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Anyone have an opinion about an OLDS Special?
Posted: Tue Feb 11, 2025 3:14 pm
by msterling
I have had a 1969-1970 OLDS Special for about 10 years. It has some peeling plating on the inner slide but is otherwise in very nice condition. Is this a decent horn or just a student model. It seems to be dual-bore and has a transition from yellow brass to maybe rose brass on the bell section.
Re: Anyone have an opinion about an OLDS Special?
Posted: Tue Feb 11, 2025 4:29 pm
by dbwhitaker
There is an old thread about the Special:
viewtopic.php?p=130128#p130128
Re: Anyone have an opinion about an OLDS Special?
Posted: Tue Feb 11, 2025 4:36 pm
by Chazzer69
I have one a little older than yours and it happened to come out of storage the other day when I had a friend over to try out a couple of horns. I was pleasantly surprised by what he and I were both able to get out of it. It's a good horn!
Re: Anyone have an opinion about an OLDS Special?
Posted: Tue Feb 11, 2025 8:24 pm
by BrooklynDad
I think the Olds horns special horns are good sounding, budget-friendly horns. Olds instruments from their heyday just have their own thing, owing to their dedication to innovation/trying new things. Custom Venturi, their own alloys, fluted slides- etc. They aren't for everyone, but Olds instruments literally scream "quality". I particularly like their Opera line of instruments. In my school days, I would buy and resell vintage horns in order to learn more about them, how they play, etc. and it ended up being a wonderful way to get into the equipment. And I barely lost any money between the buying and reselling. Win/Win. Michael Dease
Re: Anyone have an opinion about an OLDS Special?
Posted: Wed Feb 12, 2025 2:31 pm
by msterling
Interesting thread! I do have an Olds 3 mouthpiece which came with my first student T-Bone (an Ambassador). Other small bore mouthpieces don't insert far enough into the leadpipe. The Special looks like a very fancied-up Ambassador. The scratchy slide action is annoying.
I wonder if I can get the inner slides replated or replaced. The outer slide looks pristine inside and out.
Re: Anyone have an opinion about an OLDS Special?
Posted: Mon Feb 24, 2025 1:35 pm
by rudytbone
I picked up a used Special to use as a "beater" marching horn for ~$50 back in '83. Best "beater" I've ever owned.
Re: Anyone have an opinion about an OLDS Special?
Posted: Mon Feb 24, 2025 2:25 pm
by ghmerrill
I don't think the Special was ever a "student model". I have a '47 (with the "serpentine" braces) and it was the #2 professional horn in their catalog for '46 and '47 at least -- selling (as I recall calculating it) for the equivalent of about $3,000. They are dual bore, of course, but I wonder if what you're seeing as "rose brass" is just the lacquer having darkened up. A year or so ago, I stripped the old lacquer off mine and re-lacquered it -- except for the bell because I couldn't bring myself to remove that "look" of the darkened lacquer.
I paid $120 for it on Ebay just a few years ago and regard it as a steal, though I rarely play it.
Re: Anyone have an opinion about an OLDS Special?
Posted: Mon Feb 24, 2025 2:31 pm
by Geordie
I like my Special - use it for parades and ‘lively’ environments. They have a reputation for being sturdy and well made. Mine is very nose heavy. I believe that’s common. Added a generic counterweight - approx 8ozs - and all is good. Struggled to find an authentic Olds counterweight.
Re: Anyone have an opinion about an OLDS Special?
Posted: Mon Feb 24, 2025 2:33 pm
by ghmerrill
Geordie wrote: ↑Mon Feb 24, 2025 2:31 pm
Mine is very nose heavy.
Definitely.
Re: Anyone have an opinion about an OLDS Special?
Posted: Tue Feb 25, 2025 4:16 pm
by msterling
ghmerrill wrote: ↑Mon Feb 24, 2025 2:25 pm
I don't think the Special was ever a "student model". I have a '47 (with the "serpentine" braces) and it was the #2 professional horn in their catalog for '46 and '47 at least -- selling (as I recall calculating it) for the equivalent of about $3,000. They are dual bore, of course, but I wonder if what you're seeing as "rose brass" is just the lacquer having darkened up. A year or so ago, I stripped the old lacquer off mine and re-lacquered it -- except for the bell because I couldn't bring myself to remove that "look" of the darkened lacquer.
I paid $120 for it on Ebay just a few years ago and regard it as a steal, though I rarely play it.
There is a clear line where the color of the bell transitions to a darker shade. You can see it in the pic.
Re: Anyone have an opinion about an OLDS Special?
Posted: Tue Feb 25, 2025 4:18 pm
by msterling
Geordie wrote: ↑Mon Feb 24, 2025 2:31 pm
I like my Special - use it for parades and ‘lively’ environments. They have a reputation for being sturdy and well made. Mine is very nose heavy. I believe that’s common. Added a generic counterweight - approx 8ozs - and all is good. Struggled to find an authentic Olds counterweight.
I do use mine for parades. It take less air than the 88H.
Mine has an Olds counterweight and is nicely balanced
Re: Anyone have an opinion about an OLDS Special?
Posted: Tue Feb 25, 2025 4:21 pm
by ghmerrill
msterling wrote: ↑Tue Feb 25, 2025 4:16 pm
There is a clear line where the color of the bell transitions to a darker shade. You can see it in the pic.
Ah, I see that now. There appears to be a pretty distinct line there. Interesting.
Re: Anyone have an opinion about an OLDS Special?
Posted: Tue Feb 25, 2025 11:27 pm
by JohnL
ghmerrill wrote: ↑Tue Feb 25, 2025 4:21 pm
msterling wrote: ↑Tue Feb 25, 2025 4:16 pm
There is a clear line where the color of the bell transitions to a darker shade. You can see it in the pic.
Ah, I see that now. There appears to be a pretty distinct line there. Interesting.
There's a good picture of a "tri-color" Special on page 5 of this catalog:
http://itsabear.com/Olds_Docs/Olds1970.pdf
Re: Anyone have an opinion about an OLDS Special?
Posted: Wed Feb 26, 2025 12:25 am
by Doubler
FWIW - Whereas the 2-tone Studio bell consists of a nickel-silver flare brazed to a yellow brass taper, the same effect was achieved by Re-O-Loy plating the flare of the Special after the bell (taper and flare made of the same material, rather than dissimilar metals) was assembled.