TubeNet

Hey all, I figured I'd post this as well seeing you guys know more about it than I do: I am planning to double on trombone (tenor) ASAP (but probably not till next september or so) and I am curious to what trombones I should look at renting/buying because I have no idea what Im looking for. I don't need anything spectacular to double on, most likely a student model and if I dont have to pay too much that would be nice. What models/brands should and shouldn't I bother with?

Thanks for the input,

Kevin

You can lurk trombone.org to get some tips. I just bought an Olds Ambassador on eBay for 32 dollars including shipping which, according to trombone.org, is a good student horn for jazz.

o ya thats a good point too, I will be using it for private study and the Jazz Band in my highschool.

Do you want an F Trigger or not?

Because I know Baltimore Brass has Silver Holton Straight Tenor for $175 with case. They also have a Conn 22H Straight Tenor for $575 with case.
I tried both of them out and they are great straight tenors.

They also have an Accord Straight Tenor which I haven't tried for $150 with a case. I'd recommend the Conn though.

......basic trombone is good for me, im just wondering if there is a certain model that is reliable etc.

A high school student just dropped of a King 3B Silver Sonic (sterling silver bell) for me to check out. She paid $150 for it and it's NEAR PERFECT! Those deals are out there.

I bought a Holton TR602-R at a yard sale for $20. Case, mouthpiece, and everything. .500 bore, 8-inch bell, standard student model. Better than any of the loaners I've come in contact with. Search locally, yard sales and auctions.

MY first trombone was an old 1917(?) Holton Special. You know, a pea-shooter, 7 inch bell, .480 something bore. $50 on ebay, excellent condition. Just DON'T get a Chinese or Indian horn.

Happy horn hunting

XtremeEuph wrote:I don't need anything spectacular to double on, most likely a student model and if I dont have to pay too much that would be nice.

I found an old Olds Ambassador, with a .485/.500 dual-bore slide. VERY nice, according to a pro trombone buddy. Great for jazz. I paid $60 for it.

A little later, I found a Conn 48H. Late 50's (i.e., the golden age of Conn jazz bones). It has a nickel bell and a bright, jazz-solo sound. It has a .500 bore. While not as well-known as the 6H, and not as widely sought as a King 2B, it has a devoted following. I paid $100 for it at an antique store.

I needed a case for the Conn, and following Bloke's advice, I bought a POS Conn Director in a good case for $25, and threw away the trombone.

Straight tenors are cheap and fun to buy, especially if you want a .500 jazz bore.

I would always suggest starting on a straight tenor. I've been told by trombone pros that one should learn slide technique before getting a trombone with an F attachment.

Rick "who still has dreadful slide technique" Denney

John_L wrote:

TubaTinker wrote:3B with a nickel silver bell

Never seen a 3B with a nickel bell; I've seen curved-brace Tempos (1306, for example) with nickel-plated bells, and I've seen Silver Sonic 3B's (sterling bell).

Any way you can post a pic or two?

Sorry.... you are sooo right.... the trombone in question IS a Silver Sonic 3B and DOES have a sterling bell. It was late when I posted last night! I revised my earlier post

An old King 2B is a GREAT jazz horn, if you can find one. If you want a big tenor with an F attachment and a powerhouse orchestral sound, try a Conn 88H. They're expensive, though.

Alright guys thanks alot for the suggestions, ill look around. I wont need an F attachment , my goal is more to learn trombone slide positions/technique rather than just sounding like a trombone. If that were the case I would just stick with playing euph in Jazz Band (she lets me ....which i am right now)

For standard trombones, from the store I got my Euph, I know I could get at YSL-354(S) (8" bell .500 bore) for sure or any other Yamaha, and from the other store where I have shopped for music, mouthpieces, etc, they also offer
Bach TB300
Getzen 351
Jupiter 432LA
Blessing B-128 for standard 'bones

There are 2 other stores i know, which of 1 I have not been to (the neighbours of the Yammy's) , the other our trombonist got A Besson from. That is all I know right now. Not all of these are dumpster bones for starting are they, or Am i better off putting up adds, ebay (slim chance with my parents), elswhere.


Thanks

The Yamaha YSL-354 and the Getzen 351 are both good horns. The Yammie is very widely available used as well because it's one of the "standard" student 'bones (like the YEP-321 euph).

Check Dillon's. They have a lot of used 'bones at the moment. Also check the classified on the OTJF, www.trobmone.org. There's a guy on OTJF named dj kennedy who sells used trombones and is highly thought of - send him a message (He does not have a web site but is based in downstate Illinois and can be reached via OTJF).

You also might want to check with Steve Ferguson in L.A. www.hornguys.com.

GC wrote:An old King 2B is a GREAT jazz horn, if you can find one. If you want a big tenor with an F attachment and a powerhouse orchestral sound, try a Conn 88H. They're expensive, though.

The 88H (with the conventional brass rotor) would be my choice.

The 88HCL (Christian Lindberg rotor) can be a problem. These valves are wonderful if you can keep them working. It seems as though certain body chemistries do not get along well with the aluminum 'hockey puck' rotor.

I've had a couple of them in the shop and one of them was so bad the entire rotor assembly had to be changed. Shame... the horn was only two years old.

bloke wrote: I think the "Connstellation" 48H is more of a "holy grail" than is the 6H, but the 48H is simply too rare to commonly stumble across (as did you).

I have a 50H. Is that close enough?

My opinion: go for a large-bore tenor trombone (.547). If you play on a small-bore trombone (which usually goes hand in hand with a smaller mouthpiece) you may have trouble doubling. If you went with a large-bore trombone it would not be difficult to play on a mouthpiece with a similar/same rim as what you play on euphonium.

Models to look at:

Getzen 1047/3047
Bach 42 series
Conn 88 series
Benge large-bore
Blessing 88H (clone of the Conn 88H, it's not as good as a Conn 88H but still plays very well - solid horn)

If you're just learning to double you can easily buy a used Blessing 88H for as low as $350 (depending on the condition even lower). You can check the Online Trombone Journal and do a search to find out more about the horn (http://forum.trombone.org). It's a good horn that should not be over-looked (IMO).

Glen Wells wrote:Kevin I appreciate your desire to learn another instrument. I must say that our director, who has been a tremendous help to me on euph, seems to have dropped me like a hot potato when I became interested in tuba...??? I dont really understand that, because its always good to learn something new!

GlenWells

Maybe cuz tuba players are fat stinky beer drinking gorillas! Thats right! All of you!................just kidding.