Use of marching baritones/flugabones

Elow · by **Elow** » 2020-07-09 1:11 a.m.

I found one in an antique store for like $10 but the bell was unsoldered, so i bought it. It’s a king 1124 and i really like how it plays, but is there any real use to it? I can’t march with it because my school only marches silver plated horns.

Thinking about selling it, but would anyone really want it?

paulyg · by **paulyg** » 2020-07-09 1:13 a.m.

Spraypaint it, then you can march.

Elow · by **Elow** » 2020-07-09 1:16 a.m.

[quote="paulyg"]Spraypaint it, then you can march.[/quote]

The perfect solution. Im going to do that to my edwards bass so i can march that too!

Finetales · by **Finetales** » 2020-07-09 1:28 a.m.

For $10 there's not really a wrong answer, especially if you really like how it plays. If it were me, I'd definitely keep it around. It's a different sound than trombone, uses a mouthpiece you're familiar with, and you really like how it plays. Why not hang on to it? You could use it as a jazz solo instrument, or do multitrack recordings with it. Since it's bell front you wouldn't need to reposition your mic setup to record it after recording trombone, so that's nice. It is more than possible to create opportunities for yourself to get paid to play non-standard instruments. You wouldn't believe how much professional use I've got out of my mellophonium!

You could of course put it on eBay and make a bit of money (probably not a lot, but more than $10 at least), and there's nothing wrong with that either. (I'd gladly buy it from you for cheap enough!) But my personal opinion is you have nothing to lose by keeping it around.

Elow · by **Elow** » 2020-07-09 1:52 a.m.

[quote="Finetales"]You wouldn't believe how much professional use I've got out of my mellophonium![/quote]
Probably because you make that thing sound so good
[quote="Finetales"]But my personal opinion is you have nothing to lose by keeping it around.[/quote]
My parents are trying to limit how many horns i have, ill try to keep it in playing distance but who knows. They have made some cornets just "disappear".

JohnL · by **JohnL** » 2020-07-09 2:21 a.m.

You can take them into situations where you'd be afraid something bad would happen to a slide trombone. Trombones are very vulnerable instruments; the "working part" is out there in front of you, exposed to all kinds of misadventures. The working parts of a Flugabone are far less vulnerable, being pretty well buried at the center of mass - plus the horn is just so much more compact. What would be a fatal collision for a trombone would most likely result in few easily repairable dents (or possibly just a scary near miss) for a Flugabone. Add to that the fact that you've got next to nothing invested in it and I'd call it an almost perfect "beater horn".

They're also kinda cool for playing in ad-hoc small group settings. I wouldn't use one in a brass quintet, but for the horn section of a rock or funk band? Or maybe for playing with a small jazz group? Yup - particularly for gigs where the stage is cramped and/or the crowd (or the band) might get a little rowdy (see my first paragraph).

Burgerbob · by **Burgerbob** » 2020-07-09 4:09 a.m.

I own two marching baritones. I've really only used them to teach marching band low brass sections... or to march. I almost always want to use something else if I want to make some music.

Vegasbound · by **Vegasbound** » 2020-07-09 4:38 a.m.

Blough your way bass trumpet

Bengebasstrombone · by **Bengebasstrombone** » 2020-07-09 10:55 a.m.

It should be noted that the King 1124 is a marching baritone; the King 1130 is the Flugabone. The 1124 and 1127 (same instrument, but with large-shank receiver) are great horns.

Thrawn22 · by **Thrawn22** » 2020-07-09 12:22 p.m.

Use it to practice or warm up in your car or anywhere else your slide won't fit.

hyperbolica · by **hyperbolica** » 2020-07-09 12:23 p.m.

Interestingly, none of these tends to put out a lot of sound. You'd think a marching instrument would be all about loud.

Plus, the best instruments of this shape whatever you call them in my experience have been the compact marching trombones by Olds, Bach, and I think Blessing. You can usually get those for under $250. Tuning aside, these are fun to play, fun to keep up your valve chops, and good for a lot of informal situations. I've owned 2, and I miss them. When I sold the last one, I was like "I've got a euphonium, I'll never play this thing again". Wrong.

RConrad · by **RConrad** » 2020-07-09 1:53 p.m.

I've got a King 1130 that I use to practice at home. When you live in an apartment, have a kid and a dog having something a bit more compact is nice. I've also used it for pep band when there's a larger trombone section and they're in the back. Although I wish I had a 1127 for those times instead.

Amconk · by **Amconk** » 2020-07-10 1:44 a.m.

If it’s in useable condition I’d be interested in it. Send me a PM if you decide to sell it.

shider · by **shider** » 2020-07-10 1:51 a.m.

I've bought a Kanstul 290 Marching Baritone a few years back for quite cheap from the US (sent to Germany).. For me it was a novelty item. I had a teacher at a workshop who played a marching baritone for jazz settings and i loved his tone, so I snatched the Kanstul when I saw it.

Sadly it's now only used at home to noodle around a bit when i don't want to set up my trombones or my F tuba.. And it's good to keep up Bb fingerings a little bit.

It has a gorgeous tone but i don't have any real use for it on gigs... I haven't really gotten around the intonation quirks yet. Maybe because my skill on it seriously lacks behind my skill on trombone :shuffle:

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Use of marching baritones/flugabones