Posted by jeff on April 03, 2002 at 17:07:16:
In Reply to: Re: contrabass trombone needed posted by Andy Cattanach on March 31, 2002 at 04:41:09:
Yeah, thank for that. I've tried that horn a few times and really didn't like it. Ditto with the Mirafone BBb contra they have/had.
Basically, with the Yamaha, the bell diameter and overall instrument bore seem to be about the same as my standard bass trombones, with the result that the instrument plays like a standard bass trom with the valves down. The bell taper is quite a bit more open, but since the bell diameter is only about 10" or 10 1/2", it ends up sounding pretty dead. The rotary valves don't help that at all either.
The Mirafone was better than the other 2 I've tried, but still seemed like a dog to me.
I think the problem is that real bass trombones and contras are longer, but most models aren't scaled up enough in the bell diameter and bore, so the instruments lose a lot of their trombone characteristics. I've never tried anything really nice, like a Thein, so I don't know if all are this way, or just some of them.
Anyway, I'll let you know what I find out about it.
Thanks again.