TromboneChat

I just bought a Vintage King Tempo through DJ Kennedy, it’s the old style with nickel bell and curved hand brace. Vintage 3 piece counterweight. Serial places it around 1965.

Hot cheese on a cracker, this thing sings. I love it! I would put this thing at or above any 2B I’ve ever played. It slots well, screams in the high register, and flows through ballad style work.

Any other Tempo lovers here?

Amconk wrote: ↑Wed Aug 12, 2020 12:12 am Hot cheese on a cracker...

Thanks for posting your impressions.
As a fan of King's I have been wanting one of these for a while, but every time they come up for sale (ebay, facebook, etc) they go fast and usually out of my budget.
I think these are one of those really nice not-so-hidden gems.
As soon as I can get one I will try to remember to find this post again so we can nerd out some more.

I really like the 1306 Nickel-belled Tempos (tempi?). These are .500" bore with an 8" bell that mates up with 3B slides. They also have the curved brace. Great for hard Latin music and loud rock gigs.

I like'em! There is a 1506 Super Tempo for sale in Alliance, Ohio for $75. If it was closer, and I didn't already have a 2B, I would be all over it.

Klimchak wrote: ↑Thu Aug 20, 2020 1:13 pm I really like the 1306 Nickel-belled Tempos (tempi?). These are .500" bore with an 8" bell that mates up with 3B slides. They also have the curved brace. Great for hard Latin music and loud rock gigs.

Thanks for that tip. I've been looking for a 500/508 hybrid horn, and I love nickel bells. The 48h with a Getzen 3508 or 1050 slide seems to be another option I've learned here.

I have a Tempo bell on my 2B Valve section. Love the way it plays and sounds

DJ set me up with a Tempo because I asked for something that would peel the paint off the walls. I love mine! The slide is just a bit too narrow, but I make it work because I love how it is!

I know this is an old post, but wanted to also geek out about my King Tempo.

I bought mine back in 1980 from another trombone player in my high school. He actually damaged my trombone, and felt guilty about it. He sold me his King Tempo. It was in pretty good shape, and played great. I paid him $75 for it back then. Over the years I took it out from time to time, but it was having some slide issues.

I bought a Yamaha YSL-356R about 5 years ago. I wanted to get back into playing regularly, and knew my old King wasn't up for the challenge. I've been playing in a local concert band for the past 4 years, except for a long pandemic break. We started back up over the summer. Recently I decided to take the King in for repairs and a good cleaning. The slide feels great again. I started our new season in our local concert band last week playing the King, and I LOVE IT! It's like finding an good friend you haven't seen in a while.

Are these actual Nickel bells ? or ( more likely) they are Nickel plated brass?

Just sayin'

BellEnd

My understanding is a heavyweight, nickel plated brass bell.

Kingfan wrote: ↑Thu Aug 20, 2020 1:23 pm I like'em! There is a 1506 Super Tempo for sale in Alliance, Ohio for $75. If it was closer, and I didn't already have a 2B, I would be all over it.

I live nearby. What site is it listed on?

Kingfan wrote: ↑Thu Sep 08, 2022 8:56 am

Kingfan wrote: ↑Thu Aug 20, 2020 1:23 pm I like'em! There is a 1506 Super Tempo for sale in Alliance, Ohio for $75. If it was closer, and I didn't already have a 2B, I would be all over it.

I live nearby. What site is it listed on?

LOL did you just ask your 2020 self a question?

I have one of the sliver plated 1306's. Played it for a few years straight during my ska band days in the late 1990's. I have never played another trombone which even comes close in terms of raw projecting volume. I picked it up to use instead of the '61 3B I had at the time in the high-risk situations I was found in while touring in a van and playing all sorts of "venues". The volume capacity turned out to be a huge asset because I was often working without a mic against mic'd drums and guitar amps. This isn't to say that it didn't require a lot of effort, but I never had trouble cutting through. Other horns would back up and kind of fold before the point to where I was trying to push them. The 1306 took all I could give and turned it into sound. I don't know why or how, but that's the only horn I could do that with.

bassclef wrote: ↑Thu Sep 08, 2022 9:57 am

Kingfan wrote: ↑Thu Sep 08, 2022 8:56 am

I live nearby. What site is it listed on?

LOL did you just ask your 2020 self a question?

Deja vu all over again... I just found a nickel Tempo on a site called Junkum for $71 shipped. If it is too good to be true, it probably is...

I've been somewhat on the hunt for a 1306 Tempo for a few years now, for exactly the reasons outlined in bassclef's post...my '70s 3Bs are stupid loud but on rock and salsa gigs something even more incendiary would be very welcome.

But I also have a 3B, a 3BF, and a 607, and I still need to get a nice 6H, so my allocated 1306 fund is not large.

Kingfan wrote: ↑Thu Sep 08, 2022 10:28 amI just found a nickel Tempo on a site called Junkum for $71 shipped. If it is too good to be true, it probably is...

A quick Google shows that Junkum is not a site you should be gambling with. A legitimate $71 Tempo on eBay/Facebook/Craigslist isn't far-fetched, though.

I'm selling my King tempo bell section. If you can't find my ad, send me a PM and I can dig it up with pictures. My price is fiexbile and I'm open to trades.

bellend wrote: ↑Thu Sep 08, 2022 6:57 am Are these actual Nickel bells ? or ( more likely) they are Nickel plated brass?

Just sayin'

BellEnd

NIckel plated.

Yes, King Tempos can be real "sleepers", just like Holton Galaxies. Paint peelers one and all. I have a Tempo bell section for my King 2B Jiggs because the Jiggs can't hold up to any mute action without getting a dent rash. Feels and sounds good, but probably even better with a Tempo slide on it.

.
How compatible are Tempo and 606 parts (if at all)?

--

Never Mind:
viewtopic.php?p=172996#p172996

Actually, I'd still like to know if this just means either can use the other's slide, or if individual parts (outers/inners, tuning slides, etc) are also compatible.

There's one for sale on reddit

I just bought a 1962 Tempo and Love it.
Now I`m a bach guy so this is a different blow for me.
I just wanted a horn that was a little smaller than the .500 bore Bach 12`s I play.
I`m going to have the hand slide over sleeves taken off because I want a lighter slide

captain wrote: ↑Thu Mar 13, 2025 2:01 pm There's one for sale on reddit

Yeah, that was me. It sold this afternoon.

Macbone1 wrote: ↑Wed Sep 21, 2022 1:15 pm Yes, King Tempos can be real "sleepers", just like Holton Galaxies. Paint peelers one and all. I have a Tempo bell section for my King 2B Jiggs because the Jiggs can't hold up to any mute action without getting a dent rash. Feels and sounds good, but probably even better with a Tempo slide on it.

Ive never played a Tempo, but I can confirm that my Galaxy absolutely sizzles. Maybe one of these days I'll Frankenstein a new slide on it.

officermayo wrote: ↑Thu Mar 13, 2025 9:48 pm Yeah, that was me. It sold this afternoon.

Congrats! I wish I'd known it was for sale by a trombonechatter. If you ever decide to sell your 1962 King 3B SILVERSONIC, please let me know!

I posted it foe sale here on 3/12 and got zero response so it went to Evilbay.

"Ive never played a Tempo, but I can confirm that my Galaxy absolutely sizzles. Maybe one of these days I'll Frankenstein a new slide on it"

I only got a chance to try a Galaxy for about thirty seconds but was very impressed. They were excellent, as were the King Tempos. I never understood why they didn't sell better and why school band programs didn't buy more than they did. Back when I was in school, the district only bought Conn Directors. But the distributor kind of had a monopoly on the whole state.

Finetales wrote: ↑Thu Sep 08, 2022 10:37 am I've been somewhat on the hunt for a 1306 Tempo for a few years now, for exactly the reasons outlined in bassclef's post...my '70s 3Bs are stupid loud but on rock and salsa gigs something even more incendiary would be very welcome.

Well, I finally got my hands on a 1306 Tempo - from a forum member no less!

I used it on an outdoor gig today. It is definitely loud, and it cuts. I'm not actually sure if it is louder than my very loud yellow 3B, and the only real way to tell would be for someone to compare them on the other side of the bell. They both feel like pretty similar levels of loud behind the bell, and my 3B will cut through pretty much anything. I did briefly try the bell section with my 3B slide (the slides/bells are compatible), and that combination is scary loud. Need to try that on a loud gig next.

Apart from volume, I've so far found the 1306 to be a nice player, and it has more overtones in the sound than my 3Bs do. Color in spades! I will say that I think whatever leadpipe King put in these (probably student-grade and not a 2B/3B pipe) is hamstringing the instrument a little bit. This instrument feels constricting especially in the high register, much more than my 3B. And that's not just the smaller .500 bore talking here - I've played 6Hs and 2B Pluses that played wide open and would take everything you could give them. This 1306 will not, and I'm convinced the leadpipe is the problem. Out of all the leadpipes available, I have to wonder which would be the best choice for this horn and my specific use case for it.

In the meantime, I will try the 1306 bell with my 3B slide some more. If I end up really loving that setup, I may take the bell off and have it added to my modular 3B project. The flare is a bit longer than a 3B flare, but it's also a bit smaller at the small end so it's probably possible to cut it to the right length and get it to fit. Sadly, because the 1306's narrow student model chassis also has a slightly shorter handslide than the 3B, adding the 1306's slide to the 3B project isn't a good idea. If I do end up taking the bell for the 3B project, I will keep the slide around for...other things.