I'm in college and looking to buy my own bass trombone instead of renting from my university. I've been looking at getting a Holton TR181 because it seems to fit in my price range and has the specs that I'm loosely looking for. One listing that I've seen says that the horn's tuning is Bb/F/Gb/D or G/Eb. Do these horns typically have this tuning arrangement? I know a lot of horns do use G/Eb but I don't recall seeing Holtons with that set up.

Holton Tr-181 is/was supplied with a removable extension slide so you could have it in Bb/F/G/Eb or Bb/F/Gb/D. If you are buying a used example, make sure that you have the extension slide and that it is removable.

Mine is usually in Bb/F/Gb/D tuning but it sometimes works better to have it in Bb/F/G/Eb, depending on what you are playing.

Cheers

Stewbones43

I'll add that I found the G attachment on the TR-181 to be quite open; the initial sensation was that it was more open than the open horn, even if that wasn't exactly true. This is a heavily braced bass trombone, and I think some of the stuffiness/resistance/impedance in the valve registers is a result of the bracing. The Gb extension has a lot of mass; by removing it, two braces are eliminated, making that valve blow more freely.

Even with the above, it's still a very good instrument that makes a great sound.

I agree with Kev about the bracing on the TR-181. I sent mine to Mick Rath some years ago and asked him to do an open-wrap conversion. Amazing difference- super, unique horn!

Cheers

Stewbones43

Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but I've got a couple of questions. I owned a 181 but it was long ago. I mainly remember being unimpressed with the big bell. It was early on in my bass bone trials, so there were probably some nuances I missed. I was still at that point hoping for a cheap and easy bass bone score, and that it wouldn't cost me much effort to double from tenor. :roll:

Anyway, regarding the 181, I keep hearing about the horn benefiting a lot from de-bracing and pulling the leadpipe. I think I understand the leadpipe situation, but I'm interested in exactly which braces folks have pulled who wound up with a really stellar 181. I've highlighted a few here as a guess (pink would be ones to removed), but maybe someone who has done this can chime in and point me in the right direction.

I'm also curious about playing with the D extension or just leaving it in Eb. Does the extra weight and extra tubing have a negative effect on the playability or is there any difference at all between with the extension in or out?

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[quote="hyperbolica"]Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but I've got a couple of questions. I owned a 181 but it was long ago. I mainly remember being unimpressed with the big bell. It was early on in my bass bone trials, so there were probably some nuances I missed. I was still at that point hoping for a cheap and easy bass bone score, and that it wouldn't cost me much effort to double from tenor. :roll:

I'm also curious about playing with the D extension or just leaving it in Eb. Does the extra weight and extra tubing have a negative effect on the playability or is there any difference at all between with the extension in or out?

8e907d-HOTR181_Attachments-88683379.png[/quote]
*plays "thread resurrection" card again*

It's a big bell horn, so it definitely takes a little time and effort to build up some focus.

The D extension is almost negligible in terms of added weight. I only ever had to use it for a few pieces, but I didn't notice anything in terms of a negative effect on playability. Logically speaking, you're adding more tubing, so it does add a more averse affect, but it was so small as to be negligible to my notice.