Shop Card Meaning?

[bobroden]

Hoping someone can translate for me.

I just bought a Bach 6vii with a lightweight slide. The shop card, from 1940, specifies the following about the slide:

-- Material Outer Tube: E.Q.Br.
-- Inner Tube: 18% N.S.
-- Plating: chrome

I imagine "N.S." means nickel silver, yes?

But what is "E.Q.Br."?

[tbonesullivan]

E.Q. Br. is short for E.Q. Brass. I'm going to assume that's yellow brass, as I see it on a lot of shop cards.

N.S. would be nickel silver, I assume an alloy with 18% nickel.

[octavposaune]

Extra Quality brass, N.S.is nickel silver

[bobroden]

Extra Quality brass, N.S.is nickel silver

Interesting, thanks! I wonder what "extra quality" refers to . . .

[hornbuilder]

Bach's of that vintage used a material for the outer slides which is "golder" in color than yellow brass. I'm not sure what the specific alloy was, but is has similar qualities to gold brass in appearance and mechanical properties.

[octavposaune]

Hey Matt, gold brass tubes were available as an option in the NY era. From 50Bs to 6s. I had a client that had s NY 6 a couple hundred serial numbers older than mine that had gold brass tubes and mine (1947 6) has the standard yellow. Shop cards indicate gold brass slide tubes sometimes, but shop cards are not reliable for all.details. Sometimes bell diameters are wrong etc... Whether you were referring the EQ Brass tubes having more copper than standard yellow.brass or not. I havent personally seen eq brass tubes that looked goldish, this doesn't mean Bach didn't get different alloyed metal for the outer slides.and just label as EQ brass.

Benn

[elmsandr]

Not to answer for Matt, but every NY & Mt.V Bach in my collection and every one I can remember reviewing closely has slide tubes that are more goldish in color than the slide crooks. Assuming they were buffed as assembled, I would guess that they are a different material and that this changed at some point with the move to Elkhart. My early Elk slide is nickel, but a mid 70's slide I have is all yellow.

Example picture, it is subtle, but just a little different:

Ferrule.JPG

Cheers,
Andy

[hornbuilder]

Agree Andy. I don't recall seeing examples of NY or Mt V slides with yellow tubes. Only a darker, "golder" colored material. It isn't as dark as red brass, but is in the 80/20, 85/15 range.

[octavposaune]

Hi all,

80-20 was the gold brass Bach used on slide tubes as well. I have seen both gold brass and yellow slide tubes on NY horns. Andy, that's definitely a gold brass slide tube pictured.

I would wager to say the gold.brass tubes were most common on larger bore trombones. The small bores I have seen mostly have regular yellow tubes. MY NY6 is original and is bright yelllow, my clients 6 had that gold brass on its slide tubes..

I have a NY 50B valve section here that has its F attachment slide tubes made of gold brass. Its bizarre. Just the inner slide tubes, not the rest of the wrap.

Benn

[hornbuilder]

Re NY 50B inner slide tubes. Gold brass inner tubes on the F slide was standard.