TromboneChat

Hello all,
I am a band director and recently got a new job at a new school. I was inventorying the instruments and noticed that a previous director has purchased a holton 181 bass trombone. It looks pretty old, as does the case it is in.
It had a black miniball looking linkage that seemed a little loud and stiff when I was messing with it.

Does anyone have any info or details on this horn to know/is this a good horn for HS kids? I also wonder if it would it be a good idea to surplus the holton out to get funds to buy a different horn?
I would much rather have a medium or large bore F attachment tenor than a giant bass bone that would likely be a hindrance to the development of my students.

At my old school I had a Jupiter indy and a Bach 50 dependant (also from past directors) but I always felt like the music we were performing (Grade 6 and Masterworks) rarely needed a true bass trombone, but the kids often liked using them because they were big horns with lots of tubing. Students would also do wonky things with them, like trying to play jazz lead or 1st parts on them, which I thought probably didn't help them out that much.

Thank you for the help! I am not a trombone player so it is nice to have this forum as a resource!

I would think a TR181 would be a solid choice for a high school band. I had one for a couple years.

I don't have too much info with the 181 but it is a good "beginner" bass trombone and its useful for someone transitioning from tenor to bass, like a high school student. I would say a medium or large tenor would be much more useful than a bass, coming from playing lots of Grade 5 pieces this past year. I'm not sure how much you can get out of a 181 though. Also for the linkages try putting some oil on the parts and in the rotor itself as high school students aren't the best with taking care of instruments.

A Holton 181 is a good bass trombone if it is in good shape. Key is to make sure the kid who plays it plays 3rd trombone in Band and Orchestra and 4th trombone in Jazz Band. It's not for a testosterone crazed "mine is bigger than yours" type of kid to try and play Tommy Dorsey solos.

I agree on making sure the valves are properly lubed. Even if it means a trip to the shop to make sure things are good.

Some kids get the idea that a bigger horn equals bigger sound from their band directors. I worked for a school district where the HS director (lousy trumpet player) had 4 or 5 bassbones in their inventory but no pro trombones. You'd have kids with a pos TB300 on 3rd while some dingleberry would play 1st with a Bach 50 cuz it was the "section leader" horn.

teachyteach wrote: ↑Fri Jun 19, 2020 9:08 pm Does anyone have any info or details on this horn to know/is this a good horn for HS kids? I also wonder if it would it be a good idea to surplus the holton out to get funds to buy a different horn?
I would much rather have a medium or large bore F attachment tenor than a giant bass bone that would likely be a hindrance to the development of my students.

Follow up question.

What are the other horns in your stock?

It's a solid bass trombone and if your school needs one you won't find one much better within your budget. If you literally have no large bore tenors at your school it might be worth it to sell it and get funds to buy more horns.

How does your school work with purchasing instruments? The used and abused Holton is worth maybe $1500-$1800 tops. If you aren't able to buy used instruments for your program that'll barely get you anything for your program.

I am not the most experienced with basses, I only played my high school's Holton 181 and their Jupiter independent bass, because I mainly stick with tenor.
As a student who played the Holton TR-181 in a high school band, it was a very good horn for low parts in the concert band and the jazz band, and was miles ahead of the Jupiter bass trombone that you mentioned having in the past. However, this Holton was in good shape from the early 80's, with the only markings being from rolled out dents.
If your Holton has a good slide and everything is working well, you could do a whole lot worse in terms of basses. If I had the money, I'd buy a used one in a heartbeat. As long as it's being used for bass trombone music, rather than being used to compensate as the other posters have mentioned, it'll be very good. If you aren't gonna use it and you sell it, someone will probably swoop in and buy it for a fair price. If you do use it for bass trombone things, then you have a very good horn on your hands.

mrdeacon wrote: ↑Fri Jun 19, 2020 11:33 pm

teachyteach wrote: ↑Fri Jun 19, 2020 9:08 pm Does anyone have any info or details on this horn to know/is this a good horn for HS kids? I also wonder if it would it be a good idea to surplus the holton out to get funds to buy a different horn?
I would much rather have a medium or large bore F attachment tenor than a giant bass bone that would likely be a hindrance to the development of my students.

Follow up question.

What are the other horns in your stock?

It's a solid bass trombone and if your school needs one you won't find one much better within your budget. If you literally have no large bore tenors at your school it might be worth it to sell it and get funds to buy more horns.

How does your school work with purchasing instruments? The used and abused Holton is worth maybe $1500-$1800 tops. If you aren't able to buy used instruments for your program that'll barely get you anything for your program.

Beyond the holton, I have about 10 king 606 trombones, with maybe 3 working slides between all of them.
I can buy used horns with booster money, but only if the horns are used from a reputable dealer like Dillon Music or the like. I have a lot of instrument needs at this school, so I have been compiling a list of horns to buy and things to fix.


It is good to hear the holton is an okay horn and good for folk to learn on.

I play Holton bass trombones as a professional. Get the 181 fixed up. It's more than adequate for a high school student.

teachyteach wrote: ↑Sat Jun 20, 2020 12:43 am Beyond the holton, I have about 10 king 606 trombones, with maybe 3 working slides between all of them.
I can buy used horns with booster money, but only if the horns are used from a reputable dealer like Dillon Music or the like. I have a lot of instrument needs at this school, so I have been compiling a list of horns to buy and things to fix.


It is good to hear the holton is an okay horn and good for folk to learn on.

The King 606 horns are perfectly fine for marching band and beginners, if your school allows kids to start late or you have someone switching instruments.

Please, don't take the Holton on the football field. Save it for the jazz band.

Do the kids in your school generally depend on school provided instruments or do they generally rent/purchase their own?

--Andy in OKC

WGWTR180 wrote: ↑Sat Jun 20, 2020 5:52 am I play Holton bass trombones as a professional. Get the 181 fixed up. It's more than adequate for a high school student.

But I thought a 181 was a "beginner" bass trombone a bit like 2/1.5Gs are only "beginner" bass trombone mouthpieces.....??

Sorry couldn't resist after reading the earlier comment!!

My TR-181 is extremely well made with a great slide. As others have pointed out, it is closed wrap and probably has more bracing than it needs. Less bracing might help in its resonance.

CarlVicVogel

teachyteach wrote: ↑Fri Jun 19, 2020 9:08 pm Does anyone have any info or details on this horn to know/is this a good horn for HS kids?

It should be a fine trombone. More than enough trombone for high school purposes.

After I auditioned at the University of North Texas with my Holton TR181 they told me I had "the true bass trombone sound".

Whatever my problems... the trombone wasn't one of them.