TromboneChat

Hello,

I recently bought a pre-Eastman shires with an axial flow valve. This may just be an age thing but the tubing looks like it's gold brass tubings.

Just for reference, the bell was purchase later in this horns life.

Apologies for the crude photos, I just took them as soon as I saw the horn in the right lighting.

It does look like it to my eyes. In the early days you could get a lot of "off list" things relatively easily. I don't know what kind of lacquer they use, but the epoxy most use these days doesn't "age" like the old Bach Nitro Laquer did.

Another possibility is always that they used some tint in the lacquer, which is not uncommon.

That's just a combination of age and how the buffing before lacquering was done. The final stage of buffing is called "coloring," and it can lead to variations in the appearance.

Shires has never used tinted lacquer, and I don't know of any gold brass tubing used in valve sections. Also, it appears the valve itself is the same color as the tubing.

Thanks y'all!

There have been valve sections made with gold brass tubing but it's uncommon. They did stock some gold brass wrap parts for bass axial sections when I was there.