TromboneChat

I've bought a few new trombones in my lifetime. An Eastman (shires stencil), then eventually a Yamaha. Even had a King 3BF for a while. And yet, somehow, they've all passed. Either too broken to be worth repairing, someone needed it more than me, or I simply just didn't like it. I used to be so into competitive concert band and stuff, practicing etudes daily, constantly researching trombones and watching prices... but now I find myself still holding onto the trombone I got back in 6th grade. A Conn 23H. It just feels right? I can't lock perfectly into the register of any other horn like I do this one. Sure the partials aren't perfectly even, but they never surprise me. Every other trombone I hold feels proportionally wrong, like the hand grip is too long or the slide is just too wide-set. The counterweight feels perfectly place and I never get tired of holding it.
I've played that horn for almost a decade now and I see no reason to get a new one unless it just completely breaks. I feel like the quality of an instrument doesn't really have any bearing on my enjoyment or musicality, it's just dependent on if I'm used to it.

So who out there is still playing on their beginner band trombone?

I've owned a Getzen 3508 a couple times in the past and might go back to it again if I find another one at a reasonable price.

My beginner horn was a used Conn Director (I think that’s also a 23H, isn’t it?). I sounded terrible on it. It started to fall apart when I was in college, so I converted it into a fake-butt by removing the lacquer and sawing off the bell. Best thing I ever did to that horn.

What no one says "only when I'm drunk"?

My first trombone was a King 605, and I'm NOT going back to that. But my second was an 88h, and I still love that horn. I never really left it, so I can't go back. But, I did have a Conn 79h that I sold and then bought back from the person I sold it to. I knew a guy who had a MV 36 that made the rounds in our little bunch of players, and he eventually got it back, but he had to buy me a new Holton tr156 to get it back. Worse than a pawn shop.

Nah.

A century ago when I started playing Bass Trombone, the band bought me a nice new Yamaha YBL 321, which in 1974 was their top of the range professional trombone, they didnt even sell a dual valve at the time (many people forget this when they, wrongly in my opinion, describe it as an intermediate horn). It was a nice instrument and blew well - served me for 10 of my best playing years but I moved away and left the horn with the band. 20 years later I was, as a guest, sitting next to a guy who had a YBL 321 he said it was a rubbish old horn played terrible and was all beaten up. When he recounted the history that he knew of the horn I imeadiatly realised it was my old friend from 30 years previously. I offered him some money for his beaten up old horn and he accepted. I felt I owed this horn some respect and it needed rescuing before certain scrapping. So I had it completely renovated, new inner tubes and a relacquer. This was about 10 years ago and I still often use it, it does all my outdoor work, Armistace day in November, Carolling throughout December both here in the UK and in Helsinki, Finland and often a rehearsal or two during the year, its still a great player and I feel sentimentality for it!... Doug

Not the exact same instrument, but the same model.

After a few years learning on (German) baritone horn I got an Elkhart 88h as my first trombone. Didn't really understand its value back then and at some point then bought a new and more fancy Kühnl Slokar model (with the asymmetrial tuning slide "Magic" ).

Somehow I always missed the Conn and now 20 years after selling it I have a small Collection of Conns including two 88h (Elkhart and modern, both great instruments). It's the sound that made me Love the trombone back then...

A few years ago I sold my first trombone to a friend of the family so that it could be their son's first "owned" instrument. I do not regret that; it was a great student instrument and deserved better than to be gathering dust in my house.

The instrument I play is the one that I used through most of the higher grades, regional groups and university. It is the instrument that has been involved in most of my best memories from playing and I will never get rid of it because of that.

I want nothing to do with my first owned trombone, a Getzen Deluxe (it wasn't). straight bent hex braces, no tuning slide, thin metal outer that "bit" my hand all the time. You get the idea. It was made to be cheap and it was.

I replaced it with an Olds Ambassador with F (A-20). We discovered some problems with it when I began taking lessons as a returnee. So that's gone, too.

I did replace the Getzen with an Olds TIS from 1925 that had been sitting in a relative's cellar. That turned out to be a gem. It was in terrible shape. I brought it in to Osmun's and Steve Shires (he worked there at the time) worked magic on the slide. We also fixed a counterweight and rolled out the planishing on the bell (I didn't know it was a high priced option at the time ). I still play that Olds when I want to create an old-timey feeling. I've played Concert in the Park solos on it, as well as Dixieland. I'd probably be using it more if it wasn't friction fit.

I started out on my first owned horn, a Holton TR602F. Loved it and used it throughout Junior High and High School. Loved the horn and it served me well, but sold it when I needed money in college.

I recently picked up another TR602F. While it reminds me of my old horn I believe there is an old saying… “you can’t go home…”

Nope

I have my first Conn 18H director and I would say it is the odd horn as far as positions and dimensions are concerned. The slide positions are fairly different compared to my other horns. It is my only small bore so on some gigs it still goes.

For orchestra I still have my first large bore and it is great, but had a rough life first in a circus band then in my middle school and early high school hands. I don’t use it but won’t ever sell it for sentimental reasons.

My first bass a Conn 112H went away at some point to fund a Shires Custom. Looking back that was a great horn, just wasn’t going to get me as far at the time in classical college and professional orchestra auditions. I am currently trying to figure out a commercial bass and I think the 112 would have been perfect, but my Shires got me a long way and some great opportunities.

That all said I don’t go back often to my old horns but they all still set the bar in some way for new horns.

BGuttman wrote: ↑Wed Aug 24, 2022 4:09 pm We also fixed a counterweight and rolled out the planishing on the bell (I didn't know it was a high priced option at the time ).

What is “planishing?” I looked up the dictionary definition but that seems ambiguous.

Nope.

I wish I still had the Bach 50 with gold brass bell and lightweight slide I went through school on. And I wish I had never put Thayer valves on it and kept the rotor section that was open-wrapped by Chuck McAlexander.

Also, I wish I was 22 again...

OneTon wrote: ↑Thu Aug 25, 2022 9:08 am ... rolled out the planishing on the bell.

What is “planishing?” I looked up the dictionary definition but that seems ambiguous.
[/quote]

As I understand it, planishing is the process of removing dents etc. by lightly tapping with a "dent hammer" on the outside of brass tubing (or bell) with a solid backing (e.g., balls, or a mandrel or anvil) on the other side of the brass tube or bell.

Expert brass tech and repairer Robb Stewart made a video showing his technique:


More detail here:
https://www.robbstewart.com/dent-removal

I don't know if you'd consider it "going back" to an old horn, but I picked up a well-loved '70s King 3B on ebay in undergrad. Turned out to be one of the best horns I've ever owned. I tried out a bunch of other horns for months at a time over the next few years but they never really seemed to click the way the 3B did, so I don't know if I'd consider myself ever having actually deviated from it.

It wasn't until I got my custom horn built that I haven't consistently used the 3B. I still keep it as my back up horn though, and when I do pick it up I still feel at home on it.

Another example from Robb Stewart, look at the finish on the horn. They came this way from the factory.

https://www.robbstewart.com/olds-military-trumpet

Cheers,
Andy

All the time. I play my old horns a lot because I have kept all of them, but I'm collecting different sounds from different trombones. I want it to be different that's what makes me want to play. An old horn with a different new sound makes me want to play an hour more.

/Tom

Yes, in a way.

My parents generously bought me an old 4V B&H Imperial euphonium when I was about 11 years old. I played it for a few years and at some point joined a local youth band where I got a brand new Besson Sovereign as a loaner. Of course I wanted to play the shiny new instrument so the Imperial got put away in the loft and didn’t make it out again for another 15 or so years.

I’ve since owned and then sold a Sovereign and didn’t expect much from the Imperial when I dug it out when asked to help out on euph, having not played valves for about 8 years. How wrong I was. The valves are a bit clanky but otherwise it plays like a dream. I’d wrongly thought that the instrument was the limiting factor when in fact in some ways it even plays better than the Sovereigns I’ve played in between.