Buying a horn after a long hiatus

[sirisobhakya]

The concern here is not that you cannot see or test-play the instrument, rather you can try but has no ability to do so. The ideal sound in the head is there, the techniques is there, the breathing basic is there, but it is your embouchure that is not there anymore. And you cannot bring your friend, or teacher, or whoever to try it for you either, since his/her sound is not your sound, and you don't feel the response too.

I have been there and done that: after 8 years hiatus my chops is all but gone, and did not fully come back until around 2-3 month after I bought the horn. I didn't even dare to try it in front of the shopkeeper. In retrospective, I consider myself extremely lucky that I got this horn, with the sound and response just right for me.

But if I am going to recommend someone being in the same situation in the future, what should I say?

[paulyg]

I'd look for mechanical things- slide, valves, tuning slides, dents in obvious places, ect. In addition, even after a significant period of time off the horn, the middle register can be telling. That's something that's really up to the horn. Playing in the staff might be an ugly reminder of how far you've fallen, but it can also tell you lots about the horn.

[Doug Elliott]

Get a Yamaha - anything - just make sure the slide is good. The chance of getting a good playable horn is close to 100%

[Schlitz]

.

[mrdeacon]

Go with them and try out the horn too. Like others have said if they're buying essentially blind you can't go wrong with a Yamaha. Getzen or Courtious are two other brands that offer fantastic stock setups but I'm not sure how common those are where you're from.

Have them stay away from custom fitted horns. They might end up with a setup they hate 2 months down the line when they get their chops back.

[hyperbolica]

Being a first horn, you're probably not going to get it perfect the first time. So as others have said, get something that works. Worry about dialing it in later.

[Doug Elliott]

Being a first horn, you're probably not going to get it perfect the first time. So as others have said, get something that works. Worry about dialing it in later.

This. It's so true ALWAYS but everybody wants to pick the perfect horn the first time and that only starts Gear Acquisition Syndrome. I bought a YSL-354 ($100) just to get used to a .500 bore and ended up loving it and using it professionally for many years. I still use it sometimes for outdoor gigs. You don't have to spend a lot of money to get a quality horn that plays well. It's just a trombone... Make sure the ONE moving part works and you know a Yamaha will play decently. And I'm sure you can find one in Thailand.

[LIBrassCo]

Being a first horn, you're probably not going to get it perfect the first time. So as others have said, get something that works. Worry about dialing it in later.

This. It's so true ALWAYS but everybody wants to pick the perfect horn the first time and that only starts Gear Acquisition Syndrome. I bought a YSL-354 ($100) just to get used to a .500 bore and ended up loving it and using it professionally for many years. I still use it sometimes for outdoor gigs. You don't have to spend a lot of money to get a quality horn that plays well. It's just a trombone... Make sure the ONE moving part works and you know a Yamaha will play decently. And I'm sure you can find one in Thailand.

Such a perfect example of it's the player, not the horn! I'm pretty sure if you handed Joe Alessi a Bundy student trombone, he'd still sound like Joe Alessi! (Would certainly be fun to try out!)