My contrabass trombone obsession

[Mark Finley]

So I've been infatuated with the idea of getting a Contrabass trombone for a while now, but it's a want, certainly not a need. I've been dropping hints to my wife that I have a birthday coming up, and today she said if I really wanted one, go for it.

but... I'm spending a pretty good chunk of change on my frankentuba (have no idea what the Andersons bill will be) so this is the deal I made her. If the frankentuba turns out as good as I hope it will, I won't need my smaller Eb anymore, so I will sell that one to get the contrabass I've been wanting

[KiltieTuba]

I've wanted to buy one for like five years now.

[Mark Finley]

I have 13 trombones here at the house, everything from a soprano to a Bass, and most of them are hanging on my living room wall. It just feels wrong for me, a tuba player, to not have one

[KiltieTuba]

I have 13 trombones here at the house, everything from a soprano to a Bass, and most of them are hanging on my living room wall. It just feels wrong for me, a tuba player, to not have one

F or BBb?

[Mark Finley]

F, I've heard too many bad things about the slides on the BBb

but, I don't play any F instruments now, so that's a whole new thing to learn

[Casca Grossa]

I really want one too. I have been listening to as many recordings as I can find online. I think I like the cool factor of whipping one out on a gig.

[Mark Finley]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYlDbv7MqE8

[Donn]

Well, better that, than one of those cimbasso things.

[cambrook]

Once you have one it will be easy for you to make a valve section (to use instead of the slide) and then you"ll have a cimbasso too

[tuben]

Well, better that, than one of those cimbasso things.

They're the same thing, of course.

[Three Valves]

Uh, Oh...

[Casca Grossa]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYlDbv7MqE8" target="_blank

Exactly what I was thinking!!!

[Bob Kolada]

Once you have one it will be easy for you to make a valve section (to use instead of the slide) and then you"ll have a cimbasso too

Well then after a while you'll want two separate instruments so you'll get another bell section. Then "you know I really could use a Bb contra for large trombone choirs", followed by a valve section for that, followed by another bell. Then the crazy stuff starts showing up...

[Three Valves]

So a Wessex Mighty Midget is actually a compact BBb valve contrabass trombone??

[Donn]

Well, better that, than one of those cimbasso things.

They're the same thing, of course.

Apart from one of the two having the means to play in tune ... I almost hate to ask, especially since I guess you may be joking, but is that true? The typical valve "trombone", say King 3B, doesn't seem to be really interchangeable with the 3B slide trombone, for a player who gets a lot out of the latter. Apart from all the things you can do with a slide, there seems to be universal complaints about stuffiness. What's the contrabass trombone player's story on the cimbasso?

[Mark Finley]

I found out a local music company here in DFW has one of these, so unless they sell it over the weekend, I may go play it next week

Try before you buy is a nice luxury to have with a horn like this, it would be worth it to buy first, and then sell the Eb later

[tuben]

Well, better that, than one of those cimbasso things.

They're the same thing, of course.

Apart from one of the two having the means to play in tune ... I almost hate to ask, especially since I guess you may be joking, but is that true? The typical valve "trombone", say King 3B, doesn't seem to be really interchangeable with the 3B slide trombone, for a player who gets a lot out of the latter. Apart from all the things you can do with a slide, there seems to be universal complaints about stuffiness. What's the contrabass trombone player's story on the cimbasso?

My Chinaphone Cimbasso is paying for itself with recording session work, so I'm uncertain which of the two you mean having a means to play in tune. Cimbasso is (and was) the bass trombone voice of an all valve-trombone section as found in Italy. So I wasn't joking in saying they are the same. While not absolutely technically true, their musical effects are more alike than not.

To your King comparison: most valve trombones have .485" bores, with slide trombones being larger. That is not the case when comparing F contrabass trombone with F cimbasso.

[bloke]

"Stuffiness", most of the time is "a wind musician attempting to play an instrument as if it were another instrument - perhaps attempting to play an instrument as if it were an instrument that musician owns or has owned".

[Donn]

Right, I don't doubt it - that would likely account for every single case of trombone player dissatisfaction with the valve trombone. But of course that was my point. When 58mark has the contrabass trombone in hand, maybe at some point he'll have a chance to compare with a cimbasso.

[bloke]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDqhv7mhwUw