[Trombone-l] Finally!

[Fred Hudson]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Michael Shoshani" <mshoshani at sbcglobal.net>


>
> Well....here's the story on that. (There's always a story, isn't there?)
>
> King differentiated between the straight Liberty and dual Liberty 2-B
> both in bell markings (of which I completely missed the 2B in Earl's
> reconstruction of his engraving) and in slide construction. However, the
> original Liberty, which was introduced three years before the 2-B model
> but was sold simultaneously for a few years, was discontinued when H. N.
> White stopped producing musical instruments for civilian consumption
> during the war.

I also have a "New Proportion" which I have heard was the prototype for the 
Liberty. Can you shed some light on that?

> H. N. White died in 1940; his widow Edna, who by all accounts ran a
> tighter ship than he, streamlined the King lines after the war. Your
> 1949 horn has a different engraving stencil; Earl's will have the word
> "LIBERTY" in serif type in an arc beneath a King trademark that has the
> top of the letters straight and the bottom slanted upward, while your
> "Liberty" is probably cursive. But that stencil should have a 2-B
> designation in a ribbon above the King trademark which is now swollen in
> the middle compared to the ends.
>
You are right on target on the engraving stencil - mine also originally had 
the single pivot water key aligned with the slide, but the screw was always 
working loose. When my son was using the horn in high school he managed to 
lose the water key. By that time (late 70's) the Whites no longer owned the 
company and a replacement was not available, so the repairman attached a 
"conventional" water key. It's much more satisfactory but I regret the loss 
of individuality.
RE: Mrs. White ran a tighter ship - my "New Proportion" is actually 
beautifully engraved
"NEW PROROTION" - :>)

Fred H