TromboneChat

I was recently investigating C trombones, and I came across this one again. It has a Bb/C ascending valve. The valve gives you access to the notes at the end of the slide that you would buy something like a 3B/f for, but it's a much lighter arrangement. They are a 500/525 bore horn, and marketed toward small kids.

Does anyone actual experience playing one of these? Are they usable in a pro/semipro capacity? Is the intonation tricky? Does it resemble the more popular 354?

I have had a couple of them. I really like the 356, so I figured they would be similar in feel. As much as I like the compactness of the case, they had an unusual feel to them and I never got comfortable with them. It felt noticeably more open with the valve lever engaged, thus not going into the small valve wrapping. I think since it was the opposite of what I normally dealt with regarding expected stuffiness, my mind could not make the transition. I probably should have held onto one since I am always looking at them when they come up for sale used.

Doug Yeo is a fan:

http://www.yeodoug.com/articles/trombon ... llery.html

I had one and loved it for travel, no playability issues and definitely didn't feel like a 'student' horn. I ended up selling it to help fund a cross-country move. I don't have as much need for one now as I did when I was touring, but I am seriously considering going this route:

There are a few Chinese produced copies out there now, the Schiller brand, carried by Jim Laabs is the one I found here in the US:

https://www.jimlaabsmusicstore.com/stor ... -trombone/

It appears to have 2 tuning slides - one in the normal place and one for the Bb valve, is that correct?

Also, how is the balance of the horn? And how much smaller is it than a regular Bb? It seems like it would just be a couple inches shorter. Does the bell line up with the slide in ~3rd position like other horns?

Schiller and John Packer seem to make clones.

Yes, 2 tuning slides - but that gets turned on it's head a bit with the reverse valve setup...you adjust the valve tuning slide for open playing and then fine tune with the 'main' crook tuning slide for when the trigger is pushed and the horn is in 'C'.

All of this seems complicated, but the horn feels quite natural to play - the slide to bell positions are the same as a straight tenor. (out to 5th position) Balance is great, slide feels wicked light and the compact case is a dream to travel with. The slide is as much shorter as there is tubing for the valve, so I guess one way to describe it is that the slide is 5/7th of a standard straight tenor.

I played one in community band for a few years and it worked very well. I liked everything about it and wish I hadn’t sold it. Thomann sells a clone that looks identical to the Packer, but is less expensive.

The 350C isn’t easy to find in the U.S. Brass Exchange had one a while back, but I missed out.

All in all, it’s my favorite trombone I’ve owned and plan to own again.

I never really liked the way they played.
The physical balance was ok, slightly bell-heavy.
It always seemed kind of odd, like it never really did anything specific all that well for me.
Part of it was definitely the jump from .500 to .525 to the big bell.
I'd say it's fine for most church gigs or community band, but I wouldn't take one to a paying gig.
ymmv

I always thought it would be interesting to reverse the valve and change the attachment to G so it's a trombone in C and G. Kinda like the C trumpet that is so popular in Orchestra.

I hade one for a while. It played well, but as some others have pointed out had a different feel to it. Just about everyone who has one will play it as intended in B flat, only occasionally using the reducing valve. Holding the valve down and playing it in C means learning new slide positions, the difference between B flat and C is just too much not to adjust slide positions for. You can use the valve to make some high notes a little easier, so holding it down puts the high D on a better harmonic series, and in theory you could play a high G as solidly as top F. And the 3rd above G could be played in regular 1st! the pedal C in first is easy, but won't replace the low C on a bass trombone. Yes it's more compact than a regular trombone, but not that much, but those who travel a lot may find this important. The advantages weren't reason enough for me to own an extra trombone, and there's no low E which in some situations would be a concern. I would have keep mine if I was really enamored of the sound, but I felt it was kinda bland, and sold it. Still if anyone really wants to play a trombone in C, this is the place to start, get one and consider reversing the valve, or as been suggested even extend it into a G attachment.

Yeah, I'm not even sure what I'd use it for. Church gigs. Pit band as long as there are no low Es. Maybe upper quartet parts Caroling. I'd prolly use it as a Bb horn. It would be a small horn that could get a nice low C and even a B, as they would be pedals.

The bore is kind of like the funky 32h. I like the sound and feel of the 32h, but I've owned two, and just can't justify keeping them, cuz they don't fit a particular need for me. Hope this doesn't break the same way.

Does is sound more small bore or medium bore? 6h or 78h?

It's sound is definitely nothing like a small bore, maybe a yamaha-ish medium bore? (it's been decades since I've played one of those)
It really didn't sound like a 78h or 79h to me (I've owned both), maybe almost half a size bigger, and not really Conn-like.
The sound was almost like an early medium / large-sized Olds I tried out once, can't remember the model, that's the closest I can think of.
It would fit in on your types of smaller situations, it does not fit in on rock or wedding band type things, just gets lost.
I would say that the blow is somewhat similar to a 32h (had one of those, too), but the sound is definitely that of a larger-playing horn.

I sounded most like that yamaha 356R, but with a different feel.