TromboneChat

I’ve been wondering about a single valve bass trombone for the occasional gig on 4th trombone in a big band. The repertoire is mostly from the swing era with some Count Basie charts so the range is mostly not lower than the low C.

What might be a good, inexpensive instrument for that kind of thing? I read that the Holton TR 158 is a .547 bore that is supposed to bridge the gap between large tenor and small bass.

Any thoughts?

Thanks, John

IMO, that's just a large tenor with a 9 inch bell. But it might be a good match for that type of music.

If I had a choice, I would use a real bass like a 72H.

A tr-158 is just a large bore .547 tenor with a 9” bell. The 9” bell is typical for all large bore Holtons.

You might be thinking of the Tr-159, which was a dual bore .547-.559 tenor with the same bell, although the wrap looks different.
Another good option is the TR-183, which was a .562 single trigger with a 9” bell. Both can be had for reasonable prices. The late, great Bill Hughes played a Tr-185 for many of the years he was with Basie.

Single-valve bass trombone: I've had good luck with a Yamaha YBL-421G. (Full-size bass: 0.563" bore, 9½" bell.) Purchased used at a very reasonable price. Great slide and valve. Steady and sturdy. Excellent for most big band charts that you will probably encounter. Move on down - it's fun!

Pretty much all of Holton's symphonic-bore tenors had 9" flares, but I'm pretty sure it's a big flare on what is otherwise a tenor bell.

If you're just looking for an inexpensive single-rotor bass, the Yamaha YBL-321 or YBL-421 would be good choices.

Somebody has an Olds S20 for sale. Single valve small bass, really a great horn for that type of playing. The 158 is really just a tenor, although it would do ok for what you ask. The 159 is one of my favorite small basses, along with the S20.

To me the Yamaha horns don't have a lot of character. Olds and Holtons (and Conns) are much better in that regard.

Best of luck.

hyperbolica wrote: ↑Sat Nov 02, 2019 8:51 pm
To me the Yamaha horns don't have a lot of character. Olds and Holtons (and Conns) are much better in that regard.

Oh - I thought my bland, characterless bass trombone playing was my own deficiency - but I can blame it on my Yamaha bass trombone instead?

I play a Holton 168 (9"bell)with a 562 slide.. Still very much a tenor..

Posaunus wrote: ↑Sat Nov 02, 2019 11:04 pm
Oh - I thought my bland, characterless bass trombone playing was my own deficiency - but I can blame it on my Yamaha bass trombone instead?

That's up to you. Character is about feel, which is personal. If how a horn feels inspires you to play better, that's great. You've got to try a lot of horns and keep what speaks to you.

Why are people here always trying to bait an argument?

hyperbolica wrote: ↑Sun Nov 03, 2019 3:40 am

Posaunus wrote: ↑Sat Nov 02, 2019 11:04 pm
Oh - I thought my bland, characterless bass trombone playing was my own deficiency - but I can blame it on my Yamaha bass trombone instead?

That's up to you. Character is about feel, which is personal. If how a horn feels inspires you to play better, that's great. You've got to try a lot of horns and keep what speaks to you.

Why are people here always trying to bait an argument?

My suspicion was that that was meant as a joke, not baiting an argument.

johntarr wrote: ↑Sun Nov 03, 2019 4:43 am
My suspicion was that that was meant as a joke, not baiting an argument.

Ah. I misread. Very sorry. Yamahas are fine horns, I didn't mean to disparage. I had a bad experience with a couple specific horns, I'm afraid it scarred me a little.