Martin Trombone Serial Numbers10/27/2021
This was the student line offering from Martin.The Martin Band Instrument Company was a musical instrument manufacturer in Elkhart, Indiana.The firm produced band instruments, including trumpets, cornets, fluegelhorns, trombones, and saxophones from 1908 through the 1960s. Significant Characteristics: Indiana BIC was incorporated as a subsidiary in 1928, but folded back into Martin during the Depression. Martin Indiana Trumpet Years Built: 1928 - 1961 Variants: Indiana Band Instrument Company trumpet, Martin Indiana, Martin Indiana Chieftain model names.
Martin Trombone S Serial Numbers And CorrespondingMusical instruments, namely, pianos, automatically reproducing pianos. King and Conn have lists of serial numbers and corresponding years of. Knowing your trombone's serial number can help you identify the year your instrument was made.The valve block is in the more traditonal position vs. More in tune – the mouthpipe/leadpipe contributes to this as the Committee tapers quite a bit vs, this one which looks like it’s a more ‘traditional’ style setup. (Having said that tolerances of the later Committees were better as machinery improved etc).When considering such a horn always ask if the number stamped on the valves matches the outside number.The top caps will also have the same number – those are common areas that are consistently swapped out over the years. Around the mid to 30’s the Standard and the Imperial (Handcraft) both existed.The Standard was essentially an ‘all-brass’ version – where the Imperial had nickel slides and trim. (The exception to this is the mid 40’s models which had nickel trim also).They were very much a pro horn at the time and were built in such a way.One giveaway to this process to me is the fact that you find hand stamped serial numbers not only on the side of the horn – but also on the bottom caps and the side of the actual valves.The Martin ‘Trombone style’ side dumps (Very cool loking but almost impossible Waterkeys – are the more traditional setup vs. Mouthpiece receiver is different – the Standard has a receiver more like you would find on an oldConnof that Era.![]() They dropped the reverse tuning slide somewhere after 1939. I to think that Martin stopped putting the love in the HCI when the Committee came out. I always seem to acquire a Committee due to the prestige but I always go back to the HCI. I agree with the above play test. I have owned many different horns probably 5 HCI’s and 6 or 7 Committees. I also have a 1947 Committee. ![]() He has an incredible range and is an amazing lead player. For me, it was awful but my buddy sounded incredible on it. I have played Mic Gillette’s Custom Large Bore Committee. I have yet to own a Committee Handcraft though. I have not found one yet but I suspect they are out there. If you get an in tune Committee…keep it and play it. He has a Monette B2 and an Al Cass 4×4. Currently there is a guy in a band I play in that has a 1952 Committee. I noticed that the Committees seemed to play better with smaller mouthpieces, say an Al Cass or Bach 10 1/2 C but don’t seem to sound a whole lot different out front of the horn with a 3C Bach or bigger. I’ve played legit, jazz and lead on it. The intonation however is so spot on, it’s amazing and for that you can actually use it in a section. The HCI is SLIGHTLY less nimble than the Committee and I mean very slightly less. The Committee should stay on the trumpet stand for a solo instead of your flugelhorn while you play something that blends with the section. They blend really well with other trumpets. Vernon 10 1/2 E on the HCI horn. Again, you can actually use it in a trumpet section (currently, I am using an Al Cass 4×1 or a Mt. The HCI however works well with big and small mouthpieces. I usually tweak all horns that I get so that I can learn about them some I have improved and some I have killed. Fortunately, I have access to a 100,00 + repair shop with state of the art tools. Not that I am the expert on this but these are a few of my observations owning or playing with people on these horns.I do some restoration work too but just for myself and friends that I don’t charge. Having that thumb hook on it makes the world of difference. I SUSPECT that Martin made the first slide a little long to make a’s and e’s not so sharp but the d’s and f’s suffer. I am of course killing the vintage vibe of the horn but WOW what a difference a few tweaks make. So far on this 40’s HCI, I have put a patch on it, scratch brushed the whole horn, rebuild the tuning slide and shortened the first slide 1/8 of an inch as well as reversed the top tube and put a thumb hook on it. On those, just put your mouthpiece in it and gt used to the weird way it plays. There is actually some leakage around the shank of the mouthpiece. I’m not planning on taking a whole lot out with the morse taper reamer but just enough to make the mouthpiece seat correctly. This will change the gap slightly. The mouthpiece does not seat true in the horn. Download windows remote desktop for macWhen I sold a Blessing Artist, I got a fraction of what it was really worth because of the mods AND I SAVED THE HORN!! I didn’t keep it because I couldn’t deal with the intonation on it (which is a whole other story) that is unfixable (the Rudy Muck/Blessing Artist/Super Artist all share the same weird intonation quirk). Sadly, it kills the vintage vibe.
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