TromboneChat

Hi all,

Do you think it is possible on a Shires instrument to put à bass tuning slide with a bass bell on a tenor valve (rotor)?

I play a Shires Q tenor trombone but would like to but parts to make my own bass trombone in time.

Thank you!

It would be custom. There is some precedent for the smaller rotors on a bass bell (king 6B) but the bell posts are narrow compared to the bass. You could have a tech whip you up something custom but you’d not be able to use it for your tenor then.

If you just need to be a "small bass" once in a while, just a larger mouthpiece on your current setup might suffice. If you need to be more of a bass, get an inexpensive bass.

You can do a lot with a little imagination. I once had to cover a tuba part on my King 4B

There's a very simple answer: no.

1) In some settings a tenor with a regular tenor mouthpiece can be fully sufficient and even be preferred to play the bass/3rd trombone part (many smaller orchestra settings, (theoretically) some French literature, settings where 1st and 2nd scale down)
2) If that's not enough you could look into mouthpieces and also leadpipes, maybe even a dual bore or bass slide if it fits your trombone. Don't go too far because it can kill intonation and also response. You will not reach a full bass trombone sound and feel. 20 years ago I played my first Brahms 1 on a large tenor with a bass mouthpiece and it worked quite fine.
3) If you want a full bass trombone, buy one. Will be more satisfying than 1) or 2) in the long run

In one of my orchestras we're doing a piece that has very low trombone parts, even for the first trombone part. It's as if the composer wanted three bass trombones. The principal player bought a Faxx 1 1/2G and it's working well for this purpose.

Sometimes I will use a Doug Elliott SB108/I8 setup on my large bore tenor if I'm playing 3rd but the music is lighter and an actual bass trombone seems cumbersome for the part.

Hello!

Thank you all for your answers!
I will then stick to buying a bass trombone.

Regards

You might be seeking the 88HK

GabrielRice wrote: ↑Wed Apr 12, 2023 6:52 am There's a very simple answer: no.

I agree with what Gabe said. You would have to create your own tuning slide that would fit a tenor lower leg and a bass upper leg. You would then run into spacing issues between the handslide and the end of the bell rim, not to mention the issues with intonation that it would also create as well as how such a conical tuning slide is going to effect the sound.

For the price that would cost for the parts and modifications, you could pick up a used single valve bass.

natanaiel wrote: ↑Wed Apr 12, 2023 7:53 am Hello!

Thank you all for your answers!
I will then stick to buying a bass trombone.

Regards

Good decision, good luck!

When I start thinking about equipment and how different parts might be able to do different things, I'm reminded of an experience I had early in college. I had just moved to bass trombone when we had a church gig. They hired a pro to play one of the tenor parts and I heard him warming up. At first I was annoyed because I thought they hired another bass trombone player, but when I got there he was using a Corp 42B with a plain jane Bach 5G mouthpiece! He was doing low stuff so smooth and easy and big that I thought he was playing bass. My point is with most large bore tenors there's alot you can do simply with a change in the concept in your head.