Olds LA vs Fullerton

[Arendsdale]

Hi all, just wondering if there were any thoughts on if there are quality/sound/playability differences between Olds horns built in LA vs built in Fullerton. Thanks!

[hyperbolica]

I don't think there's any real difference. It's not like Elkhart vs Abilene. Olds horns were all very well built horns.

[OneTon]

Robb Stewart says there is none. The tooling and culture were the same. I have never had a problem with a Fullerton horn. Sometimes they’re slightly cheaper because of the myth.

[Posaunus]

The Olds trombones that I have played that were made in Fullerton are excellent. No diminution in quality from the Los Angeles horns I have played. (But they are a few years newer, so likely less "aging!")

They don't make 'em like they used to. (For such reasonable prices.)

[rudytbone]

Primary difference is prestige. Mostly the same people made them with the same tooling, but it's "cooler" to have Los Angeles on your bell.
I should know - I'm guilty of that as well.

[JohnL]

LA to Fullerton? No significant change in quality/workmanship. Furthermore, I've never seen anything that could be described as a "last gasp" horn. There doesn't seem to be any diminution of quality/workmanship up until they turned out the lights.

I focus on pre-WWII Olds not because they are objectively better, but because they're more interesting; lots of interesting variations. After the war, things became much more standardized.

[Posaunus]

Primary difference is prestige. Mostly the same people made them with the same tooling, but it's "cooler" to have Los Angeles on your bell.

Not sure about Los Angeles Olds being "cooler" than Fullerton - but as noted there's no difference in quality.

The "coolest" looking trombone that I own is a near-mint 1968 Fullerton Olds Recording R15 - with the gorgeous deep engraving on the Re-O-Loy red brass bell, the contrasting nickel-silver highlights (outer slide, tuning slide, and brace ends), and duo-octagonal inner slide, this beauty stands out in a crowd.

[Driswood]

Didn’t the LA Olds have a smaller mouthpiece receiver than the Fullerton? I believe the mouthpiece doesn’t go in far enough in the LA.

[JohnL]

Didn’t the LA Olds have a smaller mouthpiece receiver than the Fullerton? I believe the mouthpiece doesn’t go in far enough in the LA.

The change to a larger receiver came quite a few years after the move to Fullerton.

[Posaunus]

Didn’t the LA Olds have a smaller mouthpiece receiver than the Fullerton? I believe the mouthpiece doesn’t go in far enough in the LA.

The change to a larger receiver came quite a few years after the move to Fullerton.

Olds moved from Los Angeles to Fullerton in 1954. They maintained the "undersized" mouthpiece receivers on their small-bore trombones (thus requiring an "Olds-taper" mouthpiece) until the mid 1970s, when they modified the receivers (I presume this changed the leadpipes) on at least some of their small-bore trombones (such as my 1976 R20 Recording) to accept standard small-shank mouthpieces. Long overdue, but unfortunately Olds lasted only a few more years before the business failed (long story) and they turned off the lights in Fullerton.