bass trombone recommendations?

[Chriss2760]

I like the Holton TR-181 with the rose brass bell.

[justinbarleben]

Maybe this is a silly question but...
Does your school not have a bass trombone? The only reason I bought a bass trombone was because I won a paying job on bass trombone. If there are no bass bones there you might be able to get the school to buy one for you to use in their groups.

Just a thought...

The school used to own a bass trombone, but it was apparently stolen last spring. I think the music department has a few other priorities before they get around to replacing it, though. Thanks for the thought, I'll definitely look into it.

[justinbarleben]

Hey everyone,
I know I'm digging up an older thread, but I wanted to update everyone on my bass trombone search...

I just got back home from a trip out to Columbus, where I picked up my new (to me) King 7B! Back in January, I contacted the seller after seeing his ad on the Trombone Forum, and we were very close to coming to a deal. At that point, the horn was not in playable condition, but the seller was very open and candid about the work that needed to be done, and I was prepared to get it fixed. He eventually decided to get it fixed on his own before selling it, and completely forgot about it in the mix of classes and ensembles. I finally got an email back from him in the middle of April, asking if I was still interested in the newly repaired horn. A month and a 6 hour drive later, it's mine! I'm very excited about this horn, especially since it's so close to the horn I played throughout high school (my HS owns a King 8B). I'll post some pics in the next week or so if anyone is interested.

Thanks to everyone for your input and advice, I really appreciate the help!
Justin

[Mcordon1]

Hey everyone,
I know I'm digging up an older thread, but I wanted to update everyone on my bass trombone search...

I just got back home from a trip out to Columbus, where I picked up my new (to me) King 7B! Back in January, I contacted the seller after seeing his ad on the Trombone Forum, and we were very close to coming to a deal. At that point, the horn was not in playable condition, but the seller was very open and candid about the work that needed to be done, and I was prepared to get it fixed. He eventually decided to get it fixed on his own before selling it, and completely forgot about it in the mix of classes and ensembles. I finally got an email back from him in the middle of April, asking if I was still interested in the newly repaired horn. A month and a 6 hour drive later, it's mine! I'm very excited about this horn, especially since it's so close to the horn I played throughout high school (my HS owns a King 8B). I'll post some pics in the next week or so if anyone is interested.

Thanks to everyone for your input and advice, I really appreciate the help!
Justin

Can't wait to play next to ya in Generations Band dude! I'm (finally) purchasing a Cerveny Kaiser this week...we're gonna have to peel the trumpet players off the wall after thursday's rehearsal!

[jeopardymaster]

I'm not sure where I heard this but I remember hearing that the new 112Hs are made by Jupiter, side-by-side with their own - so if you're looking in that size range you might as well save the money and buy the Jupiter. And yeah, I used to own a Chinese model stenciled "Maestro. " It was actually quite good, but became surplus when I bought a used 112H bell. (Bigger, and it fit the slide for my Elkhart 71H).

[Donn]

Thanks for digging this thread up - I was gratified to read Marty's enthusiastic endorsement of apparently the same vintage Reynolds I recently picked up. Striking look, too - nearly pure copper bell, unlacquered at this point but someday it would be fun to have it relacquered in a gold tint similar to original, for that tangerine red look. Right now, though, it's just a poignant illustration of the principle cited above: trombones sound like the trombone "player" - but I do appreciate how light it is, and comfortable to operate. I keep the valve attachment extended to E with the special slide provided for this purpose, seems to be more useful in the low range that way.

[Chadtuba]

I'm not sure where I heard this but I remember hearing that the new 112Hs are made by Jupiter, side-by-side with their own - so if you're looking in that size range you might as well save the money and buy the Jupiter. And yeah, I used to own a Chinese model stenciled "Maestro. " It was actually quite good, but became surplus when I bought a used 112H bell. (Bigger, and it fit the slide for my Elkhart 71H).

Not sure if they are made together, but they are almost identical. I have the jupiter and had the opportunity to play them side by side. The only noticable difference that I could find was that the Jupiter has a rest for the left hand to help distribute the weight. I love the way that it plays and have never regretted getting my Jupiter.

[MartyNeilan]

Thanks for digging this thread up - I was gratified to read Marty's enthusiastic endorsement of apparently the same vintage Reynolds I recently picked up. Striking look, too - nearly pure copper bell, unlacquered at this point but someday it would be fun to have it relacquered in a gold tint similar to original, for that tangerine red look. Right now, though, it's just a poignant illustration of the principle cited above: trombones sound like the trombone "player" - but I do appreciate how light it is, and comfortable to operate. I keep the valve attachment extended to E with the special slide provided for this purpose, seems to be more useful in the low range that way.

I played mine at two services this past Sunday morning, while my Giant was at Bloke's and my Donatelli was on a FedEx truck. Had the E pull all the way out too, modern charts have a lot of low B's. Our horns could pass for twins! I wasn't shy about blowing the horn, but I got a lot of complements on the sound (I also spent the prior week doing a lot of woodshedding to get my bass bone chops in shape.) Big and "dark" were the recurring adjectives; with that ten-inch tangerine bell, you can really wail and get a powerful commercial sound bass trombone that still holds together. One of the trumpet players directly behind me was surprised at how much sound was radiating back towards him. The first and second generation Contempora's had a unique alloy that works very well for big-band style bass trombone playing, coupled with that oversized flare. Note: This is NOT the ideal instrument for modern symphonic playing - way too "ballsy."
FWIW, after trying a few things, my current favorite mouthpiece on this horn is the Ferguson Jeff Reynolds mouthpiece, a copy of an old Minick piece. The mouthpiece is wide enough to keep a tuba player happy, but has a lot more color and zip than a 1G or 60, as well as a better high range.

[tubademon999]

Im playing this King, I don't remember the model, but it has a 10.5 inch bell, and I absolutely love it. It is a beast.
Independent dual rotors. Only thing i don't like is that it is string linked, not mechanical. I'll find the model.

[Tuba-G Bass]

This is the best Bass 'bone out there, it can sterilize squirrels at 10 paces!

Actually I also recommend the Jupiter 740, I bought the 740RL [it has a Rose Brass Bell],
from Baltimore Brass a few years back, great horn for the money,
I sold it and have a Miraphone BBb Contrabass trombone now.

[imperialbari]

This is the best Bass 'bone out there, it can sterilize squirrels at 10 paces!

I love your moderate, government style English!

But when your trombone is that loud, why do you then live in a public address-outfit?

K

[Tuba-G Bass]

This is the best Bass 'bone out there, it can sterilize squirrels at 10 paces!

I love your moderate, government style English!

But when your trombone is that loud, why do you then live in a public address-outfit?

K

Klaus,
I always enjoy your posts, even if I don't get the humor!
Public Address-Outfit?

[imperialbari]

Outfit was the closest I could come up with. But the essence is there as you refer your location to PA.

Klaus

[J.c. Sherman]

Im playing this King, I don't remember the model, but it has a 10.5 inch bell, and I absolutely love it. It is a beast.
Independent dual rotors. Only thing i don't like is that it is string linked, not mechanical. I'll find the model.

The only 10.5 inch Bell King was the 8B and there were many of those which were GREAT horns (if you liked BIG horns!).

J.c.S.

[Mcordon1]

The only 10.5 inch Bell King was the 8B and there were many of those which were GREAT horns (if you liked BIG horns!).

J.c.S.

Me likey!
My classical-oriented trombone playing friends all seem to dislike big bells/horns, and they always refer to the sound of a 10.5 incher as a "chainsaw".
I like them because, with the right player, the sound they make seems to blend with the tubas better and make the low brass section sound more like "one big instrument".

[imperialbari]

Anybody know the Aqua Sulis bass trombone:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 663wt_1139

Aqua Sulis appears to be the old Roman name for the UK town of Bath, but that doesn’t make me wiser bassbonewise.

Chinese?

Klaus

[tclements]

OPINION COMING - If you can swing it, the Yamaha YBL-830 is a great all around trombone. If you can find a used Conn 62H or 71H, I've played some GREAT samples that can be had pretty reasonably. The Bachs are a more symphonic sound. Edwards & Shires offer you bell choices so that you can get exactly the sound you are after, but bring your savings with you. I'd call Stave Ferguson at http://www.hornguys.com" target="_blank. Tell him what you are after and your budget. He'll help you out. He's a good guy and will make sure you get a horn that will suit your needs. Good luck and tell us what you get.

[MaryAnn]

I bought a YBL 622 off the bay a while back; I'm going to have enough trouble holding it up that I didn't even consider a double rotor. I was amazed however at how stuffy the low register was, until I put my plastic Kelly 51D in the receiver. THEN I could make it rumble! I've secured the bass bone position in the concert band that I most recently played oboe in, so I'm going to have to do some woodsheddin' this summer.

Well, in an hour or so I'm off to ITEC...woo hoo! So cool to have it here in town. Really sorry that some vendors are boycotting because of the new AZ law. I have no opinion on the law, but know that we have a SERIOUS problem with border crossers who are not just people who need a job; many of them are people who are doing very bad things to our country, city, and state, and the feds have been just looking the other way while we have no means of dealing with it on a local level. So...the law.

MA