AboutColin Murray Expertise I can answer about trombone equipment (instruments, mouthpieces, used horns, etc) and
trombone (especially bass trombone) playing. If I don't know right away, I have an extensive
network of experts to call on. I can't help you get a date.
Experience 25 years as professional bass trombonist (playing in big bands,orchestras, theatre, etc), 20 years as brass repair technician and retail and wholesale sales. Bass trombone instructor at Humber College, Toronto. Creator of website www.mrequipment.net - all about brass and woodwind gear and the people behind it.
Organizations National Association of Music Merchants, American Federation of Musicians, International Trombone Association
Education/Credentials B.Mus, L.Mus (Performance) McGill University, Montreal
Question How are B&S tbones? I usually play bass bone and am on a limited budget and need something blatty for big band work. My legit ax is just too dark. I want something I can get an edge on, and wondered if a 9-inch bell tenor might do the trick. I have found an affordable B&S 9-inch tenor. Thanks
Answer Hi Willy,
The newer B&S trombones are quite good (those made in the last five years). I haven't seen too many made before that so I couldn't comment. B&S is part of JAMusik which also controls Meinl-Weston, Hoyer, Scherzer and few other brands. They also owned Courtois until early 2006 when it was sold to Buffet-Crampon. Most of the parts for the Courtois trombones (which are very nice instruments) if not the entire horn, were made in Germany at B&S. In fact, if you look at some of the B&S Challenger trombones from the last couple of years, you'll see a striking similarity to the Courtois trombones. The B&S website currently shows only one model of trombone, so I can only speculate they've scaled down the model range so as not to compete with one of their customers. I have sold some B&S bass trombones in the last five years and found them to be very well made and an excellent value, but they're no longer offered.
I wouldn't advise using a large bore tenor (even if it is a dual-bore with a 9 inch bell) for most big band bass trombone work. You could get by with a horn like that if you were playing in a two-trombone setup (like some shows) or were the only trombone, but I think you'd find you couldn't get enough breadth of sound in the trigger register in a full big band.
If it's blat (aka burn, cut,edge,etc) you're looking for, you couldn't go wrong with an older King Duo Gravis. It plays very easily, like a big tenor trombone, in the middle and upper register, yet has plenty of oomph in the trigger and pedal registers. On top of that, it has two valves, which are all but essential for big band (at least if you're playing modern charts). The stock tubing wrap is very free blowing and low C's and B's pop out without much fuss. You'll see them on Ebay from time to time, and depending on condition, I've seen them sell between $700 and $2500. I don't know what you mean by "affordable" in reference to the B&S tenor you're talking about, but if you're prepared to spend up to $1000 on that tenor, I suggest you consider spending a bit more (or the same money if you're lucky) and try to find a King.
Alternatives: If you only want a single trigger, you may be able to find a Conn 72H under $1000, but it won't be quite as ripping as the King. The older Yamaha YBL322, their student bass trombone (and based on the old Conn) plays pretty well and you may be able to find one of them for a good price.
Finally, depending on what your "legit ax" is, there may be some options there, too. (But that would be another question..)
Please let me know if you have further questions and keep me posted on your search.
Colin
www.mrequipment.net
"It's not HOW you play, it's WHAT you play!"
