King 2b liberty

[wesleyrubim]

Hey guys, an opportunity came up to buy a king 2b liberty silver plated (inside the bell is gold) from 1940. What is your opinion about this trombone?

I haven't seen many of these trombones out there, is there a reason why this configuration is not as popular as gold or sterling silver?

Thanks

[BGuttman]

Silver plated instruments generally are not as popular as lacquered brass. A silver plated instrument is a little brighter than a lacquered one because the lacquer damps the sound a little. Note: this difference is VERY subtle and most of us won't hear the difference. For some reason most of the silver plated instruments I have seen on Ebay have been from the U.S. South; I think that High School bands like the appearance of silver plate there.

The 2B is a great jazz horn. Works great in small combo, and as 1st or 2nd in a Big Band. Not so good for concert band, orchestra, Brass Band, etc. If I were looking for a first or general use instrument it's not one I would choose. But if it's used within its purview it would be a great fit.

[OneTon]

Everything Bruce says is true. It is not indicated in the original post what the end use is. We have a graduate coming back from a state university who will be on the teaching staff at another state university here in town. The only horn he owns is a small bore trombone. We had a real professional here in town that played his entire 50 year career on Si Zentner’s last 2b. I have sat beside many players in community concert and community jazz bands with instruments similarly sized to 2b trombones. A 2b is a good horn and it won’t hold a player back. If you’re looking to flip it or headed for a traditional performance degree at a college or university, adjust your offer or maybe seek another horn.

[Estraven]

I have the same horn, just two years older. It plays bright (like Bruce said) and the lightweight slide is lightning fast. It should also have the gold wash in other places besides the inside of the bell. That said, the wash is really thin so if its worn off it’s only cosmetic.

Note that the inner slide tubes are the same outside diameter, but different inside diameters; that’s how they got the .481” - .491” dual slide bore.

The slide tolerances are really tight, the slightest irregularity will slow it down.

Pics of it, before and after cleanup / slide de-dent, are in this thread:

https://trombonechat.com/viewtopic.php ... 87#p147887

[OneTon]

Note that the inner slide tubes are the same outside diameter, but different inside diameters; that’s how they got the .485” - .495” dual slide bore.

Conn Selmer is showing 0.481-0.491 on their site for King 2B trombones. Are your numbers from actual measurements or from another site?

[Estraven]

Thanks for noticing that, post corrected.

[wesleyrubim]

Silver plated instruments generally are not as popular as lacquered brass. A silver plated instrument is a little brighter than a lacquered one because the lacquer damps the sound a little. Note: this difference is VERY subtle and most of us won't hear the difference. For some reason most of the silver plated instruments I have seen on Ebay have been from the U.S. South; I think that High School bands like the appearance of silver plate there.

The 2B is a great jazz horn. Works great in small combo, and as 1st or 2nd in a Big Band. Not so good for concert band, orchestra, Brass Band, etc. If I were looking for a first or general use instrument it's not one I would choose. But if it's used within its purview it would be a great fit.

Great! Thanks for the information!
I have a Yamaha 891z as my principal trombone, this one I'll use as a second instrument. I tried a trombone with Sterling silver bell once, for me it was difficult to play, I felt a bit heavy, specifically on the high notes, my fear was that silver plated would be similar , but I guess from what you said it will be almost the same as the 2b gold.
Anyway, thanks

[wesleyrubim]

I have the same horn, just two years older. It plays bright (like Bruce said) and the lightweight slide is lightning fast. It should also have the gold wash in other places besides the inside of the bell. That said, the wash is really thin so if its worn off it’s only cosmetic.

Note that the inner slide tubes are the same outside diameter, but different inside diameters; that’s how they got the .481” - .491” dual slide bore.

The slide tolerances are really tight, the slightest irregularity will slow it down.

Pics of it, before and after cleanup / slide de-dent, are in this thread:

https://trombonechat.com/viewtopic.php ... 87#p147887

Hey man, thanks for the answer. Unfortunately I couldn't see the photos, but tell me more about your experience with that horn, how did you like it? Is it a horn easy to play?

[Estraven]

With three posts, you should be able to see linked pictures after you log in to the web site (I believe).

My second trombone ever was a "regular" 2B and it served me well through school. This later one came my way out of sheer accident last year (40 years later), and the price was right. I really lucked out with the slide; the inner slide plating is in excellent condition and what I thought was a huge irregularity turned out to be a dent so small that it took my tech half an hour to find it (that's how tight the slide tolerances are). I'm glad I took the risk.

I can't think of a tonal difference between that old 2B and the plated 2B, but as I said those two horns are forty years apart in my life.

As I said earlier, the plated 2B plays bright with a 7C or 6 1/2AL, brighter than my .525" Bach 36B / 5G combo, as one would expect. The (comparatively) smaller bore does help slot notes.

I'm not going to offer an opinion on the 2B vs your .508" 891Z. Others who are more familiar with both horns can offer a better opinion than me.

All things being equal, there's no reason to not have a second trombone if the price is right.

[BGuttman]

A Yamaha 891 (or 691) is comparable to a King 3B. A King 2B should be compared to a Yamaha 697/897.