The rarest of the Kruspe trombones, this is the legendary Kontrabassposaune in F, an extraordinary instrument preserved in stunning original condition. Dating from the early 1930s, it represents one of the earliest known in-line valve trombone designs. Interestingly, this exact model does not appear in any Kruspe catalogs I have encountered so far, including several original examples in my own archive, suggesting it was likely a special commission for a major opera house or orchestra in Europe pre-WWII.
The valve configuration is particularly fascinating. Rather than the more traditional Ernest Dehmel German F contrabass tuning system introduced around 1921, with valves in Eb and BBb intended primarily for separate use, this instrument is configured in C and Eb, combining to BBb. The setup strongly suggests the valves were designed to function together as a pathway to the low BBb register, revealing a very different conceptual approach to the contrabass trombone at the time.
The instrument features a wide throat 10 inch bell. The instrument is fabricated entirely from unlacquered gold brass, now covered in an absolutely gorgeous 90+ year old natural patina. Traditional Kruspe snake garlands adorn the instrument throughout, along with the classic handle for extended outer slide positions. The current handle is unfortunately not original and rather crude, though I plan to commission a historically accurate replacement based on original Kruspe drawings I’ve located of a similar straight F “quart” trombone.
