Shires LA bass
- bassbone1993
- Posts: 435
- Joined: Feb 10, 2023
Anybody seen the little clip of the LA bass? Looks to be inspired by the Williams 10, but I am interested in an independent setup.
- Burgerbob
- Posts: 6327
- Joined: Apr 23, 2018
Finetales has tried it, you can see on her blog. https://tiffanyjohns.com/blog/namm-2026
It seems pretty useless, to be honest. It looks like a Williams but doesn't have any the tapers that a Williams would have.
It seems pretty useless, to be honest. It looks like a Williams but doesn't have any the tapers that a Williams would have.
- HawaiiTromboneGuy
- Posts: 1025
- Joined: Sep 03, 2018
I’m curious as to what inspiration went into the making of this horn? From the brief clip I saw of Matt/Quinn playing it, I don’t really see any kind of resemblance to the 10, besides it being a single valve. Aidan is right in that I highly doubt any of the tapers are close to Williams spec. Besides tapers, I think a lot of what makes a Williams is the long/large J bend, like those on the old Conn 60/70 series with TIS. Here’s a bone stock model 10 bell section on the right.
- Finetales
- Posts: 1482
- Joined: Mar 23, 2018
As mentioned above, I played it at NAMM.
Incredibly front heavy (no counterweight or braces on a single valve horn will do that), sounds/plays nothing like a Williams, and doesn't sound/play that well in its own right to me either. I spoke with a few other LA pros who also tried it at NAMM and they had the same impression. It's very puzzling.
I also feel the same way about the Vintage LA small tenor, for what it's worth. Supposedly meant to be like a Williams 6, but it's just...not. I feel like their "Vintage [x]" trombones have been all misses so far. At last year's NAMM I tried the Vintage Elkhart bass, intended to be like a 62H. It was like a 62H in exactly zero ways. Greenhoe is doing the "old Conn but modern" thing much better.
Incredibly front heavy (no counterweight or braces on a single valve horn will do that), sounds/plays nothing like a Williams, and doesn't sound/play that well in its own right to me either. I spoke with a few other LA pros who also tried it at NAMM and they had the same impression. It's very puzzling.
I also feel the same way about the Vintage LA small tenor, for what it's worth. Supposedly meant to be like a Williams 6, but it's just...not. I feel like their "Vintage [x]" trombones have been all misses so far. At last year's NAMM I tried the Vintage Elkhart bass, intended to be like a 62H. It was like a 62H in exactly zero ways. Greenhoe is doing the "old Conn but modern" thing much better.
- RJMason
- Posts: 390
- Joined: Jun 05, 2018
Also tried both vintage LA models at NAMM. I never owned a 10, but I did own a 7 at one point (small bore with F valve). Neither felt or sounded at all like a Williams <EMOJI seq="1f602" tseq="1f602">😂</EMOJI> the Marshall Gilkes horn played more like a Williams to me!!!! The bass was so front heavy and dull…get a 72H. Agree with finetales: I tried the vintage Elkhart bass last year expecting to loooveee it and I also found it kind of dull. Both swing and misses IMO
- bassbone1993
- Posts: 435
- Joined: Feb 10, 2023
Oof, makes me nervous to even look at the vny bass