TromboneChat

I picked up this Holton screw bell TR 156 straight tenor tbone. It plays really well. Can anybody tell me more about this instrument?

I had a 156 in the late 80s. I thought the 256 was the screw bell. I loved mine. I just don't need that much power in my current situation.

Anyway, they had a 9" rose bell and 547/562 slide, I think some were made with more normal specs. They were for massive volume, great orchestral horns. They're fairly cheap when you can find them.

I remember trying a few of those horns when they came out, and being impressed by them. I found that the screw bell version played better (to my ears) than the regular bell. Also, if I remember correctly, the slide was dual bore, but the bottom slide wasn't .562 - it was slightly smaller than that (upper .550"s?). Kind of surprising, since you would think they'd use parts that were made for other horns they were producing. The screw bell did make them a bit front heavy as I remember.

Jim Scott

The Holton TR-156 I have (regular bell) has the dual-bore 0.547"/0.559" slide. I also have an email from Jay Friedman (March 2011) where he talks about playing it in the Chicago Symphony. It has a great orchestral sound. Jay likes Bach trombones, and wouldn't have played this one if he thought it didn't measure up. Tapping the bell yields a rather restrained lower pitch, probably reflecting the heavier gauge bell. Probably one of the best trombones you can get if you're fortunate enough to find one.

I bought one brand new in the late 80s. Great big orchestral horn. I never used it for anything else, but it played great with great sound and LOUD.

I have never made a principal trombone sound I liked better than when I tried a TR-156 that had a Bach leadpipe at DJ's. I really should have bought it.