trombones : eBay Guides

Ok, so this is put together quickly........old trombones the pro's and con's. Unlike violins, trombones do not get better with age. Trombones are made from metal which over time corrodes/rusts. However a trombone that has been well looked after can last many decades (note i said decades and not centuries as can be the case with quality wood instruments). So draw your own conclusions. Some nice vintage trombones to look out for- King 2B and 3B, Olds Recording, Super, Opera, Conn 8H and 88H and some of the old Bach Strads such as the 12 through to 16 and also the 42. Their are also other horns worthy of mention here too but the ones mentioned are all good horns. New horns, Yamaha any beginning with 6XX are good choices, i have a 695 plays really sweet, Rath are good too. Other far eastern companies to watch are Jupiter esp their top models, the quality is getting really good here.

   Other things to consider, what type of band are you going to play in? Brass band, Concert or Windband, Jazz or Big Band, Classical Orchestra. Ska/Reggae, small fusion groups and so on. Some horns are perfect for different styles of music. As a general guide small bore Bb horns around .500 are ideal for jazz and contemporary style bands. If your playing Brass band, classical style or windband you'll probably want something a little bigger referred to as medium or large bore .525+ and very likely a Bb/F trombone. The bigger the bore will also mean a bigger bell diameter. Also the material your horn is made from will make an impact on how your horn will sound. Yellow brass and Nickel tend to be very bright, perfect if you want to cut across trumpets and saxes, rose brass and red brass (basically brass with a higher copper content) tends to be more complex with a greater range of tonal colour. Some refer to this as darker, popular in classical orchestra and brass bands.

 If you are a parent and thinking about buying a trombone for a child bear in mind the slide trombone  can pose big issues for small arms, having given this some thought look at a Bb or C valve trombone- examples Weril or Thomann. Yamaha's child 'trigger' trombone is a good horn but  is to expensive in my opinion.  

  Another point to bear in mind - 'classic trombones' were built using anitquated technology. Thats not to say that their is'nt some great older horns out their but lets face it modern techniques and computer based technology means that brass instruments today are built with a greater level of sophistication and consistency unheard of 30-40 years ago. A pro trombone player like Ray Anderson or Conrad Herwig would make even a bad horn sound good and vice versa, so is life. Ok I hope this review has been helpful to some one looking for a trombone, you may even bag a bargain on ebay so goodluck and happy hunting!