TromboneChat

Hey all,

Does anybody know what equipment Stefan Schulz uses? I recall him being a Courtois artist, and last time I checked they were working with him on a Creation model.

Thanks in advance!

He's usually playing a Kromat. I haven't seen him play the Courtois yet, but he may have in those couple years.

Down as a Courtois artist at present?

Currently listed as an "Endorser" on their artist roster. I'd imagine the Berliner bass they'd work on with him would just be a 550 with axials and a few other tweaks.

Druidman wrote: ↑Tue Aug 16, 2022 12:28 pm Currently listed as an "Endorser" on their artist roster. I'd imagine the Berliner bass they'd work on with him would just be a 550 with axials and a few other tweaks.

The Berlin Philharmonic requires their trombone section members to play on German trombones.

RustBeltBass wrote: ↑Tue Aug 16, 2022 5:48 pm

Druidman wrote: ↑Tue Aug 16, 2022 12:28 pm Currently listed as an "Endorser" on their artist roster. I'd imagine the Berliner bass they'd work on with him would just be a 550 with axials and a few other tweaks.

The Berlin Philharmonic requires their trombone section members to play on German trombones.

Courtois are made in Germany now so they are allowed to play them.

Burgerbob wrote: ↑Tue Aug 16, 2022 6:12 pm [quote=RustBeltBass post_id=186522 time=<a href="tel:1660693734">1660693734</a> user_id=3536]
[quote=Druidman post_id=186491 time=<a href="tel:1660674498">1660674498</a> user_id=11154]
Currently listed as an "Endorser" on their artist roster. I'd imagine the Berliner bass they'd work on with him would just be a 550 with axials and a few other tweaks.

The Berlin Philharmonic requires their trombone section members to play on German trombones.
[/quote]




Courtois are made in Germany now so they are allowed to play them.
[/quote]

I am not sure but seriously doubt it based on the current roster.
When I lived there, the typical characteristics of a German trombone were part of the requirements and the roster hasn’t changed since then. Not sure if Courtois would be willing to make such a trombone but it is possible of course. As far as I know and see the instruments currently used are made by Kromat, Jahn (Throja) and Kruspe.

Also, and I could be wrong, what they play in the orchestra could be different from what they would play say at a clinic while conducting a masterclass, recital, etc. Last time i saw, they had two trombones left in the Creation line, one with Schulz, and one with Van Rijen

RustBeltBass wrote: ↑Tue Aug 16, 2022 8:47 pm

I am not sure but seriously doubt it based on the current roster.
When I lived there, the typical characteristics of a German trombone were part of the requirements and the roster hasn’t changed since then. Not sure if Courtois would be willing to make such a trombone but it is possible of course. As far as I know and see the instruments currently used are made by Kromat, Jahn (Throja) and Kruspe.

You probably know more than me, but the word was that the Kromat Stefan plays is basically a Bach 50T but made in Germany. He wanted to play a Bach but was not allowed, so he had Kromat get as close as they could. Again... this is knowledge from a while back.

Custom Courtois....

Stefan plays Shires now, his website shows him with a tru-bore valve bass trombone.
You can also find him on the Shires website Artists:
"Bass: BOL DF / Bass TruBore / BYC / B62/78"

Just some additions from what I know and/or have heard:
- Before playing Throja I assume (!) he played Bach, but am absolutely not sure
- The Throja bass - I owned one for around 15 years - to a degree seems to mix some Bach-style with the general Throja design (which is largely influenced by Pfretzschner). I heard Stefan live and in lessons a few times playing the Throja and it has made a lasting impression. If I remember correctly I heard at some point that they also tried out Thayers on the Throja at some point. Not sure if that's true
- The Kromat that he played for a long time for sure seems to be Bach-influenced. Certainly a great instrument! From my knowledge he continued playing it even while he was officially a Courtois artist. Definitely speaks for the Kromat trombones.
- I am not into Shires, but I guess the setup is not really surprising with the dual bore slide and non-standard valves