TromboneChat

mgladdish wrote: ↑Thu Feb 29, 2024 3:21 am If money really is no object, my dream would be to put a trombone research facility together. Proper bond villain lair stylee.

I'd hire the best physicists, metallurgists and acoustics engineers money could buy, plus the other specialists they tell me to, and tell them to go back to first principles and work out what makes the best trombone possible. Hell, even roboticists too. I bet there's scope for all sorts of assisted tech that could make even a "perfect" trombone better. Would auxilliary air support help? What about mechanically assisted valves that can be timed to switch in a minima in the waveform passing through them? Or how about dynamic mouthpiece, leadpipe, or even bell flair shape that adjusts to what you're playing in real time?

I'd be amazed if that kind of investment wouldn't pay off with a step-change in what we think of as possible for the trombone.

This sounds brilliant but I think there is one other thing which is needed; a replacement for the endlessly variable, ultimately unreliable part which fits onto the larger, open end of all trombone mouthpieces. (Check it in the mirror!)

Cheers

Stewbones43

stewbones43 wrote: ↑Thu Feb 29, 2024 8:20 am

mgladdish wrote: ↑Thu Feb 29, 2024 3:21 am If money really is no object, my dream would be to put a trombone research facility together. Proper bond villain lair stylee.

I'd hire the best physicists, metallurgists and acoustics engineers money could buy, plus the other specialists they tell me to, and tell them to go back to first principles and work out what makes the best trombone possible. Hell, even roboticists too. I bet there's scope for all sorts of assisted tech that could make even a "perfect" trombone better. Would auxilliary air support help? What about mechanically assisted valves that can be timed to switch in a minima in the waveform passing through them? Or how about dynamic mouthpiece, leadpipe, or even bell flair shape that adjusts to what you're playing in real time?

I'd be amazed if that kind of investment wouldn't pay off with a step-change in what we think of as possible for the trombone.

This sounds brilliant but I think there is one other thing which is needed; a replacement for the endlessly variable, ultimately unreliable part which fits onto the larger, open end of all trombone mouthpieces. (Check it in the mirror!)

Cheers

Stewbones43

Well there is that. I think we're safe for a while yet...

buy all. Test them one by one until i find one i like most (also for mouthpiece), or simply hire the factory to custom one for me.

I have a 90s 88H (with a .562 slide) that I’ve had since freshman year in college. I love playing it and it’s my best sounding horn, but my valve technique isn’t great and as I get older, the horn gets heavier. I normally play a 2B or 3B to cut the weight if I’m teaching or playing casually, but my tone is better on the bigger horn, so I use that for orchestra/concert band.

My dream horn at the moment is an 8H (with a .547 slide). Something comparable in quality to my 88H. I like the idea of having both horns to play at being modular. Valve when I need it, big slide when I need it, lighter equipment when I don’t.

MrLong wrote: ↑Mon Aug 05, 2024 9:30 pm
My dream horn at the moment is an 8H (with a .547 slide). Something comparable in quality to my 88H. I like the idea of having both horns to play at being modular. Valve when I need it, big slide when I need it, lighter equipment when I don’t.

Brass Exchange has one in good shape worth the money. It has no slide lock or barrel springs. It does have a Remington taper leadpipe. I have purchased several horns there including a 2B.

To the original topic, I have several horns that I really appreciate, including a 2B. I could sell off two or three that i am not using to purchase outright a Kuhnl & Hoyer 0.525 bore with a single traditionally sized valve, for the same reasons Jeff posted. No unlimited budget would be required.

There's too many horns i want and not enough money to get them all. and every time a new horn is acquired the next "dream horn" changes. For the moment, the next dream horn is a clean Elkhart era 88H. in terms of filling a hole: I'm missing a bass trombone, and for those I would say right now, I'm looking at Yamaha 835GD Xeno's.

of course the bigger problem is finding the perfect mp for each horn but that's always an ever-evolving monster of a task that nobody is really ever satisfied with.

If we're just putting things out into the universe, I'd love to own a Rudy Meinl bass trumpet and one of the Conn 62HCL sterling bell models. If either one of those came up on the market, I'd probably make some dumb financial decisions to try and justify them.

I'll bite. Dream trombone?

A Tommy Dorsey King 2B w/ silver Almont or Jack Jenney Martin Committee w/ Leeder Goblet.

Though happy for the lucky folks and museums that have those nice memories.

Down to mere mortal, and from oscillating between King 2B or Conn 4H next horn, have this dream in mind:

M&W custom "ballroom" tenor: 0.485" bore,
7 1/2" inch yellow one piece setback bell like Conn 24H ballroom, Joshua Wagner restored Ray Robinson Mel-o-Wah,
Matched yellow, rose (or red tbd) brass tuning shanks for post slide sonic options,
Nickle-silver reinforced neck like a Martin TR4501,
Nickle-silver fast slide, yellow brass crook,
Conn 4H repro & threaded copper, rose brass, yellow brass leadpipes for pre-slide sonic options.
(There is a post/rumor on this site TD may have used a Conn 4H leadpipe in his King 2B, info appreciated..)
Custom case to hold the kit w/ current Marcinkiewicz ET4.

I want Art Pearlman's Williams pigtale. I played it and left quite an impression. Not sure what happened to Art's horns!