Conn, Yamaha, or something else? Will be taking lessons from ground zero, so I want a good, quality horn that I won’t “have to fight”. IOW, I don’t want to have to deal with the bad habits of a horn (like an abused student horn) while learning the instrument while fighting my own deficiencies.

Thanks for any help and suggestions!

I have an old Conn student horn. It is a decent student trombone - not beautiful (but not awful), and in good working order. I do not remember the model. The beauty part of a trombone is that they are as simple as they can be. There is little to break. Send me an email if you want to talk about it.

I also have a King 2BL, which is a professional King horn, best suited for jazz playing. It is a light horn, with a smaller bore. It has a brighter tone than an orchestral player (or a traditional wind band) would want, but is the bees knees for jazz, or other non-big-band styles.

I was a serious player in my youth. I started with the classic Olds Ambassador. I later moved to a mid level Olds. In HS my folks bought me a nice Holton with an F attachment. I quit playing at age 20 or so. Years later, my son played it in HS. When he graduated, I sent it off to be refurbished and played it in a big band for a few years. Now it sits next to my guitars. It has a big bore and I used a large Bach mouthpiece on it for a richer sound. I doubt I’ll ever play again - but who knows? The Holton is a great horn but if I were buying today, I’d look at a Bach 42 series. If I was just starting, look for a used horn on Craigslist.
Mike

Back in the day, I played a Conn 88H Elkhart.

Beautiful horn and awesome sound.

About 1998, I donated it to a friend at church that was a member of the USAF Band of the West.

That beautiful horn is worth a good bit now.

quote:

Originally posted by SW_Sig:
Back in the day, I played a Conn 88H Elkhart.

Beautiful horn and awesome sound.

About 1998, I donated it to a friend at church that was a member of the USAF Band of the West.

That beautiful horn is worth a good bit now.

I always liked those good Conn trombones when I was playing (high school and college). Bach horns were becoming more popular then, but I liked the Conns for reasons that I can't even remember, and which, maybe, were more based on pure preference.

I thought about getting a Bach but loved the 88H with copper bell.

Yamaha has wonderful quality mid-level instruments. Not usually professional quality, but still solid instruments. If you are serious about it, consider investing in a model with the F attachment.

Also be sure to get a quality mouthpiece. In some ways, that can be as important as the instrument. I’m a fan of Denis Wick, but it’s important to try many options.

Here is the classic Trombone Charlie

I teach middle school band… so I have a glimpse into this world. If you’re just picking up trombone, I’d recommend a regular Yamaha student trombone or an older king/conn. All of them are rock solid and great for playing. If you’re already advanced enough to warrant an F attachment, I would suggest a Yamaha or Bach with an open wrap. I have a Bach 30B double bass trombone with the closed wrap an it’s stuffy to play. Open wrap if possible. There are several places to get used horns for good prices (Quinn the Eskimo on reverb is who I got a few horns through). I had a nice conn single bass with rose gold bell that I got for 850 bucks in 2014. If you properly maintain it you could resell it for what you paid for it no problem. My gut says Bach or Yamaha and enjoy it for years.

Thanks for all the replies, advice, and suggestions!!

Here's the thing...I'm trying to steer away from a student horn from the get-go, as I want to buy once/cry once. I'm ready to pay into the thousands for a good quality horn up front. I don't want to get caught in the trap of purchasing a student horn and then having to turn around a buy a "quality" horn 3 months later.

That's what happened with my alto sax...bought a used student horn, but then turned around and bought a very nice Yamaha horn a couple months later. Could've saved $500 by just getting the good horn from the start.

I've been playing music since I was about 8, so it's not like I'm just learning music...I'm just learning a new instrument. This will be my first brass instrument. I studied classical piano for 10 years before realizing that career is a dead end street unless your last name is Van Cliburn, Watts, Bronfman, or Bernstein. My goal is to play akin to Chicago and James Pankow. Doubt I'll ever be to that caliber, but I'll have fun doing it.

So given that explanation, does any of the above advice change? Thanks again!!!

ETA:
Found this listing on Fakebook Marketplace. This looks like the MINIMUM "entry level" horn I'd be willing to buy...

https://www.facebook.com/marke...tem/157622600591274/

Back when I was in grade school, my parents got it into their heads that my brother and I should learn to play the trombone.

We both hated it.

The experiment didn't last long

I tried learning the acoustical guitar about thirty-five years ago. That didn't take, either.

In school a friend had a Bach Stadivarious. You could easily pick it out. It sounded far richer than any other horn. He also appreciated the extra key work it had.

Sir you’ve got a rather interesting style of playing. This is not the horn I’d normally expect at a stoplight.

Renewing this post……

Starting to get serious on buying. My local shop has a couple S.E. Shires and one Bach Strad. The Bach is a little over $4k, but maybe the store will come down a bit.

What is the opinion on Shires??

The Shires horns are top notch. I have 2 of their trumpets. Trent Austin in KC (Austin Custom Brass) has a great selection of 'bones.

If you ever see a Lawler it's worth a look as well. Roy made some spectacular horns but retired a few years back. They don't come up often but they're equal to anything out there.

I have a Bach 42G with open wrap F attachment purchased in the late 90s. Great horn if you can afford one. I'll warn you that the larger bore size (.547" I think) means it takes more air to play than a standard bore (.500").

You might try a rusty one.

These 2 are in my price range. Bach may be a little high, but if it's a quality horn, I'll take it...

S.E. Shires

Bach Strad 42BO

Shires are professional quality. But be sure that you actually get to play on them before purchasing. Any decent store will allow you to sample the instruments before you drop cash.