Old Friends and First Trombones

heinamj · Post by **heinamj** » Thu Dec 01, 2022 8:04 am

Do you still have your first student trombone? Or, do you wish you did? Maybe you already found and bought one like it?

For me, I don't remember what I did with my King 605 Cleveland when we bought my 4B with F in Highschool. I should have kept it for marching band rather than using the 4B... doh!

Later in college I had the chance to buy a pristine used 7B Duo Gravis Silver Sonic and sold my 4B to my roommate. I loved playing bass in our Jazz band on the DGSS and lead parts on an old Getzen marching horn the college had.

But, after decades of rare use I sold the DGSS at the right time in our lives in 2015 and used 10% of the proceeds to buy a beat up 5B that plays and sounds ok.

Now, coming back to trombone on the cusp of my 60's, I thought it'd be fun to find an old student horn for playing lead parts again to go with playing "bass" on the 5B like back in college.

Last week, I sent a Thanksgiving greeting to my oldest trombone friend from 5th grade and she responded that she still had her Cleveland 605F that hadn't been used since Highschool and did I know anyone who might want it... I told her I'd love to check it out.

What a blast from the past it was to open that old familiar case with the same broken buckle on the mouthpiece compartment lid that mine had! Naturally, the slide and rotor were frozen from disuse but overall it was in good shape and cleaning and restoring it to playing condition was fun.

From the first note it was surreal playing that old horn that I had been so close to in my youth (I remember coveting the trigger she had). When I sent a video of me playing Danny Boy on it to my friend she was moved and said it was meant to be that I should have it now.

I've seen the 605's referred to as a poor man's 2B... maybe so ... I'm just glad I've had the chance to reunite with this old friend from my old friend.

Conn100HGuy · Post by **Conn100HGuy** » Thu Dec 01, 2022 9:03 am

When I started playing again after a 35-year layoff, I bought a horn on ebay, not knowing that my first trombone was hidden on a shelf in the basement. I found it by chance one day, opened the case, and saw this black hunk of metal with a broken inner slide staring back at me. I took it to a local music store to get it "refurbished". It cost about $125 to completely overhaul my 1955 Olds Ambassador. Except for the acid bleed on the rim of the bell, it looks (and plays) beautifully.

JohnL · Post by **JohnL** » Thu Dec 01, 2022 9:44 am

The first trombone I owned? Garage sale Bundy. Not missed.

The first "nice" trombone I owned? Conn 4H; still have it, but I don't play it. I've loaned it out a couple times over they years.

Mr412 · Post by **Mr412** » Thu Dec 01, 2022 9:47 am

I bought an identical one back and conquered it to give me closure. Then I sold it and moved on.

Burgerbob · Post by **Burgerbob** » Thu Dec 01, 2022 10:16 am

The first real horn I used for a longer period was a King 6B. It was great at the time (minus the ergonomics...) and I really don't miss it at all. I haven't played another one except 2 minutes on a real beater a few years ago. I'm ok with that.

I prefer to keep mouthpieces as nostalgia items... they take up way less space and money. I do have the first mouthpiece I ever owned, as well as a bunch of other important-to-me pieces.

officermayo · Post by **officermayo** » Thu Dec 01, 2022 10:32 am

My first horn was my 1940 King Liberty I got from my father. Still have it.

sacfxdx · Post by **sacfxdx** » Thu Dec 01, 2022 11:30 am

My first one was a 1960’s King 3B SilverSonic. My dad bought from a buddy whose kid used it in college. I still have it. I started back after a 40 year layoff. Now I play a XO bass trombone. Sill have the SS.

Mamaposaune · Post by **Mamaposaune** » Fri Dec 02, 2022 6:52 am

My first trombone was a very old Olds, probably from the '30's, that my dad rented from a local store that dealt in used instruments. I can remember spending a lot of time polishing it. My first teacher, in a summer music program, told my parents to trade it in. So, my 2nd horn was a shiny Bundy. I didn't realize how bad that horn was until a few years later, when I got a slightly used Conn Connstellation, which showed up in the classifieds of our local paper.
THAT'S the one I wish I still had. My freshman year as a music major, I was told I need an 88H, so I sold the Connstellation to help pay for it. (1976 - the 88H was a dog and I don't miss it)

Post by **BGuttman** » Fri Dec 02, 2022 7:25 am

I learned on a Getzen Super Deluxe (the one with hexagonal ferrules on the braces. Not a bad horn, but it belonged to the New York City Public School system. My own first trombone was a Getzen Deluxe (it wasn't). A cheap POC that I don't miss for 1 minute. I wanted to play bass trombone so we got an Olds A-20 (I know it's not a bass, but in High School you really didn't need one). The school loaned me a King with an F-attachment; probably a Symphony. Wish I could have afforded that one.

The A-20 went away when I started taking lessons as a returnee when my teacher couldn't find a D above the staff on it. Replaced it with a Yamaha 682G.

Every so often I think about getting a Getzen Super Deluxe, but I can't justify it.

robcat2075 · Post by **robcat2075** » Fri Dec 02, 2022 10:18 am

I still have my Conn 14H. Got it the summer before 6th grade.

I remember how heavy it seemed, how hard it was to hold it up to play, and how lugging the case made me dread every next step.

In 11th grade I had a successful outing with my 14H at the district solo contest.

When I try to play it today I can't make much sense of it, it feels so unfamiliar.

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hyperbolica · Post by **hyperbolica** » Fri Dec 02, 2022 11:49 am

My first trombone was a 605 in 1974? I think. It was a rental, and I remember how that plush blue velvet smelled. It smelled like music to me. I remember being fascinated with how the trombone went together and how the slide worked. It was important to me to do all of the things I was supposed to do with it. I was dedicated to this new endeavor, and I could tell that people with trombones were really important people.

I'm still kind of fascinated and dedicated to the club of trombone players. Definitely better than any of the other brass instruments...

Mamaposaune · Post by **Mamaposaune** » Fri Dec 02, 2022 4:47 pm

hyperbolica wrote: ↑Fri Dec 02, 2022 11:49 am My first trombone was a 605 in 1974? I think. It was a rental, and I remember how that plush blue velvet smelled. It smelled like music to me. I remember being fascinated with how the trombone went together and how the slide worked. It was important to me to do all of the things I was supposed to do with it. I was dedicated to this new endeavor, and I could tell that people with trombones were really important people.

I'm still kind of fascinated and dedicated to the club of trombone players. Definitely better than any of the other brass instruments...

Love this! Even as a young kid, you got it!

heinamj · Post by **heinamj** » Fri Dec 02, 2022 8:05 pm

hyperbolica wrote: ↑Fri Dec 02, 2022 11:49 am My first trombone was a 605 in 1974? I think. It was a rental, and I remember how that plush blue velvet smelled. It smelled like music to me.

What's with those old 605 cases? I got mine in 4th grade which would have been '72 or '73.

Kbiggs · Post by **Kbiggs** » Sat Dec 03, 2022 11:01 am

robcat2075 wrote: ↑Fri Dec 02, 2022 10:18 am I still have my Conn 14H. Got it the summer before 6th grade.

I remember how heavy it seemed, how hard it was to hold it up to play, and how lugging the case made me dread every next step.

In 11th grade I had a successful outing with my 14H at the district solo contest.

When I try to play it today I can't make much sense of it, it feels so unfamiliar.

The 14H was my first trombone, too. It was purchased used from a local music shop. I sounded awful on it. It was easy to get a sound on it, but hard to get a good sound. I remember in middle school playing a school-owned Olds (slightly larger bore, flat wrap: model?), and like magic, my sound improved. From that moment on I hated that 14H. I pleaded and begged for a new horn, and eventually my parents bought a .508 bore horn (Bach?). I wish I still had that horn…

I eventually turned the 14H into a sacbut by cutting the bell and using a smaller, more cup-shaped mouthpiece. It was the best use for that horn, and the best I ever sounded on it. I eventually sold it for parts.

Pezza · Post by **Pezza** » Sat Dec 03, 2022 5:16 pm

My 1st trombone was my grandfathers old Buescher True Tone.
Peashooter! I can't play it anymore (too small) but I'll never get rid of it.

afugate · Post by **afugate** » Sun Dec 04, 2022 6:52 am

My first horn was a student-rental Bundy. Built like a tank... and played like one. After a year of playing on it my parents bought me a brand new King 3BF. My little brother played it, as did my daughter - until she replaced it with a 3BF SS. Now it's back in my stable.

--Andy in OKC

Tromboned · Post by **Tromboned** » Mon Dec 05, 2022 7:47 am

I had a King Tempo 606 that was my only horn through 8th grade and then was my marching horn through college tryouts. I played it a few times after that but it was stuffy compared to the rest of my horns so I never really used it. (I got a large bore straight horn to do marching stuff now) I have leant it to a friend who's son was taking up trombone. Their schools gave them loaners when he started but during COVID they didn't have access to them at home. I don't really miss it. I may want it back if one of my kids decides to take it up. The slide is still OK after all these years.

calcbone · Post by **calcbone** » Mon Dec 05, 2022 1:58 pm

I started in 1992 on a Yamaha 354…about 18 of us did; all of the trombone players in my grade except one (he played his dad’s old Conn Director). Our band director strongly encouraged our parents to rent an instrument from our “official” music store, which were all Yamahas. The day we started on our instruments, the high school’s band trailer pulled up, full of Yamaha beginner instruments.

We traded that Yamaha in 5 years later, when I upgraded to a Blessing B-88. I’m not a Yamaha guy, but if my son has chosen trombone this year, we probably would have gotten him a YSL-354 of his own.

Pudding · Post by **Pudding** » Mon Dec 05, 2022 3:33 pm

My first trombone was some sort of Jupiter student model. I had it from new, but being a 1980s model, it probably wasn't great. Not that it bothered me, as I was just pleased to have a trombone after three years playing Eb tenor horn. When I was playing it someone offered me a great condition vintage King 2b for £70. I had no idea what it was but really wanted to buy it. Unfortunately, I was overruled by my parents who, in consultation with my trombone teacher, decided that I really didn't want to waste my money on that old thing!

Anyway, I sold the Jupiter a couple of years later for more than it was new, which was a bonus. By that point I had a Besson 600 which I was also very pleased with, resplendent as it was in its shining silver plate. That one is still being used regularly by my eldest son, as is the King 4bf I got after the Besson.

heinamj · Post by **heinamj** » Mon Dec 05, 2022 3:41 pm

Pudding wrote: ↑Mon Dec 05, 2022 3:33 pm When I was playing it someone offered me a great condition vintage King 2b for £70. I had no idea what it was but really wanted to buy it. Unfortunately, I was overruled by my parents who, in consultation with my trombone teacher, decided that I really didn't want to waste my money on that old thing!

Ahhhhh!! Oh to have that opportunity wander by again!

JohnL · Post by **JohnL** » Mon Dec 05, 2022 4:08 pm

I still have the first bass trombone I ever owned - an Olds P-24G. Bought it out of the display case at Castle Music in San Luis Obispo, CA in early 1981 for $700 plus tax. It lives in its case most of the time (I have another P-24G with an open wrap that's my daily driver), but I still use it when I play with the the alumni band for homecoming.

kingsk1117 · Post by **kingsk1117** » Tue Dec 06, 2022 9:45 pm

My first horn was a Conn 6H in 1964, and I still play it routinely. Just subbed in as lead in our big band tonight with it and I love it.

HawaiiTromboneGuy · Post by **HawaiiTromboneGuy** » Wed Dec 07, 2022 6:36 pm

My first horn that my parents bought me was a silver plated Bach TB300 as I was going into my freshman year of high school. I used that as my marching horn and marched with it in the Tournament of Roses Parade, Macy’s Parade, and in a Disneyland parade. I still have it and pull it out every now and then to play/admire/maintenance.

W1XO · Post by **W1XO** » Thu Dec 22, 2022 9:22 am

The first trombone I played wasn't mine. I was a euphonium player in high school (with some excursions into tuba). The director decided he wanted me on third trombone to add some oomph down there, and handed me the school's King 4B (the "bass trombone") and said "figure it out". I did, and still am mostly a bass bone (and euph) player.

heinamj · Post by **heinamj** » Thu Dec 22, 2022 11:51 am

W1XO wrote: ↑Thu Dec 22, 2022 9:22 am The director decided he wanted me on third trombone to add some oomph down there, and handed me the school's King 4B (the "bass trombone") and said "figure it out".

Well... at least if you messed up and the director yells "Trombones! What are you doing!?" you could answer "Exactly what you told me to do"... and then start in on the bass line of Chameleon!

Cotboneman · Post by **Cotboneman** » Fri Dec 30, 2022 2:21 pm

The first trombone that I owned outright was a nickel-plated horn that I want to say was a Buescher, but in fact may have been European. I was playing baritone horn in high school and my dad picked it up at a pawn shop. Apart from being heavy and a little dead sounding, it was okay to learn off of. My first real trombone was a Selmer Bolero, which I purchased new from my college trombone teacher, who was a Selmer clinician, in 1975. I remember working all summer to save up $680 to buy that horn! I played it all four years of my undergraduate years.

ParLawGod · Post by **ParLawGod** » Fri Dec 30, 2022 2:46 pm

My first trombone was a Yamaha 354. I sold it in college so I could afford other horns...still regret that and wish I had it.

SGH · Post by **SGH** » Thu Feb 16, 2023 12:04 am

I quit football after 9th grade season and got put in study hall. Hated it and asked to join band. They needed trombones so badly that the director gave me free daily private lessons on his off period for the remainder of the spring semester. My cousin, a pro trumpet player, sold me a Mount Vernon 6vii with lightweight slide that spring for $100. Sometimes things just go right!

SGH · Post by **SGH** » Thu Feb 16, 2023 12:07 am

That was 1975

TrryReynolds · Post by **TrryReynolds** » Thu Feb 16, 2023 4:06 am

In looking through your posts, it’s clear that I “grew up” far slowly than you:
First horn in 5th grade was the Yamaha student model of the time. Though not willingly, I treated that horn horribly- I remember my slide becoming so hard to move, all kinds of dents, and the solder becoming loose at the gooseneck. Parents bought me a conn director in 7th grade. I remember my mom coming home from picking up a slide repair from a respected local tech, who told her I “deserved a kick in the fanny”. I eventually learned to respect my instruments and treat them well, but I can guarantee that those two instruments are no longer in service.

Mikebmiller · Post by **Mikebmiller** » Thu Feb 16, 2023 12:31 pm

My first horn was a used Bundy that I got in 7th grade and kept for a couple of years until my teacher talked my mom into buying a used 3 BF. Two years later, my uncle bought me a used 42B for $275 in 1976 or thereabouts. I kept that until the mid 90's when someone on the old forum had a used Edwards for for sale and I ended up selling the Bach for $800 to help pay for the Eddie. Of course, now I wish I still had it. The Eddie was with me for 20 year until I went to ATW in 2016 or so and just happened to try a Rath. That was love at first blow. Dillon's gave me a very nice trade in for the Edwards and I ended up coming home with a Rath.

Macbone1 · Post by **Macbone1** » Thu Feb 16, 2023 12:52 pm

My first trombone was a very scratched up Getzen Elkhorn with an awful slide, in 5th grade. The music shop owner had no tech person there and he was not good with brass repairs so that was how it was sold. When I finally was given a brand new Olds Ambassador Bb/F in high school I thought I was in heaven. Unscratched lacquer! Smooth slide all the way up and down!

Then my dad, a tuba player, tried to teach himself trombone on the old Getzen but didn't get far with that 15C mouthpiece! I sold that horn at a youth orchestra fundraiser for more than my dad had paid.

flotrb · Post by **flotrb** » Sun Feb 19, 2023 8:22 am

In 1959, after 3 years of Jr. High euphonium (King Artist #1165 .562"bore), my new H.S. band director said, "I want you to play bass trombone." I said, "What is that?", and he handed me a brand new Conn 72H Artist Bb-F-E Symphony Bass.
It was love at first sight! After 64 years, still playing bass trombone: 1962 Holton 169 and 1975 King 7B 1490S Duo Gravis.

Adamthelemonite · Post by **Adamthelemonite** » Mon Feb 20, 2023 6:19 pm

I had an off brand silver trombone. The brand wasn't listed, it didn't have a serial number, and it was made of a mixture of aluminum and brass. The other trombone players thought it would be fun to play "sword fight" with their slides, and even though I didn't want to participate, they still smacked my slide with theirs. So at the end of 6th grade, it took 10 pounds of force to move the slide. We tried to get it fixed, but the brass guy wouldn't even attempt to straighten the slide because he was afraid it would shatter. Oh, did I mention it also had red rot? I don't really miss that trombone.

baBposaune · Post by **baBposaune** » Fri Feb 24, 2023 8:02 am

First bass trombone I PLAYED was a Conn 73H that belonged to my high school. Don't miss it at all. Within a year or so after starting private lessons my teacher was go-between with a player who was selling a Conn 62H. Back then it probably cost my parents around $750 for a used Elkhart horn. I never played tenor or a student instrument so the 73H was the closest thing to fitting that description. It wasn't a beater but it didn't play very well. In hindsight I suppose I was lucky enough to attend a public high school where they had a decent bass trombone.

It's been about 18 years since I had a 62 and did feel the urge to find another one. When I got it, it was like meeting an old friend.

Trombonjon · Post by **Trombonjon** » Sat Feb 25, 2023 1:17 am

First student trombone I played? I’m unable to say. The poor public school I went to had way more aspiring trombonists than actual instruments, so they had me buy a Bach 12c and gave me an old Holton bell front baritone. Occasionally, I would get a lesson on one of the Holton Collegiate trombones that went around more than the free stones. Later, I joined the local municipal band where I “inherited” a YBL321 from one of the guys that had left, but it was stolen from the bus during a band trip in N.Y. When I returned from the trip, my parents bought me the first trombone that I ever owned (36 B) which I still own today amid a sizable stable….$150.00 that have lasted me 45 years and counting.

martinfan · Post by **martinfan** » Mon Feb 27, 2023 8:24 pm

Back in the fall of 1969, I started out with my older brother's used Blessing. Three years later, I was, believe it or not still playing and my parents traded it for a brand-new Olds "Studio" in shiny silver and, at that time told me that if I kept going they would upgrade again to a Conn 88H. I kept progressing and in July, 1976 my teacher, the late Dan King chose a brand-new 88H for me, just in time for my senior year of high school! Fast Forward. During my junior year at Bethany College, Lindsborg, KS, the late Professor Roger Thorstenberg suggested that I invest in a second trombone and so I found an immaculate King3B slide and valve outfit which was a lot of fun. Meanwhile, things changed and I sold the 3B outfit and kept the 88H. But, in 2010 I hungered for a smaller bore unit and one day I found a Martin "Imperial" on eBay and played that until 2017 when again life changes transpired. This past August, I pulled the 88H out of the case for the first time in about twelve years and what a joyous experience it was! No longer is it the 88H but "Danielle" in honor of Dan King.

Ozzlefinch · Post by **Ozzlefinch** » Thu Mar 09, 2023 6:16 pm

I still have my fist 'bone, a King Cleveland purchased brand new in 1978. Been through it all over the long years.
It's a little long in the tooth these days, but still works like a champ. I'll never part with it.

MrHCinDE · Post by **MrHCinDE** » Sat Mar 11, 2023 2:48 pm

In recent years I’ve gone back to playing the first instrument my parents kindly bought for me, a heavily used B&H Imperial Euphonium. I’ve had it for nearly 30 years, between about year 5 and 25 it didn’t get much use as I played a Besson Sovereign then later focussed on trombone.

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These days I get great joy from playing it regularly, I no longer have the Sovereign so the Imperial is once again my main euphonium, I used it for a gig a few weeks ago. A strange coincidence is that the last solo performance I’d played on that instrument as a kid was the James Curnow Rhapsody for Euphonium, aged about 13 or 14. After a break from valves of a good few years and having come back to playing the old Imperial that was the euphonium solo the MD suggested for me to play as an adult when we were looking for solo ‘volunteers’ in the local community band. I know it’s a pretty common piece so the odds are not that low but I certainly enjoyed revisiting it with a couple of decades of life experience in between.

I sold my first own trombone a couple of years ago after having had it for about 20 years. So far I don’t regret it, I kept the case complete with old tour stickers though!

I do have my first bass trombone, a Yamaha single trigger bass. I played it at my gran’s funeral since it was the only trombone I had in the country at the time, can’t imagine I will ever want to part with that instrument.

walldaja · Post by **walldaja** » Thu Mar 30, 2023 12:53 pm

Enjoyed reading the postings! Thanks.

My "first" horn was an old Olds TIS from the 30s. I actually had a chance to meet the guy who used to play it but to my ignorant 13-year old brain it didn't mean anything. I would love to spend hours talking to that guy now. Never formed a bond with the Olds--the TIS seemed out of style.

The horn that I formed a bond with was a brand new Besson 10-10 (silver) that I got a couple years later. No longer did my clothes get dirty from tarnished brass (or my hands and neck). It even had springs in the corks which I thought was way cool (probably would have been better to have known the positions from F3 on up). I was playing with a variety of Salvation Army bands and that silver Besson just fit in perfectly.

Life was good until it wasn't. On the last week of HS I sold that Besson to my best friend for $50 and planned to never blow a horn again. That didn't last, within a couple of years I was playing again though it was a trumpet (fits into an Army locker better than a Tbone).

From 94 until 2017 I just doubled on tbone and started looking for a Besson 10-10 for nostalgia. It took until Mar of 23 to finally find one--a 57 model and in lacquer (what's left of it). This one had a "gilded" metal bell (Besson's description of either rose or red brass). The bell had a crimp in it but the bead was good. Needed corks in the barrels and water key. Just dropped it by a tech I use.

After I got the horn unpacked, cleaned, and played for a while I had to look up my friend I sold my 10-10 to in 69. Between blowing the Besson and talking to Bobby and his wife (both friends in HS) it was a perfect day.