Features on Friday: 1913 Conn 3H Trombone

JANUARY 7, 2015, UPDATE: This trombone has been sold.

Today, we are starting a new series of featuring certain items from our eBay store. Our first feature is a unique trombone — a 1913 Vintage Conn 3H Trombone. It took a little bit of research to get all my facts in order, and much of my information I received from the Conn Loyalist Website. The Serial Number is 135xxx which dates it to be 1913. It is also marked ‘H S P’ meaning High and Low Pitch, and the 7″ bell means it is a ‘Wurlitzer Special.’ There is no distinct marking saying it is a ‘3H’, but with all the information previously listed, my opinion is it is a ‘3H.’ There is also a ‘4’ marking on the mouthpiece receiver side of the slide as well as a ‘9’ marked on the front of the trombone near the tuning slide. To see pictures and details of the trombone, check out this link.

The trombone includes a High Pitched tuning slide which basically allows you to play a B-natural instead of B-flat in first position. Also included is the original case and mouthpiece. It is not seen in the photos but one of the braces for the lower pitch tuning slide is detached and falls off when the tuning slide is pulled out. The main slide moves fairly well but will need to be cleaned for faster speeds. The case is in fair condition.

When I first played this horn, it had a great mellow sound to it–one that you would expect while listening to the radio in the 1940s. It reminded me a lot of the Tommy Dorsey recordings. It is a lot of fun to play if you are wanting to play a simple little tune.

If you are interested in purchasing this horn or want to know more about this trombone, you can contact us in the ‘Comment’ section or email us at [email protected]. As mentioned before, it is listed for sale/best offer on eBay and you can see that in our store.

Cheers and Vinyl!