Lightest horn with a 8.5” bell
- watasnake
- Posts: 29
- Joined: Nov 05, 2019
What is the lightest horn either .525, .522 (mid-bore) that has an 8.5” bell? Lightweight as in physical weight as well as playing. Maybe a Conn 7h from the 90’s?
- tbonesullivan
- Posts: 1959
- Joined: Jul 02, 2019
Are you looking for one with an F-attachment, or a straight horn?
I have a Yamaha YSL-640, the F-attachment Yamaha horn with a .525" slide and 8.5" bell, and it is fairly light. However the slide is actually not much lighter than my .547" bore horns, if at all.
I have a Yamaha YSL-640, the F-attachment Yamaha horn with a .525" slide and 8.5" bell, and it is fairly light. However the slide is actually not much lighter than my .547" bore horns, if at all.
- paulyg
- Posts: 689
- Joined: May 17, 2018
The 8H/88H is about as physically light as it gets (at least the Elkhart ones, they got heavier). Of course, balance is a huge contributor to how we perceive the weight and feedback of a horn, and a closed wrap 88H is about the best balanced horn out there.
- watasnake
- Posts: 29
- Joined: Nov 05, 2019
[quote="tbonesullivan"]Are you looking for one with an F-attachment, or a straight horn?
I have a Yamaha YSL-640, the F-attachment Yamaha horn with a .525" slide and 8.5" bell, and it is fairly light. However the slide is actually not much lighter than my .547" bore horns, if at all.[/quote]
Straight horn. Never played a Yamaha.
I have a Yamaha YSL-640, the F-attachment Yamaha horn with a .525" slide and 8.5" bell, and it is fairly light. However the slide is actually not much lighter than my .547" bore horns, if at all.[/quote]
Straight horn. Never played a Yamaha.
- bellend
- Posts: 218
- Joined: Mar 23, 2018
I would hazard a guess that it might be this?
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BellEnd
<LINK_TEXT text="https://www.amazon.ca/Tiger-PTR-05-Plas ... B00XH5967S">https://www.amazon.ca/Tiger-PTR-05-Plastic-Trombone/dp/B00XH5967S</LINK_TEXT>
BellEnd
- MrHCinDE
- Posts: 1039
- Joined: Jul 01, 2018
Maybe an Elkhart (or early post-Elkhart) 8H bell with an SL2525 slide?
I play this combo as my main horn for any classical parts where I can manage without a trigger. Physically it feels pretty light and well-balanced to me. As for sound, it can shimmer very nicely, has a fast response but can also sound pretty dark if you want it to on occassion.
What is it in particualar you hope to get from the combination of an 8.5" bell with a medium bore slide? What sort of music do you play?
I play this combo as my main horn for any classical parts where I can manage without a trigger. Physically it feels pretty light and well-balanced to me. As for sound, it can shimmer very nicely, has a fast response but can also sound pretty dark if you want it to on occassion.
What is it in particualar you hope to get from the combination of an 8.5" bell with a medium bore slide? What sort of music do you play?
- ithinknot
- Posts: 1339
- Joined: Jul 24, 2020
- sirisobhakya
- Posts: 445
- Joined: Jun 11, 2018
The straight version of the YSL-640 would be a 630.
- Matt_K
- Posts: 4809
- Joined: Mar 21, 2018
I think, clearly, the answer to this is any horn with a Butler or DeCarbo bell. The former does conversions afaik, perhaps the latter as well.
If you wanted a brass bell, the Yamaha 600 series are very light, and 8.5". The 8.5" and medium bore is a slightly unusual configuration, sort of. Shires and Edwards (and possibly Rath? & M&W?) have a "large bore" bell section and when they sell medium bores, they put a medium bore slide on it. A Shires 7YXLW would be an 8.5" bell and be very light, similarly an Edwards bell with a 23 gauge would be very light. All you'd have to do then is add a medium bore slide. But they'll not necessarily play like a medium bore depending on what you're after. For that matter, the Yamaha also have a similar pattern; the bell sections have interchangeable parts with their large bores and the throat is actually larger than that of my Shires on them.
I'm passively looking for a King 3b+, although the bell might not be light as others (I simply am not aware of how thick it is relative to others), it is on the smaller frame of the King 3B. So something like that might suit your tastes more. Though the fact you're looking for an 8.5" bell leads me to believe you want something that maybe splits the difference more on the large bore side of things.
If you wanted a brass bell, the Yamaha 600 series are very light, and 8.5". The 8.5" and medium bore is a slightly unusual configuration, sort of. Shires and Edwards (and possibly Rath? & M&W?) have a "large bore" bell section and when they sell medium bores, they put a medium bore slide on it. A Shires 7YXLW would be an 8.5" bell and be very light, similarly an Edwards bell with a 23 gauge would be very light. All you'd have to do then is add a medium bore slide. But they'll not necessarily play like a medium bore depending on what you're after. For that matter, the Yamaha also have a similar pattern; the bell sections have interchangeable parts with their large bores and the throat is actually larger than that of my Shires on them.
I'm passively looking for a King 3b+, although the bell might not be light as others (I simply am not aware of how thick it is relative to others), it is on the smaller frame of the King 3B. So something like that might suit your tastes more. Though the fact you're looking for an 8.5" bell leads me to believe you want something that maybe splits the difference more on the large bore side of things.
- Chatname
- Posts: 233
- Joined: Oct 19, 2019
Shires straight 2RVE T7 with a T25-47LW or maybe TW25-47GLW slide is a very light combination and plays great, both with small shank and large shank.
But maybe not what you’re after, there’s even lighter trombones I’m sure.
But maybe not what you’re after, there’s even lighter trombones I’m sure.
- Finetales
- Posts: 1482
- Joined: Mar 23, 2018
[quote="watasnake"]Lightweight as in physical weight as well as playing.[/quote]
Physical weight has already been covered plenty in this thread (carbon fiber is obviously the ultimate answer), but as for playing characteristics, I've played a .525 Shires with a red bell that was spectacularly immediate and nuanced. (I would describe many of the Schagerl large bores with F I've played the same way, especially the Fontana, but you don't want a large bore nor a valve.) With a thin 8.5" bell and a lightweight .525 slide, I think you would love a Shires. A Rath R3 with a lightweight 8.5" R4 bell might be a great option as well.
Physical weight has already been covered plenty in this thread (carbon fiber is obviously the ultimate answer), but as for playing characteristics, I've played a .525 Shires with a red bell that was spectacularly immediate and nuanced. (I would describe many of the Schagerl large bores with F I've played the same way, especially the Fontana, but you don't want a large bore nor a valve.) With a thin 8.5" bell and a lightweight .525 slide, I think you would love a Shires. A Rath R3 with a lightweight 8.5" R4 bell might be a great option as well.
- MrHCinDE
- Posts: 1039
- Joined: Jul 01, 2018
[quote="Finetales"](I would describe many of the Schagerl large bores with F I've played the same way, especially the Fontana, but you don't want a large bore nor a valve.)[/quote]
Ah yes, I forgot about Schagerl. I had a straight Schagerl Aurora for a while. I believe it was a special order for the original owner. Granted it was large bore and had TIS so you might not have thought it would be particularly lightweight but actually it felt great in the hand and was very clean and compact in sound. You could change the sound and response by expanding or moving the adjustable brace across the bend where a tuning slide would normally be. Of any horn I ever played, it was the one which fit most naturally with the horns and trumpets for lighter classical repertoire. To this day I don‘t know why but the 8H with SL2525 is a very close 2nd in that respect.
Ah yes, I forgot about Schagerl. I had a straight Schagerl Aurora for a while. I believe it was a special order for the original owner. Granted it was large bore and had TIS so you might not have thought it would be particularly lightweight but actually it felt great in the hand and was very clean and compact in sound. You could change the sound and response by expanding or moving the adjustable brace across the bend where a tuning slide would normally be. Of any horn I ever played, it was the one which fit most naturally with the horns and trumpets for lighter classical repertoire. To this day I don‘t know why but the 8H with SL2525 is a very close 2nd in that respect.
- Anonymous
- Posts: 184
- Joined: Mar 22, 2026
The Yamaha 683G has a lightweight bell, similar to the Conn 78H. The Yamaha 683 is a very underrated horn, 525 bore, I never playedittle a bad one. They are one piece bells, the 640, 630, 6XX are two piece bell and a bit heavier and less responive.
- Macbone1
- Posts: 501
- Joined: Oct 01, 2019
[quote="Andre1966tr"]The Yamaha 683G has a lightweight bell, similar to the Conn 78H. The Yamaha 683 is a very underrated horn, 525 bore, I never played a bad one. They are one piece bells, the 640, 630, 6XX are two piece bell and a bit heavier and less responsive.[/quote]
I used to have a 683G and yes, underrated. Should have just kept it. Very comfortable and light, and extremely low maintenance.
I used to have a 683G and yes, underrated. Should have just kept it. Very comfortable and light, and extremely low maintenance.
- slipmo
- Posts: 295
- Joined: Apr 13, 2018
Arkbone custom is very lightweight with materials and bracing, FWIW