F.E. Olds

[adrielo19]

In what era F.E. Olds built the best Super and Recording trombones?

[SlideCrook]

Los Angeles are more sought after and fetch a 20% higher price than their Fullerton counterparts, but I’ve also played Fullerton horns that outperform LA versions.

[Posaunus]

I have a 1968 "minty" Fullerton R-15 Recording (thanks greenbean) - essentially brand new - that I'll put up against any other Recording, no matter when or where made. It's a jewel! Looks beautiful, plays great!

[OneTon]

Robb Stewart supplies a history of the Olds company at rob stewart.com. In it he flatly states, “The myth that differences somehow exist between Los Angeles instruments and those made in Fullerton is without foundation.” The reason given for Olds being shuttered in 1979 was that the holding company wasn’t satisfied with the return on investment. This implies that the Olds company was more interested in producing high quality music instruments than than profit margins, right up to the end.

It is possible that juxtaposition of early and late Super or Recording trombones might reveal some differences. Olds and later Reynolds demanded high quality from craftsmen. The way their horns blew was pretty consistent, regardless of minor changes over time. It may be possible to find some oddball configurations that were produced by special order and might be the exception. Their numbers were so low as to suppress cult following.

[Posaunus]

Robb Stewart supplies a history of the Olds company at rob stewart.com. In it he flatly states, “The myth that differences somehow exist between Los Angeles instruments and those made in Fullerton is without foundation.” The reason given for Olds being shuttered in 1979 was that the holding company wasn’t satisfied with the return on investment. This implies that the Olds company was more interested in producing high quality music instruments than than profit margins, right up to the end.

I think the OP (and others) have fallen for an urban legend, without much factual foundation. I will definitely vouch for the quality of Olds's Fullerton manufacturing. I have played several Olds trombones over the years, both Los Angeles and Fullerton, and they have all been well-made. The Fullerton models (A15 Ambassador, R15 Recording, R20 Recording, two different O-25 "Symphony") are superb. The fact that they are still playable without any (or at least very minor) repairs or modifications is testimony to their robustness and quality.

[OneTon]

Posaunus wrote: I think the OP (and others) have fallen for an urban legend, without much factual foundation. I will definitely vouch for the quality of Olds's Fullerton manufacturing. I have played several Olds trombones over the years, both Los Angeles and Fullerton, and they have all been well-made. The Fullerton models (A15 Ambassador, R15 Recording, R20 Recording, two different O-25 "Symphony") are superb. The fact that they are still playable without any (or at least very minor) repairs or modifications is testimony to their robustness and quality.

Your experience mirrors mine. At this point I don’t know how much of the myth persists. Bach has NY and Mount Vernon, Conn Abilene, and Napoleon his Waterloo. Inadequate ROI and failure to find a buyer for Olds might not reflect stubborn adherence to producing high quality products. The value of the land that the factory stood on may simply have exceeded any music instrument manufacturer’s profit margin.

[adrielo19]

Thanks to all!

[JohnL]

It's only about 30 miles from the from the factory site in Los Angeles to the factory site in Fullerton. Nothing like moving from Elkhart to Abilene or Mt. Vernon to Elkhart. As far as I know, most of the employees made the move, so you had the same people making instruments on the same equipment.

For most of the Los Angeles era, Olds built professional trombones, trumpets, and cornets - and (with the exception of a few French horns just before WWII) nothing else. The materials and workmanship on those instruments was top-notch; as good or better than anything that came out of the factories of their competitors. When the Ambassador line of student instruments were introduced late in the LA era, the trombones, trumpets, and cornets were made by the same people on the same machinery to the same standards.

But Olds' new owners (CMI) weren't content with just trombones, trumpets, and cornets. The baby boom had arrived, school bands were going to need a lot of instruments, and they wanted as much of that market as they could get. Tubas, baritones, French horns (totally different designs from the pre-WWII models), alto horns, mellophones - even a line of badge-engineered woodwinds. For a while, it worked. At its peak, F. E. Olds and Son was the second-largest band instrument maker in the USA. But the emphasis on student instruments led to something of a reverse halo effect; instead of the high-end instruments helping the image of the student ones, the student instruments diminished the image of the pro line. The lack of big name endorsements didn't help.