Sold: German opera-wrap contrabass trombone, F/D/BBb/AAb
- Burgerbob
- Posts: 6327
- Joined: Apr 23, 2018
Here's a horn I didn't expect to be selling, but I need two contras like I need... something very unnecessary.
This is an unknown make German contra (there is no maker's mark)- current guess is a Kull, though it could be a Monke, Voight, many other choices- the horns at the time mostly looked pretty similar to this one.
The slide has nickel oversleeves, brass outers, and nickel crook with a small ding on the bottom. With the work that John Sandhagen has done, the slide has an easy 8/10 action. The bell section is yellow brass and nickel fittings, with a gold brass 10.5in bell with small kranz.
However, unlike most of those, this one has been upgraded several times to keep up with modern contra playing.
The valves were replaced at some point with modern Voight rotors, and the linkage was also upgraded to modern Minibal with split triggers.
Originally it came in F/Eb/BBb/AA tuning, but the first valve has been extended to a more modern D. This makes low F# a much more viable note!
The leadpipe was removed and it is fitted with an Edwards B3 leadpipe instead.
A spit valve was added to one of the loops of the BBb wrap, thankfully.
The thumb activated remote spit valve was removed, as it was completely broken. It has been replaced with a long normal spit valve which works great, though there is no slide lock... watch that slide!
The original thumbscrew slide attachment was replaced with a flathead screw, so I carry a small screwdriver that will be bundled with the instrument.
This is a really special sounding instrument. It doesn't have the huge bark that most modern contras have, but it has a wide, warm sound that is NOT bass trombone, but still clearly trombone. In a trombone choir it gives a large fundamental with plenty of pitch center. You can get plenty of front to the note for your Ring Cycle accents if need be as well.
Now, it's not a modern trombone. It's got some quirks. The intonation is exaggerated- the 3rd partial is quite high (C in the staff). The 5th partial is quite low (A at the top of the staff is best played in 4th). With the leadpipe it has now and plenty of time on the instrument, I got quite used to the intonation tendencies myself. The low range with both valves (G, F#) is not especially open, but is eminently playable. The pedals below that are quite good.
The slide has double braces at the top, so first position is farther out than modern instruments. Again, I got quite used to this, but it does mean that 5th position notes must be played on the D valve unless you have extra-length arms. It also means low G is only on both valves, instead of 4th position on the BBb valve. I didn't really have a problem with this myself.
The bell is quite far away- perhaps in 3.5th position. I didn't really mind this, but you do get less feedback than you might think.
How does this compare to a modern Chinese contra? It's better in basically every way. I have played the hagmann-clone and Wessex rotor versions of the Chinese contras, and they do not hold a candle to the playability or sound of this instrument. It is no contest. The only thing they may do a bit better is general intonation, but the ranges on those are so uneven and the sound is so lacking in pitch center.
The one big drawback for me is the ergonomics. It's quite comfortable to hold with the current lever positions, but the opera wrap and large tuning slide chord make the horn very left-heavy. I only played this with Ergobone, which makes it quite comfortable. I can include this if you want.
Again, this is a horn I would have kept forever if I had not lucked into my dream contrabass- I was quite ready to play this in any setting and had no plans for replacement.
$5500 with original gator-skin case and JK mouthpiece. Local is better!
This is an unknown make German contra (there is no maker's mark)- current guess is a Kull, though it could be a Monke, Voight, many other choices- the horns at the time mostly looked pretty similar to this one.
The slide has nickel oversleeves, brass outers, and nickel crook with a small ding on the bottom. With the work that John Sandhagen has done, the slide has an easy 8/10 action. The bell section is yellow brass and nickel fittings, with a gold brass 10.5in bell with small kranz.
However, unlike most of those, this one has been upgraded several times to keep up with modern contra playing.
The valves were replaced at some point with modern Voight rotors, and the linkage was also upgraded to modern Minibal with split triggers.
Originally it came in F/Eb/BBb/AA tuning, but the first valve has been extended to a more modern D. This makes low F# a much more viable note!
The leadpipe was removed and it is fitted with an Edwards B3 leadpipe instead.
A spit valve was added to one of the loops of the BBb wrap, thankfully.
The thumb activated remote spit valve was removed, as it was completely broken. It has been replaced with a long normal spit valve which works great, though there is no slide lock... watch that slide!
The original thumbscrew slide attachment was replaced with a flathead screw, so I carry a small screwdriver that will be bundled with the instrument.
This is a really special sounding instrument. It doesn't have the huge bark that most modern contras have, but it has a wide, warm sound that is NOT bass trombone, but still clearly trombone. In a trombone choir it gives a large fundamental with plenty of pitch center. You can get plenty of front to the note for your Ring Cycle accents if need be as well.
Now, it's not a modern trombone. It's got some quirks. The intonation is exaggerated- the 3rd partial is quite high (C in the staff). The 5th partial is quite low (A at the top of the staff is best played in 4th). With the leadpipe it has now and plenty of time on the instrument, I got quite used to the intonation tendencies myself. The low range with both valves (G, F#) is not especially open, but is eminently playable. The pedals below that are quite good.
The slide has double braces at the top, so first position is farther out than modern instruments. Again, I got quite used to this, but it does mean that 5th position notes must be played on the D valve unless you have extra-length arms. It also means low G is only on both valves, instead of 4th position on the BBb valve. I didn't really have a problem with this myself.
The bell is quite far away- perhaps in 3.5th position. I didn't really mind this, but you do get less feedback than you might think.
How does this compare to a modern Chinese contra? It's better in basically every way. I have played the hagmann-clone and Wessex rotor versions of the Chinese contras, and they do not hold a candle to the playability or sound of this instrument. It is no contest. The only thing they may do a bit better is general intonation, but the ranges on those are so uneven and the sound is so lacking in pitch center.
The one big drawback for me is the ergonomics. It's quite comfortable to hold with the current lever positions, but the opera wrap and large tuning slide chord make the horn very left-heavy. I only played this with Ergobone, which makes it quite comfortable. I can include this if you want.
Again, this is a horn I would have kept forever if I had not lucked into my dream contrabass- I was quite ready to play this in any setting and had no plans for replacement.
$5500 with original gator-skin case and JK mouthpiece. Local is better!
- Burgerbob
- Posts: 6327
- Joined: Apr 23, 2018
Price drop to $5000!
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- ATXBassBone
- Posts: 66
- Joined: Dec 23, 2021
Its an early Voigt btw.
Look at the stamp on the bottom of valves.
Look at the stamp on the bottom of valves.