Shires TBQ30A Axial

[Model34]

Doing a search, I found nothing about this horn on the forum. That strikes me as strange. Therefore this post. Please spill the beans: tell all your thoughts, experiences, opinions about this model! I’m considering it. Thank you!

[walldaja]

I actually tried the axial last Feb. I really wanted to like the axial valve but I also played it with a Conn 88, Bach 42, and the Shires Q with the rotary valve. The difference between the A and the R was my reaction to how quickly the valve actuated. The R seemed a very short throw and quick reacting. The A seemed a very LONG throw, hence slower reacting. To me the R was much more comfortable.

I felt the Shires TBQ30RG was the best of all the horns I tried that day (trombone day at a university with quite a few choices).

[Model34]

Thank you for responding. I bought the TBQ30A in a head to head w the TBQALESSI. I’m really a straight horn guy, but old age is forcing me to use a trigger some of the time. The throw is longer, but that is outweighed for me by the axial valve being a more open feeling blow like a straight horn. And I only use the trigger when I have to: I.e. when right shoulder won’t put up with 6th or 7th. I found the 30A loves a Schilke 51D with my Gilkes custom being a close second. I also found the upper register to be easier on the A. But these are honeymoon days. We shall see! I also have an 88HSGXCL, a really fine horn the A is replacing. It is too heavy for me these days.

[walldaja]

What leadpipe are you using?

[Model34]

What leadpipe are you using?

Three

Once upon a time I had a 421G, an incredibly easy blowing beautiful sounding horn w/Rath 1½ W. A great mouthpiece designed with Chris Stern’s help. Sold the horn to Greenbean some years ago.

[Model34]

I’m finding the 30A in neckpipe config produces a rather sterile tone. If there is time tonight, I’m going to get other ears on it after rehearsal. Maybe it’s me. The sound with valve installed is a rich dark Bach sound much to my liking. A very open blow like a straight horn. A good symphonic sound. It has the most effortless high G I’ve ever encountered with 51D or MG custom. It feels as though the G is in the same air column as the F. A delight!

[Model34]

Last nights rehearsal: Lunchtime warmup and practice 11-1. Then Two solid hours 7-9 of Christmas music, followed by, trombone quartet. Chops were destitute before trombone quartet! 30A results in rehearsal. I quickly changed from MG custom to Schilke 51 with Hammond 12 rim. Symphonic sound lept from my horn, good. Bottom line: the horn performed beautifully in AF configuration! Symphonic sound quality very near that of my original unmodified Bach model 34, not my current 34. That said, No 36 can touch my current 34!

Straight pipe: I’m working with Nick Repair at Shires. My expectation when switching from a valve to no valve on a modular horn is that the characteristics of the sound of the horn are closely matched with or without the valve! If that is not true, there is no musical reason for spending the extra money on a modular only to find out you have to bring a completely different horn to sustain your symphonic sound! This begs for different valve modules to be designed as a set with its own neckpipe. Instead, Shires uses a single generic neckpipe for all LB trombones. As I said above, the characteristic of this “custom level” neckpipe is sterility when attached to my Q. I use the word attached deliberately because this neckpipe is not a musical part of my horn. Not to mention it took a 3 hr battle by my local tech to to separate it from the Q30A once I attached it to my Q30A. I wanted to try it with a QAlessi, but that wasn’t possible! The neckpipe would not attach to the QAlessi! I could compare the QAlessi and Q30A in valve configuration only! Is this neckpipe a musical part of a QAlessi? I don’t know, and I have little hope of finding out! What I do know is that this neckpipe IS NOT A MUSICAL MODULAR PART of any system of which I’m aware! YOMMV. For the record, I’ve been fiddling with trombones for 68 years. And in Jan 1973, Larry Ramirez invited me to come to the Holton factory to consult with him on a couple of ideas I had for F attachments and their valve. I spent a day at the factory with Larry. I unsuccessfully tried to convince him to build a horn with an open-wrap valve section with a valve that went straight threw the valve as though it were a straight neckpipe! It took a while, but I am gratified to see my ideas finally come to fruition.

[Model34]

Final post from me on this horn. My tech worked on the neckpipe until it fit the Q30A. So either the neckpipe or the AF valve small leg was defective! Either way it’s Shires fault. Going from a great sounding w/valve to sterilidity w/Neckpipe is not for me. I’m not wasting my time, unpaid, solving Shires quality control problems.

Neckpipe didn’t won’t work on QAlessi: Horn Returned!

Neckpipe didn’t work correctly on Q30A: Horn Returned!

Neckpipe and counterweight returned!

BOTTOM LINE: I’m out $275-300 in shipping expenses, and 40 hours of my life—I can’t get back—squandered by Shire’s piss poor so called “quality control “.

The End
Halloween nightmare by Shires

[walldaja]

This sure adds data to convient interchangeability.

[Matt K]

That’s why M&W do their horns as one offs even if it’s modular. It doesn’t take very much variation to make something not work very well.

Frustration is understandable for sure though. I seem to have been pretty luck with acquiring parts over the years