Availability of Tiger plastic trombone (Bb/F) ?

ttf_oslide · Post by **ttf_oslide** » Wed Mar 29, 2017 6:57 am

Rheinsound Music sold Tiger trombones at $85 according to their trombone page (rheinsoundmusic.com), but their inventory is "0". Amazon.com offers them at $349 currently which is too much for me.
Ebay used to have f-att plastic trombones (not marked Tiger) with a bell section seemingly similar to the Tiger, but the outer slides were black unlike the Tiger's. They were around $160, but today I can't find them anymore.

Does anyone have an idea where "Tigers" are available at a decent price? Thanks!

ttf_Stewbones43 · Post by **ttf_Stewbones43** » Wed Mar 29, 2017 7:18 am

http://www.gear4music.com/Trombone/playLITE

This is a link to Gear4Music, a company in the UK who do large bore plastic Bb/F trombones. I have never tried them!!!!!

Cheers

Stewbones

ttf_Arranger-Transcriber · Wed Mar 29, 2017 12:13 pm

On Tiger instrument's FB page, they said in February that Rheinsound is no longer a distributor. Rheinsound's page is still there but there haven't been any new information for over a year it seems (might not be updated/maintained).
There is another "brand" or rebranded brand, cool winds (or coolwinds) that has the same instruments. Wwbw and some other online places have them listed (amazon, musicians friend), not sure of the prices but looks like the same products.

ttf_second.chance · Post by **ttf_second.chance** » Wed Mar 29, 2017 12:32 pm

I'm sure someone will correct me if I say this but I believe Rheinsound are the makers not the distributor they make the trombones that are sold under various names, Tiger, PlayLite Gear 4 Music etc. If you can put a big enough order in you can get your name on the horn! As well as the UK gear4music there is a shop in Japan that sells and distributes them all over the world too.

http://global.rakuten.com/en/store/actus/item/10026502/ This is the Japan contact
http://www.rheinsoundmusic.com/index.php?m=content&c=index&a=show&catid=19&id=70 The Makers?
http://www.gear4music.com/Woodwind-Brass-Strings/playLITE-Hybrid-Trombone-by-Gear4music-Blue/1BXQ The English contact (available on Amazon)
http://www.bandmusicstore.com/piece/4954548/ A USA distributor

Kindest regards

Doug

ttf_oslide · Post by **ttf_oslide** » Thu Mar 30, 2017 5:36 pm

Thanks a lot, gentlemen!

ttf_bonenick · Post by **ttf_bonenick** » Sun May 21, 2017 4:03 am

Can anyone confirm that playlite, pBone, Tiger are all the same instruments basically? I am not sure about the tbones, but at least PlayLite trumpets seems to be a bit different.

Are playlite tbone present the same problems about messy and somewhat noisy handslides or any other significat setbacks or shortcomings?

ttf_BGuttman · Post by **ttf_BGuttman** » Sun May 21, 2017 9:08 am

I don't think anybody but Tiger offers a plastic trombone with an F-attachment. Since these things are molded, there is a high cost of tooling to create the molds after which the part cost is fairly low. But I don't have conclusive proof that only one Chinese factory is making all the plastic trombones/trumpets/etc.

The scratchy slide has been with us since the introduction of the pBone (designed by some guys in Britain and made for them in China, and then licensed to Conn-Selmer for sale in the US). Part of it is due to sharp edges on the brass stocking. Part of it is that the inside of the outer slide is not cleanly finished and has to be honed in through use.

ttf_BGuttman · Post by **ttf_BGuttman** » Sun May 21, 2017 9:08 am

I don't think anybody but Tiger offers a plastic trombone with an F-attachment. Since these things are molded, there is a high cost of tooling to create the molds after which the part cost is fairly low. But I don't have conclusive proof that only one Chinese factory is making all the plastic trombones/trumpets/etc.

The scratchy slide has been with us since the introduction of the pBone (designed by some guys in Britain and made for them in China, and then licensed to Conn-Selmer for sale in the US). Part of it is due to sharp edges on the brass stocking. Part of it is that the inside of the outer slide is not cleanly finished and has to be honed in through use.