What is a medium-bore trombone that has a similar playing feel to Conn 88H (SL2525)

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Tubaaiyue
Posts: 47
Joined: Jan 27, 2024

by Tubaaiyue »

Hello friends, I'm planning to buy a medium-bore trombone to replace my old Conn 88HT. Could you please recommend a suitable model? (I'm not a native English speaker and have used a translator. I hope you can understand my post.)
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Tubaaiyue
Posts: 47
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by Tubaaiyue »

I have recently been looking at the Conn 79H and the Benge 175F. Apart from these two models, what else is there (excluding the Bach 36, Yamaha, and 684/640/646/8440, and Edwards)
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Tubaaiyue
Posts: 47
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by Tubaaiyue »

My money can only buy old musical instruments<EMOJI seq="1f62d" tseq="1f62d">😭</EMOJI>
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RJMason
Posts: 390
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by RJMason »

The Conn 79H and Benge 175F are great horns, but rather hard to find. I would not say either plays like the 8HT though…What is the issue with your horn? Maybe it’s something that could be fixed.

If not, I would highly recommend the Y-Fort YSL260GL for a medium bore instrument with valve. It is wonderful and costs less than $1000 USD brand new.
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Tubaaiyue
Posts: 47
Joined: Jan 27, 2024

by Tubaaiyue »

[quote="RJMason"]The Conn 79H and Benge 175F are great horns, but rather hard to find. I would not say either plays like the 8HT though…What is the issue with your horn? Maybe it’s something that could be fixed.

If not, I would highly recommend the Y-Fort YSL260GL for a medium bore instrument with valve. It is wonderful and costs less than $1000 USD brand new.[/quote]

Thank you for your reply. Regarding the v-fort brand, well... to be honest, the holder of the v-fort brand in our country, Beijing Kairuijia Musical Instrument Company, has poor quality control for trombones. For Chinese bass brass instruments, I recommend Jupiter, Sierman, and ZO
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Posaunus
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by Posaunus »

Apparently you have an (old?) Conn 88H with a medium-bore (0.525") SL2525 slide.

What is your problem with that setup? What mouthpiece do you use?

For what it's worth, I don't think that any readily-available medium-bore trombone will have "a similar playing feel" to a Conn 88H. Certainly not a Conn 79H. Benge 175F may be a little closer.
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hyperbolica
Posts: 3990
Joined: Mar 23, 2018

by hyperbolica »

An 88ht is no more than say 30 years old, shouldn't be worn out yet. An 88h with a 525 slide is the closest you can get. 79h can be a great horn. 36b will be darker, but not Conn-ish.
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jorymil
Posts: 304
Joined: Oct 26, 2019

by jorymil »

I wonder if one of the older Yamaha .525 bore horns might hit close to the mark. YSL-646 comes to mind; there might be others out there. But what's your end goal here? Brighter sound? Less air? What musical situations do you anticipate using this in? And do you still want an F attachment? Money is way easier to spend than to get back.
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Tubaaiyue
Posts: 47
Joined: Jan 27, 2024

by Tubaaiyue »

[quote="Posaunus"]Apparently you have an (old?) Conn 88H with a medium-bore (0.525") SL2525 slide.

What is your problem with that setup? What mouthpiece do you use?

For what it's worth, I don't think that any readily-available medium-bore trombone will have "a similar playing feel" to a Conn 88H. Certainly not a Conn 79H. Benge 175F may be a little closer.[/quote]

I currently use a conn 88h (SL2547) Bach 5GS large model. I'm considering switching to a medium-bore instrument as the .547 bore is too demanding on my breath. Additionally, I've been wanting to play Glenn Miller's music recently, and I find it difficult to adapt to a smaller bore. Therefore, I prefer a medium depth. (I'm not considering a Yamaha trombone.)
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Tubaaiyue
Posts: 47
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by Tubaaiyue »

[quote="hyperbolica"]An 88ht is no more than say 30 years old, shouldn't be worn out yet. An 88h with a 525 slide is the closest you can get. 79h can be a great horn. 36b will be darker, but not Conn-ish.[/quote]

Which one feels more comfortable to hold, the 79h or the 175f? I remember that the 79h tube is wider than the 88h, while the 175 is narrower than the 88h. During prolonged playing, is it more comfortable to hold the narrower one or the wider one?<EMOJI seq="1f914" tseq="1f914">🤔</EMOJI>
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dukesboneman
Posts: 935
Joined: Apr 02, 2018

by dukesboneman »

Having played the older Conns for years (before switching to Bach) , I would look for a 78H.

That is the closest to what you are looking for. The Modern 88H .525/525 is not the same.

The later 78H bastards that Conn released in the 1990`s are awful! I had one and was really disappointed.

Find a 78H. You`ll not be disappointed. They were spectacular horns.
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hyperbolica
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by hyperbolica »

[quote="Tubaaiyue"]Which one feels more comfortable to hold, the 79h or the 175f? I remember that the 79h tube is wider than the 88h, while the 175 is narrower than the 88h. During prolonged playing, is it more comfortable to hold the narrower one or the wider one?<EMOJI seq="1f914" tseq="1f914">🤔</EMOJI>[/quote]

The wider slide is generally more comfortable. The 79h feels like Conn, 175f plays like King. Both are nice, i prefer 88h w/525 slide. Of course it depends what you're doing with it.
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MrHCinDE
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by MrHCinDE »

How about a Rath R3F? I‘m sure if you asked Rath to configure one to be familiar to an 88h player, they could find a good solution for you.
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mbarbier
Posts: 367
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by mbarbier »

That set up is my daily for quite a while and really love it. It's hard to find something that plays like, I've found. Is it possible to find that same set-up? Assuming you like it and there's a need to upgrade. The 88 with .525 is pretty different than the older medium Conns and the medium Yamaha horns.

I recently tried a bunch of Rath R3Fs which I liked, but found to be pretty different- a lot less lively than the Conn.

I did a Shires fitting with Alexis at ITF that felt pretty close though. I'm forgetting the exact specs but it was the Sauer bell and Alessia valve. It felt easier to play than my horn, but I prefer the sound I get on mine. Honestly I think the challenge in replacement is that the 88h with the sl2525 is that the bell section is still a large horn, so it plays pretty differently from the other medium bore options.
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Posaunus
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by Posaunus »

I have a 1970 Conn 79H as well as a near-contemporary Conn 88H. Both Conns; same factory, but rather dissimilar designs - and to me a rather different "playing feel" and blow. I also have a nice Conn SL2547 slide - but with it the 88H still feels like an 88H.