Butler C10

[johntarr]

For the past couple of years I’ve been interested in the Butler trombones but living in Europe, the cost of shipping and import taxes made the price point too high for me. This summer while visiting family, I was lucky enough to have been able to try a Butler C10, which I ended up buying.

What is it like? Of course the first thing that stands out is the weight, especially the slide. It is so much easier to move the slide, which makes playing faster passages more possible and even fun. Sixth and seventh positions are more accurate and accessible also because at length, the slide doesn’t drag like a brass (or nickel) one does.

Another bonus is that my left shoulder is finally recovering from a bout of chronic pain most likely caused from holding a much heavier instrument for too long and not taking enough rests. In short, I can practice longer with less fatigue.

The rotary valve is open and fast and I find the trigger register to be much more accessible and useable compared to a large bore Minick and a Rath R3F.

And then the burning question: does it sound like a real trombone? While in the states, I played my old Minick large bore that he made back in the mid-eighties before the Butler arrived. While I didn’t do any extensive blind testing, my mother, who’s a cello teacher said she couldn’t really hear much difference. I don’t think one could win an audition for a large symphony with the Butler but that’s not going to happen for me anyway.

What I find to be a more interesting question is: what is the sound of greater ease? After so many years of playing trombone, I know and love the sound of brass and its variations. The cf material however, opens up new possibilities for expression through ease and subtlety and that is more important for me now than if it sounds like a real trombone. Plus, my music teacher colleagues haven’t said anything about the sound compared to when I was playing my Rath. The trigger register is better, the high range easier, the slide is lighter and I can project and play louder when needed. What’s not to like? Am I saying that cf is better? No, it’s just different in a valuable and interesting way.

At this time in my life and what I’m doing musically, the Butler is just right. In fact, I hope to get my hands on a small bore version as well. These observations and opinions are only mine and applicable to me in my current stage in life. I have no business connections with Butler. Your mileage will vary!

[dembones]

I share your appreciation and enjoyment of the Butler trombone. I got my C8 (.525 bore) horn last March, and absolutely love playing it. I got the straight gooseneck, the horn weighs in at about 2 lbs. It's a joy to play!

I tried it because like you, I was having physical problems, for me it was my left wrist, where a tendinitis condition was getting worse the more I played, getting to a point where at times I couldn't hold the horn. It was exacerbated when playing in the long positions, where the torque on my wrist was very painful. The feather weight of the outer slide works magic for that. In general, like you mention, the overall lightness of the horn results in FAR less tension being carried in my body. Less tension means a more relaxed, full tone and ease of playing, which in my case makes for a more musical result.

Ron Barron (former principle trombone of the Boston Symphony Orchestra) lives just over the hill from me, and I took the horn over to his place last week. He seemed a bit skeptical at first, but expressed surprise at how the blow of the horn felt like a brass horn. He had his Bach 36 handy, and when he played them back to back I couldn't hear a discernible difference. And he sounded glorious on both. This, to me, highlights the fact that given two trombone players and two different horns, the PLAYER makes much more of a difference in sound than the material of the horn.

Since I've been playing it, I've received only positive feedback from audiences and other players. I attribute that to being able to play without tension, and with the many extra hours I have been able to spend practicing without pain. I performed last night with someone I hadn't played with in a couple of years. "Wow, the TONE of that thing!" was a comment he made. Well, it's *my* tone, but the Butler CF certainly does not interfere with or diminish it, of that I'm certain.

[johntarr]

The feather weight of the outer slide works magic for that. In general, like you mention, the overall lightness of the horn results in FAR less tension being carried in my body. Less tension means a more relaxed, full tone and ease of playing, which in my case makes for a more musical result.

Since I've been playing it, I've received only positive feedback from audiences and other players. I attribute that to being able to play without tension, and with the many extra hours I have been able to spend practicing without pain. I performed last night with someone I hadn't played with in a couple of years. "Wow, the TONE of that thing!" was a comment he made. Well, it's *my* tone, but the Butler CF certainly does not interfere with or diminish it, of that I'm certain.

We often, or at least I have, spend a great deal of time ruminating on the differences of different brass mixtures, thicknesses etc. and very little on how much weight and the effort needed to support that weight effect the sound, not to mention musicality. I’ve found myself not needing to take as many breaths in longer passages. And, as you also said, more practice time contributes to better sound as well. I maintain that pain is far worse for the player AND the audience than wrong notes.

Nice to hear of your experiences and thanks for sharing,

John