I've enjoyed the Getzen 1062 and 1052 for some time now. Can any of you report on the large-bore tenor Getzen 1047?

I can’t offer extensive comparisons, but mine (a 1047FR) has kept me happy for 17 years. Mine has a terrific slide, the valve notes speak well, and it allows me to color the sound the way I want. I can’t say it’s the greatest horn on the planet but nothing I’ve played since I got it has made me want to switch.

I personally use to own a 1047FR. It was a great trombone and allowed me to get into All Southern California Band one year and the orchestra the second year. I also used it to get into my undergrad program, but once there I switched to a Shires Custom. Wish I still had the Getzen, but I traded a friend for a really nice playing 88HTO. Oh and this was in 2004. Not sure of the current quality of the 1047s.

I believe most .547 bore trombones fall into one of two categories:

*The Conn 88H style - narrow slide, smaller bore in the slide crook (.580-.588 inch) and medium taper in the throat of the bell. These trombones have a smaller feel. I realize this is extremely subjective, but I'm trying to simplify things.

*The Bach 42 style - wider slide, larger bore in the slide crook (approximately .600 inch) and larger throat in the bell taper. These tend to have a larger feel...again very subjective.

Of course there are dozens of other variables. Many modern trombones (especially the boutique horns) have mixtures of both of these "styles of horns." That being said, I have always found the Getzen 1047 trombones to have the playing characteristics more similar to the Conn 88H. It also seems logical that it would play this way because the Getzen 1047 has those three components: narrow slide, smaller bore in the slide crook and a medium taper in the throat of the bell.

That's my take on it!

I bought a 1047R new and played it for a few years, before it somehow developed a tiny leak in it's rotor that nobody seemed able to find or correct. I eventually sold the horn on eBay back in the early 2000's. When it was new the horn was a good player, but looking back on it now from my memory it doesn't hold a candle to the JP/Rath 3330 that I acquired in 2017, which just seems so much secure in its slotting. I will say that my daily player is a Getzen 1062FD, which I have owned since 1998. It is probably the best horn that I have ever owned in about 55 years of playing.

My very first large bore Bb/F tenor was a Getzen 747, which at the time was a closed wrap “intermediate” version of the 1047. I loved that horn. It took me to state solo competitions, got me a scholarship at university, played on stage with Stan Mark, and was with me to meet Maynard Ferguson. Some unknown person stole it from the school lounge later that year, and I never saw it again, otherwise I might still be playing it.