TromboneChat

I had the same student horn all the way through high school and as a Music Ed major in college, had only played off and on in the 20+ years since then and have now been playing more steadily over the last couple of years and think I'm past time for an upgrade. I'm planning on keeping the Bach that I have, but it is .500 and 8" bell, so for more orchestral sound I am looking at a couple of options. I've spent most of the last week (literally spent work hours on this forum) looking at reviews and comparisons.

Because I'm older now and breath support isn't what it used to be, I'm looking at the .525 models with F-attach. If I can get my preference, I think I would like the red brass, but not really that vital in my choice. My question is, since the majority of my playing now is community orchestra, how much difference does the bell size make in quality of sound? The 2 models that have floated to the top for my choices right now are the Conn (I believe it's 79H, because it comes with F-attach) or the Yamaha 640. I'm leaning toward the 8 1/2" bell, but would appreciate your input.

The 8" vs 8.5" is interesting. Personally, I prefer the clarity of the 8", being a 79h player, unless you have a huge community orchestra, it's probably the better choice. If you're playing first in the orchestra, the smaller bell also works better for that. Actually in a community orchestra, you probably won't get any complaints about your equipment. The 8.5" bell will sound a little more diffuse. The biggest factor in your decision will be the availability. 79hs only come available from time to time, and the Yamaha horns are more available. You might also consider a Bach 36b.

I play my 79h in the first part in a local orchestra. It helps keep the volume level down, and blends better with the trumpets.

I had a Conn 79H (in much less than perfect condition), a Bach 36 (current) and also play a Yamaha 682.  Couple of comments:

Conn 79H has a yellow bell (at least mine did).
You can get the Yamaha 640 or its predecessor the 684 with either yellow or gold brass (but not red).
You can get a Bach 36 with yellow or gold brass.

The Yamaha has a GREAT slide.  Good build.  You won't need to test a pile of them to find "the" one -- they are all "the" one (or not).

The Conn 79H has a nice sound.  If mine wasn't in such bad condition (needed a few joints resoldered) and a nice Bach LT36CG hadn't come up I might still be playing it.

Note that with used horns condition trumps nearly everything.  A good condition Wessex Tubas horn will outplay a beat-up Conn or Bach.  But a good Conn or Bach will be better than the Wessex in many cases.

Good luck.  I'm sure you won't go wrong with either choice.

That makes sense. Thank you. I'll look more at the 8" bell and see if I can try that out this evening.

As a doubler now, I never want a tenor trombone with a bell bigger than 8 inches.  Never ever.  The 8 just sounds too clean.

I went through the smaller horn = less air phase, and I've finally settled into a sub .547 size myself for tenor playing.  All with 8 or sub 8 inch bells.  You can make an 8 inch sound bigger, but it's hard to make an 8.5+ sound smaller.

Sight unseen, I'd buy the Yamaha (and I LOVE Conns).  But a 78H/79H is going to have 40+ years of wear that the Yamaha won't.  And the Yamaha will, at WORST, be a very good horn.

PM me if you want some other options.  I'm parting out tenors and may have ideas.

Stan

As a doubler now, I never want a tenor trombone with a bell bigger than 8 inches.  Never ever.  The 8 just sounds too clean.

I went through the smaller horn = less air phase, and I've finally settled into a sub .547 size myself for tenor playing.  All with 8 or sub 8 inch bells.  You can make an 8 inch sound bigger, but it's hard to make an 8.5+ sound smaller.

Sight unseen, I'd buy the Yamaha (and I LOVE Conns).  But a 78H/79H is going to have 40+ years of wear that the Yamaha won't.  And the Yamaha will, at WORST, be a very good horn.

PM me if you want some other options.  I'm parting out tenors and may have ideas.

Stan