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Tommy Dorsey Trombone

Posted: Tue Dec 01, 2020 10:19 pm
by PaulT
What horn did Tommy Dorsey play? (bore/mouthpiece)

If he played several, which did he for "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You"?

Thanks,

Re: Tommy Dorsey Trombone

Posted: Tue Dec 01, 2020 11:21 pm
by PaulT
Was it the King 2b?

Re: Tommy Dorsey Trombone

Posted: Tue Dec 01, 2020 11:26 pm
by harrisonreed
King 2b

Re: Tommy Dorsey Trombone

Posted: Wed Dec 02, 2020 12:00 am
by BGuttman
King 2B with a special mouthpiece (Almont). Schilke copied the Almont as their model 40 (it's really small -- probably why TD played everything so high).

Re: Tommy Dorsey Trombone

Posted: Wed Dec 02, 2020 12:43 am
by Posaunus
The Schilke 42B is known as the "Dorsey model." (Don't know whether Tommy actually played one.) :idk:
But it is very small and light:
Contoured profile; Shallow cup; Cup I.D. 22.99mm / 0.905" ; throat 5.95mm / 0.234"

Re: Tommy Dorsey Trombone

Posted: Wed Dec 02, 2020 2:09 am
by Vegasbound
The sheriff has one of TD's Almont mouthpieces they where made out of silver

His trombone was 2b sized but custom made friction fit, no slide lock and water key like the Jiggs model all gold plated

Re: Tommy Dorsey Trombone

Posted: Wed Dec 02, 2020 6:35 am
by baileyman
I seem to recall there were a number of these horns and King would prep and ship them from gig to gig so that all he had to do was reach for it and play. I think this was in a biography from years ago. But the older I get the more I mis-remember-make-things-up!

Re: Tommy Dorsey Trombone

Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2021 11:05 am
by Wishbone
I remember reading somewhere long time ago that Dorsey also used a Conn 4H leadpipe on his King. Can anyone verify this?

Re: Tommy Dorsey Trombone

Posted: Fri Apr 16, 2021 4:34 pm
by Massimo69
I played a bell originally from Tommy Dorsey at Alan Kaplan's home.. It was a really tiny bell it was king but not 2b... Troath was really bigger... You can see the copy of this bell in the Kanstul Kaplan model...

Re: Tommy Dorsey Trombone

Posted: Wed Feb 16, 2022 9:01 pm
by Glog
He had a single tube 2B Liberty

Re: Tommy Dorsey Trombone

Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2022 7:09 am
by adrielo19
Tommy Dorsey played a King Liberty 2-B.
7 1/4" bell.
Bore (upper) .481"; (lower) .491".
I don't know which mouthpiece he used but that trombone was shipped with a King M21.

Re: Tommy Dorsey Trombone

Posted: Sun Feb 20, 2022 8:55 am
by Oslide
Glog wrote: Wed Feb 16, 2022 9:01 pm He had a single tube 2B Liberty
Single, not dual? That's interesting. Do you have a reference for this?

Re: Tommy Dorsey Trombone

Posted: Mon Feb 21, 2022 8:52 am
by Koz
Dorsey's horn had a dual bore 481/491 not a straight bore. The water key was a standard 2B water key. The horn was highly engraved from the bell, up over the tuning slide. the horn was all gold with the bell being gold burnished.
Dorsey had a number of these made and gifted them to players he friended/admired. King, at that time, offered a finish option with the engraving in gold plate for purchase.
Hope this offers some clarity.

Koz

Re: Tommy Dorsey Trombone

Posted: Thu May 09, 2024 6:23 pm
by vwmvwm
Did Tommy Dorsey play with his main tuning slide all the way in? In researching old movies, I cannot find any video with his tuning slide pulled out at all.

Re: Tommy Dorsey Trombone

Posted: Sat May 11, 2024 9:38 am
by sporto
Bob Hester told me years ago Dorsey's 2B had no slide lock, no bell lock, no lacquer and no counterweight. And it had a Conn 4H leadpipe.

Re: Tommy Dorsey Trombone

Posted: Sat May 11, 2024 9:57 am
by harrisonreed
vwmvwm wrote: Thu May 09, 2024 6:23 pm Did Tommy Dorsey play with his main tuning slide all the way in? In researching old movies, I cannot find any video with his tuning slide pulled out at all.
He has it pulled slightly in a few photos -- doesn't make a lot of sense to pull it very far on a King trombone.

Re: Tommy Dorsey Trombone

Posted: Sat May 11, 2024 10:55 am
by officermayo
Herein of TD's Kings.

Re: Tommy Dorsey Trombone

Posted: Sat May 11, 2024 12:32 pm
by harrisonreed
What about his silver one with gold accents?

Re: Tommy Dorsey Trombone

Posted: Sat May 11, 2024 4:29 pm
by officermayo
I've read that TD had such a supply of horns from H.N. White that he'd only use one for a gig or two, then select a different horn from his stash.

Re: Tommy Dorsey Trombone

Posted: Sun May 12, 2024 6:54 am
by DaveAshley
He also had numerous Almont mouthpieces, with slight differences in each. They all looked the same from the outside, so nobody would know he was switching.

I owned one of them for several years. It had a rather flat rim - smaller than 12C (or maybe just flatter?) V shaped cup, pretty open throat for the size. I sold it for.....a lot.....$$$$

Re: Tommy Dorsey Trombone

Posted: Sun May 12, 2024 7:16 am
by OneTon
Are they first and second pictures the same bell? The first looks like a more modern flair and second appears to be a
6-inch diameter bell.