musicmom

DS, tuba major, is considering purchasing a bass trombone.
He knows all about tubas, not so much about trombones.

A friend mentioned Bach as being a reasonable brand to consider. He is not looking for top of the line since his budget wouldn't cover for a secondary instrument.

Any suggestions?

librarian377

I just contacted my DS, a bass trombone major, and here's his response:

"I have a friend majoring in tuba who also owns a bass trombone. His is a Getzen, and he likes it a lot. It's a pretty nice instrument, but as a tubist, he plays it very infrequently.

Bach and Getzen are comparable brands in terms of quality, but each has a broad price range. Single valve bass trombones might be as little as $1,850, while some dual valve models will climb into the $4-5,000 range.

There are generally 3 varieties of bass trombone: single valve, dependant dual valve and independent dual valve. The preferred valve configuration is mostly determined by the kind of music one will be playing. However, the valve configuration will heavily influence the price.

Some Bach bass trombones in an independent configuration could cost $5,000 or more.

A brand you may want to consider is Holton. The Holton TR-181 offers an independent valve configuration like many high end horns, but is priced around $2,500 brand new. They're very responsive and easy to play, and I'm sure you could find used ones for well under $2,000.

Also, it might be a good idea to visit Dillon Music in Woodbridge, NJ. They have an entire room full of trombones, tenor and bass, new and used. You can just show up and play as few or as many horns as you would like. You're bound to find something suitable, and it will be nice to have played the horn before you make any kind of purchase."

You have your work cut out for you.

musicmom

Librarian-
Wow! Thank you and your DS for the incredibly detailed response!

I will pass this info along to tubason. He's been studying valve configurations online and talking to friends also but trombones are a whole new world from tubas.

The price range of the Holton sounds feasible. I'll be interested to know if he's heard of this model.

And yes, Dillon Music! Son has been hanging around there since age 11 ish.
His first tuba (a VMI, I think) was purchased new there in middle school. He's traded up a few times since then.
It's an amazing place.
The wall of trombones is a bit intimidating for a tubist but the staff at Dillon is very helpful.

Thank you again for the tips.