Well I did it

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rubberchops
Posts: 8
Joined: May 23, 2022

by rubberchops »

I bought an honest to goodness brass trombone. It's a King Cleveland 605 that cost me the princely sum of $125.
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Kingfan
Posts: 1371
Joined: Apr 11, 2018

by Kingfan »

Those Kings are good solid players. What did you have before, a pBone?
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rubberchops
Posts: 8
Joined: May 23, 2022

by rubberchops »

Yep, I was using a pBone. What's funny is that my King was half as much as the pBone cost.
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Kingfan
Posts: 1371
Joined: Apr 11, 2018

by Kingfan »

[quote="rubberchops"]Yep, I was using a pBone. What's funny is that my King was half as much as the pBone cost.[/quote]
Not if you bought the King new!
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rubberchops
Posts: 8
Joined: May 23, 2022

by rubberchops »

Yeah no doubt. I got a great deal.
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HermanGerman
Posts: 127
Joined: Oct 29, 2021

by HermanGerman »

No, you got a 605...
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BGuttman
Posts: 7368
Joined: Mar 22, 2018

by BGuttman »

[quote="HermanGerman"]No, you got a 605...[/quote]

A working playing trombone for US$125 is a good deal. Sure, sometimes you can find one for less, but more often you pay more and get less.
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Matt_K
Posts: 4809
Joined: Mar 21, 2018

by Matt_K »

Yeah, 605 is a solid instrument and an incredible upgrade compared to a phone, especially at that price point. You may want to consider getting a chem clean and slide work on it depending on condition. Since these are "student" horns, sometimes they aren't in the best of shape and a really nice slide makes the instrument much less annoying to play... but you wouldn't realize it until you've played a slide that isn't annoying. But beyond that enjoy it!
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Ozzlefinch
Posts: 153
Joined: Jan 15, 2022

by Ozzlefinch »

Congrats on your "new" horn! That's actually a pretty decent price. +1 on taking it in to a tech for a cleaning and adjustment.

I bought a p-bone last Christmas as a gift to myself just to try it out. It plays fine, happy colors, and definitely light weight. BUT..... it does NOT mix well with other brass instruments. It definitely needs to be played either solo or with other P-instruments.

I wouldn't recommend one to a beginner for that reason alone. You are better off doing as the OP did and buying a second-hand student instrument made of brass. The brass 'bone will serve you well for many years and you can play it in just about any environment without problems.

My summary of the P-bone is to buy one if you want one, play it for fun and practice, but don't expect to use it in any actual bands/orchestras outside of a "comedy skit" type of concept.
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rubberchops
Posts: 8
Joined: May 23, 2022

by rubberchops »

Thanks for the kind words everyone.
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BGuttman
Posts: 7368
Joined: Mar 22, 2018

by BGuttman »

I have a Cool Winds plastic trombone (with F-attachment). I bought it for Christmas Caroling outdoors. Definitely won't play it in a group unless I must. It has one advantage: it's nearly impossible to dent the slide.

Halfway decent brass trombones are available in the used market. Stay away from cheap Chinese or Indian instruments -- they are really bad.
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HermanGerman
Posts: 127
Joined: Oct 29, 2021

by HermanGerman »

All my students begin (and some end) with cheap Chinese trombones sold Thomann, Germany. They are very fine instruments!

[url]<LINK_TEXT text="https://www.thomann.de/de/tenorposaunen ... %20posaune">https://www.thomann.de/de/tenorposaunen.html?smcs=f53ff3_6076&sw=thomann%20posaune</LINK_TEXT>