal
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Re: Holton Stratodyne 67 - Request for Info

Post by droffilcal »

I have owned a couple of these horns, and both of them were fantastic players and beautiful looking instruments!
You are likely going to get a very nice playing horn. They play bigger and more open than you might think, the sound is kind of glorious, they feel light but not fragile or tinny -- great horns!
Sdoubler
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Re: Holton Stratodyne 67 - Request for Info

Post by Sdoubler »

I've been on a vintage Holton kick for a couple years now, and I own a Holton 65, 67, and 69.

Holton was big back in the day! - Buddy Morrow, Maynard Ferguson, Chicago Symphony musicians, etc...

The 65 and 67 are similar in design, the 67 has some faceted bracing and a more lovely engraving. The 69 is like a 65 but with a larger bell.

I've seen Holton 65s from the late 40s without the 1950's era engraving - very different horn! Plays more like a 2B - small and hot!

I was first apprehensive as these are all around .485 bore horns, and I'd never gone that small. I don't believe these models ever featured a larger bore size, but I could be wrong. Mine all measure the same .485-ish size.

To me these horns play and feel MUCH bigger than the bore size would suggest. In fact, when I switched from playing a Conn 100H to a Holton 65 I settled on a slightly smaller mouthpiece. A mouthpiece that felt too hot for the 100H felt balanced on the 65, and the mouthpiece that felt right on the 100H played "tubby" on the 65. I had expected the opposite - I thought I would need a slightly bigger mouthpiece to balance the smaller bore.

My 67 has an even more beautiful and round tone than my 65, but I cannot "light up" the 67 as easily so I use the 65 more often so that I have that capacity in reserve if I need it. I may also have a slightly hotter 65 as the horn had been overhauled and subsequently gold-plated by a previous owner (thinking the buffing and overhaul process may have removed more metal than the gold-plating added making the horn weigh less - all 100% speculation on my part).

One thing that I and another friend in town playing a 67 have noticed is that the pitch is low on these horns using modern mouthpieces. He plays pretty much all the way pushed in. I had my tuning slide cut down about 3/8" to give me some wiggle room.

These horns are gems, hope you enjoy yours!
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FEWeathers
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Re: Holton Stratodyne 67 - Request for Info

Post by FEWeathers »

I'm pretty sure Nick Grinder recorded his album "Farallon" playing a Stratodyne. Maybe he'll chime in on this thread. Meanwhile, have a listen...

https://youtu.be/p5wbeUzDtMs
ngrinder
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Re: Holton Stratodyne 67 - Request for Info

Post by ngrinder »

FEWeathers wrote: Fri Jan 15, 2021 7:30 pm I'm pretty sure Nick Grinder recorded his album "Farallon" playing a Stratodyne. Maybe he'll chime in on this thread. Meanwhile, have a listen...

https://youtu.be/p5wbeUzDtMs
Thanks for posting that, Frank!

I had all of my Stratodyne bells modified to accept Bach slides, and that's what I'm playing on this album (the slide is a custom "9" - .495/.500 - with one tube nickel). I have 3, and each of them are wildly different in looks and playing characteristics. I've got one red brass bell, one heavy yellow bell, and one lighter bell with an ornate engraving, and they all have the nickel gooseneck. The red bell is used on the album, but most of my section playing is done with the heavier yellow bell, as I have always had trouble blending with trumpets and other brass with copper bells. I like these horns because I feel like I can turn on a dime with them and they have a realllly wide color palate, which makes them great for a wide variety of playing styles. The heavy yellow bell can also take a ton of power and works well for salsa and those long club dates. They're pretty interesting horns and I recommend them to everyone, as long as you can figure out what to do with the slide section. They come up regularly enough on eBay and are cheap enough to experiment with!

I *think* Jon Blondell also plays this setup - Bach slide with a Holton bell.

If anyone has a lead on a 7.75/8in Holton bell from the 50s/60s, please let me know!
MrHCinDE
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Re: Holton Stratodyne 67 - Request for Info

Post by MrHCinDE »

Thanks to all who replied.

@ngrinder, I'll be buying your album on iTunes, lovely playing by you and the rest of the group.

The trombone arrived today, I was amazed it came so quickly, one week from the USA to Germany including customs etc., I didn't think I was a fan of eBay global shipping programme but this time it worked great.

My first impression is really good. As you good people hinted at, it plays open and with a bigger sound than I expected. It slots really nicely with no 'surprising' partials. It has the 7.5" bell with rose/gold brass as far as I can tell. It does need a fair bit of air to really get going in comparison to my 6h. I can see it really working well for combo playing or just noodling around at home. It seems quite sensitive to mouthpiece choice, so far I'm liking it with a smaller cup size, I got out my rarely-used MV 12C and it really came alive so would also work for me on lead with a small mouthpiece and a lot of fast air.

Overall, I'm really happy with this unusual (at least in this part of the world) instrument.
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