TromboneChat

Anybody have any time with one of these?  Is it heavy?  Did it play well?  Mechanically did it work well?

Quote from: MTbassbone on Yesterday at 09:25 PMAnybody have any time with one of these?  Is it heavy?  Did it play well?  Mechanically did it work well?
I've owned one for nearly a year now.

It is heavy, but not quite the heaviest bass I've held.  All independent rotor bases are heavy though.  There may be a 6oz difference between the lightest and the heaviest.

It plays very well.  I tried at least 7 before making my decision, and the 1240 played on par with the best of those (a Yamaha) but was less costly, so it won the contest.

The build is flawless. The finish is flawless.  No over or under soldering, no 'orange peel' lacquer, no factory blemishes.  You cannot even detect the seam in the one piece bell unless you look carefully down the throat.  The valves and slide work perfectly with smooth light action.

Support, at least here in Canada, from the importer was fantastic.  Mine was taking a long time to arrive (apparently they are mostly built on order) so they shipped me a brand new, but slightly different model, trombone as a loaner.  I wonder if Yamaha or Conn or Shires or Edwards would do that?

It is a far better trombone than I am a trombone player.  If you have any other questions just ask.

Bill,
   Sorry, I meant 1242L.  I just changed the title to reflect the proper model number.  Are the valves air tight and quiet (no loud linkages or clanking sounds)?  Slide quality?  Leadpipe options?

I've not tried the 1242, but I'm pretty sure the slide and valves are the same.

The valves are quite and fast.  The linkages are genuine mini-bal, and the triggers are really well placed, comfortable and adjustable.

They come with 3 leadpipes - long and short yellow brass, plus a long sterling silver.  The collar for the pipes is unique and I am not sure if any other manufacturers pipes will fit without modification - I have never tried.  However, it would be a simple thing to mount one these collars onto a different pipe.

Slide action leaves nothing to be desired.  There is no scratchiness, noise or dragging and action is quite marvelous with Yamaha lube.  Just as good as my Shires or King.  And I'm quite fussy about slide action.  At the first hint of deterioration in slide performance, it's off to my tech for a remedy.  When I first took it out of the case there was a slight break-in ( about 2 hours of playing) and it's been flawless since.

Valves are big and open, but not as open as axials, which are an option.  The Axial version is heavier.  They are very air tight.  I just tried it right now and pushing the tuning slide in from fully out will still produce an audible 'pop' when the trigger is pulled 25 seconds later.  This is far better sealing than any other trombone I have.

I've not tried the 1242, but I'm pretty sure the slide and valves are the same.

The valves are quite and fast.  The linkages are genuine mini-bal, and the triggers are really well placed, comfortable and adjustable.

They come with 3 leadpipes - long and short yellow brass, plus a long sterling silver.  The collar for the pipes is unique and I am not sure if any other manufacturers pipes will fit without modification - I have never tried.  However, it would be a simple thing to mount one these collars onto a different pipe.

Slide action leaves nothing to be desired.  There is no scratchiness, noise or dragging and action is quite marvelous with Yamaha lube.  Just as good as my Shires or King.  And I'm quite fussy about slide action.  At the first hint of deterioration in slide performance, it's off to my tech for a remedy.  When I first took it out of the case there was a slight break-in ( about 2 hours of playing) and it's been flawless since.

Valves are big and open, but not as open as axials, which are an option.  The Axial version is heavier.  They are very air tight.  I just tried it right now and pushing the tuning slide in from fully out will still produce an audible 'pop' when the trigger is pulled 25 seconds later.  This is far better sealing than any other trombone I have.