Hello!

I'm trying to find an affordable and easy to play trombone for a street band here in Spain. I think I should go for a 0.525 bore since I would be limited in terms of intensity if I go for a 0.500, and I also believe that a 0.547 is too much since I played that bore in the past and it exhausts me too fast playing with a high intensity (also difficulties high register).

So, I've been looking at the market lately, and I found a quite cheap Conn Director which looks 0.525.

I found another option more expensive (+$200): yamaha ysl-645.

Both seem quite old and used, but I have a good luthier here in case they need to be reviewed.

Do you think the $200 difference is worth it? Please let me know your thoughts about those trombones, but also suggest others you think I should look at.

Thanks!

A Conn Director without F-attachment is 12.7 mm or 12.4 mm bore (0.500" or 0.487"). The Director 50H is 13.2 mm (0.522") but has an F-attachment.

That said, I've marched in street bands (although probably not the kind you are talking about) with anything from 12.4 to 13.2 mm and had no problem being heard.

Big consideration here is the hazardous nature of the gig. I'd recommend finding a very durable instrument and not worry too much about the fine points of its sound. My favorite trombone for this is an Olds Ambassador. These things are pretty bullet proof. Second place would be a King Tempo (606 or 605). The Yamaha 354 works great too. If you don't spend a lot on the horn you won't get too upset when something bad happens to it.

Yamaha 645 is a pro-level medium-bore horn from 80's.

If it has good slide it'll be much better than any student-level horn.

Just my thoughts...

Could you describe what a "street band" is like? Or maybe point us to some videos of the style? I for one have never been to Spain.

Hi! Thanks for the quick contributions!

This is not my best performance, but I think this video will give you a good idea of the musical style of a Spanish "charanga" (or wind street band): <YOUTUBE id="rwHNYqSg1w4">https://youtu.be/rwHNYqSg1w4</YOUTUBE>

It’s basically just brass and percussion playing songs at a relatively high intensity the whole time. As BGuttman mentioned, it’s true that I should prioritize using an instrument I wouldn’t mind getting a few knocks or scratches on — with all the movement and chaos, it’s easy for that to happen. That said, I’m very picky about how the slide works, and I’d want it to feel perfect. Even if I have to spend a bit more, I want to make sure I have a trombone that’s easy to play and won’t wear me out — performances can be 1–2 hours of continuous playing in a relatively high register at high intensity.

The King 606 was one of my options, but I still think I should go with a 0.525 bore. Anything smaller makes me worry that the sound will break up too easily when I try to push it, or that it’ll just feel "too small." Maybe that's just my own bias because the only small-bore trombones I’ve tried were low quality. I’ve read that the same goes for the Olds Ambassador — they’re all small bore.

The Conn Director I’ve seen doesn’t have an F-attachment, and the seller says it’s a medium bore (0.525). The listing says it’s from the '60s. Do you think the seller might be wrong and it’s actually smaller?

Do you think that with a luthier’s adjustment, a decent slide could become perfect if the trombone itself is good? (I'm talking about the Yamaha 645).

Thank you again!

Even the lowest grade Yamahas tend to have great slides (except some older ones with chrome plate problems). Look for a Yamaha 356, which is a larger bore than the student 354.

BTW, I played an Olds Ambassador A20 (with F-attachment) on parades and it took plenty of sound. The Ambassador has somewhat thicker metal than the "better" grades so it tends to hold when you try to push it.

Does your band play all the time or just for Carneval?

[quote="BGuttman"]Even the lowest grade Yamahas tend to have great slides (except some older ones with chrome plate problems). Look for a Yamaha 356, which is a larger bore than the student 354.

BTW, I played an Olds Ambassador A20 (with F-attachment) on parades and it took plenty of sound. The Ambassador has somewhat thicker metal than the "better" grades so it tends to hold when you try to push it.

Does your band play all the time or just for Carneval?[/quote]

Yes, we play on the street doing that kind of performances during the whole year, not only for Carneval. And the music/performance type is always like that.

My only problem with the Yamaha 356 is that it has an F-attachment. I want to prioritize a simple trombone for weight reasons.

If you tell me that all Yamaha trombones have good slides... I should probably go for the Yamaha 645. No F-attachment and the bore size I was looking for. Not that sure about the Conn Director size. The seller says 0.525 but as I read above, they are smaller.

BTW, Yamaha 356 could be a good idea.

. 500/.525" with 8" and F-attachment for situations when you need to play lower.

A YSL645 is a great medium bore! I used one in a kind of hip hop band with lots of loud playing. Pretty sure you can't go wrong with one of these.

The only .522 bore Conn Director was the 50H, and it came with an f-attachment. The straight Directors were either .491 or .500 bore, depending on the year.

As far as the slide, if you buy used it will completely depend on how well it was cared for by the previous owner(s).