Info About The Eastman ETB848 Bass Trombone?

[haydenlance]

Hello, Im a high school trombone player. And I was wondering about the Eastman ETB848 Bass Trombone. Does anyone have experience with this horn? Is it build well? And does it play well? Any and all information would be helpful! Thanks!

[Crazy4Tbone86]

For the money, the 848 is a decent horn. The Eastman horns have the same inconsistencies as the Shires Q series horns. There are great ones and not-so-great ones. I highly recommend that you try before you buy.

From a technical standpoint, the metal in the Eastman horns tends to be very soft. If you are able to take great care of your horn, this is not an issue. However, if you occasionally bump your horn into things, the Eastman will not hide the wear and tear.

I repaired 4 Eastman trombones today. Two of them played well and the other two were not very impressive.

Three of them had a lot of dents and dings. After removing all of the dents, those horns showed the scars very clearly. That’s another thing that I have noticed about Eastman horns……the repair scars are difficult to hide on play-condition (non-overhaul) repairs. The fourth horn was in immaculate condition, even though it had been rented for a year.

So, if you can play test an 848 and like it, the trombone might be a good buy. However, if you are prone to dents, the 848 might not be a good match because they can bruise easily. Then again, if you are prone to denting instruments, maybe you should stay away from bass trombones altogether!