TromboneChat

harrisonreed wrote: ↑Sat Nov 28, 2020 3:33 am Speaking of feeling "better in hand", I have no idea how any non-child human being can hold a Courtois large bore tenor in their hands with such short cork barrels, let alone their alto. Van Rijen is a magician! His playing is great, also.

Edit, nvm, here is the magic. OUCH!!

Screenshot_20201128-194025.png

The longer I look, the less sense that ring finger makes...

Vegasbound wrote: ↑Sat Nov 28, 2020 3:11 am Why not buy a Yamaha? You played one and liked it and they Yamaha altos are good

tombone21 wrote: ↑Fri Nov 27, 2020 10:17 pm I've played both the Courtois 131 and a Shires custom alto with tuning in the slide for at least a year each. I vastly preferred the Courtois, specifically for its 'true alto' sound and its ability to blend well with larger horns. The only negatives I can remember about it were the squirrely high F partial and shorter 7th position. It was definitely there, I just had to be mindful when I went out that far. The TIS Shires was inflexible and sounded like a very shrill tenor to pretty much everyone that heard or played it. I believe it was an A7YLW bell and standard yellow brass/nickel crook dual bore slide.

That said, I've heard great things about the bell-tuning Shires altos, and I haven't taken issue with any Q-series instrument I've tried, so I wouldn't totally write them off. Honestly, the Q-Series instruments feel better in hand than a lot of American or British boutique makers I've tried. Definitely worth trying and seeing for yourself. If you'd be buying the Q35 new, it should come with a trial or return policy. And also, if that Courtois has been sitting in the local music store for the last 8 years, there might be a reason for it. But definitely try the Courtois, and if you like it, haggle with the music store and offer to take it off their hands. If it's been kicking around for 8 years it definitely has a couple of scratches and dings and the slide probably isn't so hot either. They'll want it gone just as much as you want to take it home.

Mikebmiller wrote: ↑Sun Nov 29, 2020 1:25 pm Just out of curiosity, how much is the Shires? I couldn’t find a price in their web site.

LeTromboniste wrote: ↑Sat Nov 28, 2020 8:40 am Haven't tried the Shires so can't compare. I'm a big fan of the Yamaha altos, but I owned a Courtois 131 for a few years and it was one of the best horns I've ever played. My approach is also to have a "true" alto sound, brighter but full, and it works really well for that. Also seems to like small mouthpieces. Do try it first, as has been pointed out there might be a reason it's stayed in demo for 8 years. But it could be as silly as not being in huge demand in that area or having lacquer damage. The lacquer on Courtois instrument is really thin a often starts peeling off fast. That and they're really not to everyone's liking in North America. It could be had, but it also would not be the first time I hear or see Courtois demo instruments not selling for years despite being good horns. Mine was also in the store for 2-3 years when I got it and had some cosmetic wear that allowed me to get a discount.