1951 Martin Imperial Specs

[Neo Bri]

Anyone know much about this horn in roughly this vintage?

[BGuttman]

If you look at my avatar I'm playing one. Just a few years older (late 1940s).

Mine has a 7 1/2 inch bell, pretty much all yellow brass, small bore (I think it's 0.485"; have to measure it for you when I have time). Not a heavy or a light slide. It doesn't need a counterweight because the brace on the tuning slide is solid. Somebody tried to wash mine in too hot water once since the lacquer on mine looks like a tiny checkerboard.

I had it and a similar age Committee and found the Committee had more of a Big Band sound while the Imperial had more of a Dixieland sound. Since I had a nice Holton Stratodyne for Big Band I sold my Committee.

Now I'm playing in two "old folks" big bands (we play for dances at Senior Centers) and the Imperial is a great lead horn. I tamed it's roughness by using a relatively deep Warburton 7D/4 combination (normally I play a Bach 4C; the 7 is a little larger in diameter and the D is deeper).

Anything else you want to know?

[Neo Bri]

Great info so far. The only other thing would be a definitive answer on the bore size of yours. I also wonder if they had much variance over the years.

[BGuttman]

Haven't had a chance to do actual measurements yet but I did a crude test.

1. The slide goes on "upside down" so the outside of both inners are the same.

2. I found my mouthpiece goes in about an inch in the upper tube, but much further in the lower (actually went past the taper).

So I conclude that it's a dual bore like a King 2B. Probably fairly close as well.

When I get the horn and my calipers in teh same place I will get some actual measurements.

[Neo Bri]

Thanks, Bruce.