TromboneChat

I'm shopping for a horn for my son. We're looking at a few medium and large-bore trombones (with F-attachments) in our area.

I found a 2014 Conn 88HO on Facebook marketplace that was used by a high school student for only a few years. It was cosmetically pristine. No dents or dings, gleaming lacquered finish. I was very excited to see an instrument in such good condition.

We took the outer slide off to inspect the plating, and at the very end of the inner slide was a spot a plating wear (photo attached). The slide action seemed very nice, certainly compared to what my son is using now. The only time we noticed any "gritty" feeling at all was when we were removing the outer side -- there was nothing between first and seventh position. At least that he could discern.

Should this kind of plating wear be considered a deal-killer? FWIW, they were asking $1500, which is a good deal cheaper than the used Bach 36s and 42s I've seen around town.

Is that wear spot on the top of the slide? If so, a good tech can rotate the inner 90 degrees and you won't even touch it.

I have several slides with wear spots on the stockings and what I do is to polish the wear spot to bright brass (I use a wadding like Nevr-Dull), then put a dab of slide cream (like Trombotine), and then lube the rest of the slide as usual.

I would think that $1500 is a good price for that horn.

Thanks for the advice!

I have couple of other horns to look at, but this one is at the top of the list right now. I'm glad I don't have to disqualify it because of the wear spot!

I'd be a little skeptical of a horn less than 10 years old with wear like that on it. Maybe there's a repair in it's history. I have a 55 year old 88h that has been played like crazy and has no wear-through. I'd try to negotiate a couple hundred off and take it to a good slide tech. 88h is a beautiful instrument for anyone, but a student should really appreciate it. They're so colorful and wonderful instruments.

Frankly all I would do is polish the worn area with a metal polish, clean and go. My 59' 8H is exactly that but I wouldn't change the slide, that it assuming it is not hanging up to begin with. After a while you may want to polish, maybe not. If the slide feels good, I would ignore it. I'm also suggesting a player is cleaning his slide daily or every two days? Yet another topic.

On a horn that young it's not really normal to see that kind of wear, and also the color isn't what I usually associate with oxidized nickel silver. Are they sure it's not dried lubricant or something else?

You can play on a slide with a small amount of wear like that for quite a long time without any problems. Like Bruce suggested, the slide can be unsoldered and turned so the wear spot is not contacting the outer slide in the same place. That can buy even more time, and in the worst case, that inner slide can be replaced. It seems like a good choice if your son likes it.

Jim Scott

I guess if the playing is not affected at the moment, the problem won't progress much?
Just would like to know too, would it be unplayable even after good care in the future?

Glen

I've lived with damage like that for decades.

Still, it might not be a bad idea to have the slide checked out to make sure the damage that caused it is repaired.

BGuttman wrote: ↑Tue Jul 25, 2023 12:25 amStill, it might not be a bad idea to have the slide checked out to make sure the damage that caused it is repaired.

+1
Wear like that happens for a reason. Sometimes it's just poor maintenance, but it could also be cause by something being a little "off" with the slide.

I ended up buying the horn. The price was right, and it was otherwise in excellent condition. I asked for $100 off in consideration of the plating wear.

I brought the horn to a local music store that was recommended here (Schmitt Music in the Twin Cities area). I spoke with a technician to see if I needed to have any work done on the slide. He spent a minute with it and thought the slide action felt perfect. He did not know what might have caused the abrasion -- possibly a dent that got repaired previously? Although if it was repaired, it was a pretty good repair because it is not obvious.

I'll pick up some Nevr Dull to polish the abrasion!

My Conn 88H Elkhart from 1962 has inner slide wear that’s much worse than yours.
If I use a modern lube such as the Yamaha stuff it’s a little scratchy, however with Trombotine slide cream it’s great and silent.
I’d be worried if the slide had no wear from that era as it would probably mean it wasn’t a really good horn and not been played much.
Mine has definitely been played lots and consequently plays like a dream