I'm in 10th grade (15 years old, 16 in march), and my current trombone is really out of shape and doesn't play well anymore. I took it in for repairs, and the person said that it was too out of shape and to get it back to how it used to be would take a rather large investment, probably more than I paid for it. It was a Besson starter trombone, no idea what model or anything. My dad found the store online and ordered it because it was cheap (~$200).

I want a new trombone, I'm looking for a step-up/artist/whatever-you-call-them with an F trigger/attatchment/valve/whatever. I'm looking to spend no more than $1300 (I might be able to sway my dad a little higher, but my mom's another story ).

Right now I'm looking at the Conn 52H and the Yamaha YSL446G. I tried the King 607F, the Bach TB200B, and the Blessing B-78 in various music stores. I didn't like the Blessing at all: I tried the Conn 88H (not one I'm looking at), and then the Blessing B-88 as well, which is supposed to mimic the Conn 88H, and the two were nothing alike, so Blessing's out of the question (piece of crap). The Bach, well, I don't know what to call it, but it seemed to want to play certain notes, I guess the official word is "slotting". I didn't like that. The King I tried rattled, and I didn't feel like I got the full feel of it, but the notes that I could get to play without rattling were alright, but I just didn't like it.

The one I did like that I tried, though, was the Yamaha, but I didn't get to try the Conn 52H yet. I really liked how the Conn 88H handled, but it's a larger bore than what I'd like, and in a different price range. I'm kind of hoping the 52H will compare to that 88H and I'll like it. Are there any places I can order one from, try it, and return it if I don't like it with no obligation? Right now my dad and I are looking for places near us (and not so near us: we live on Long Island and tried Dillon Music in New Jersey, and they didn't even have any of the ones I'm looking at) that have the Conn and we can't seem to find any.

Also, what is your opinion on the Yamaha and the other trombones I tried. If anyone has a Conn 52H, how do you like it compared to other trombones?

keep shopping for trombones on the internet and make sure they have a return policy, prefferably a long time, that way you can try out the horn and then return it if you don't like it. a good place for this is woodwinds and brasswinds, (wwbw.com). Also, the 52H will have a different tone than the 88H. I play on the 88H. But i havn't palyed on the 52H. but the 52H has a bore size of 0.525, and the 88H is a bore size of .547. So it will have a smaller bore, but it should have all the other qualities of a Conn trombone.
But keep looking and try out the horn before you buy it so you don't get a rip off.

Yeah, I know the 52H and the 88H are different. The reason I'm not getting the 88H is exactly that: the bore size. I'm not used to the larger bore yet, and I have to play a good amount of jazz at school, so I'm not quite ready yet. However, the 52H looks good because it's a .525"/.547" dual bore and I think it could be good. I know how the .547" feels like and the .525", but I'm not sure what it feels like with both, which is why I want to try it. Thanks for your help, that looks like a good website

525 bore is the size of the tube through the horn, not main horn, like a straight tenor, no F attachment. The .547 size is in the F attachment. Bigger bore in the F attachment to get the right pitch.

gotta disagree with ya there...
.525 is the bore of the upper inner slide stocking
.547 is the bore of the bottom inner slide stocking
giving you for one, the ability to use small shank mpcs, and giving a bit more blowing resistance than a large bore while still opening up the horn quite a bit.
the Conn 52H is a great horn, though i was never a fan of the finger ring below the mpc receiver, but to each his own.
getzen makes a nice dual bore , the 725 model if i recall correctly, that should also be in your range. it is also an open wrap, while the 52H is a closed.. neither is better or worse, just personal preference.
something to also consider is that the 88H is available in the same dual bore configuration, though you would probably have to special order it.. .i wouldn't expect one to be lying around many shops.
as for the trigger side,the bore size of the f attachment will be listed separately. at this stage, i wouldn't really worry too much about it.
sounds like you have a good idea of what you are looking for... keep looking and you'll find it.

The conn has a finger ring? The Bach I tried had that and I hated it..

I'll look into the 88H with the dual-bore. Right now I think I'm going to get the yamaha, though, because I really liked that one.

yeah, it does.. real pain as far as i'm concerned..
yamaha makes great horns with consistent quality.. i hope it works out for you...

Yeah, now the question is whether I'm gonna get the 446G or the 640 which is just a couple hundred dollars more. A nearby music store is ordering both on approval, so I'm gonna just try them both and see which one I like more

Thanks for your help, everyone

not all 88H trombones have finger rings, i own one and it doesn't have one. I know and have seen 3 others who has 88H's and they dont' have finger rings. i'e never seen one with a finger ring, i've seen one from bach, didn't like it, but i've never seen a Conn with one.

Not the 88H, the 52H. I liked the 88H, and I played the 88H. It's just a bit expensive for me, that's all.

yes, if you read my post carefully, i said the 52H has the finger ring. I also play an 88H.
if price is the only issue, and you really like the 88H better, i would say if there is a way, go for it.
horn prices are going to go nowhere but up, and if you don't get what it is you really want now, you're just gonna want to replace what you get eventually. to give you an idea, a horn i bought new from dillons barely two years ago is now listing six hundred dollars more than i paid for it... inflation ..yikes.
you don't want to spend that much money and not be truly happy with what you get. this comes from years in sales and seeing the pattern over and over again.

Well, the one that I tried which honestly could compare with the 88H feel-wise was the yamaha 446G, so I think I'm probably going to go with the yamaha 640 (if I like it better after I try them both side by side). The rest I tried were more like the one I already have (a besson, no trigger, no idea what model).

kanstul has a good silver bone with an f attachment that is a "artist"class horn. usually can get it for 1100 or soo and it plays well.

look im gonna tell u right now u must hav tried the wrong models kuz blessing is the best brand nxt 2 stradivarious. every trombone player in my band has 1 and we all love them. infact i just bought mine yesterday kuz my old piece of krap chinese horn was falling apart and im in love with it already even though it is used and not in the best condition

Compared to a chinese horn, sure, it'll be better. But if you try a Yamaha or a Conn, the Conn or Yamaha will blow you away (no pun intended). I tried the Conn that the blessing I tried was trying to emulate, and it was nothing like the blessing at all. It was a billion times better.

I can't take someone who types like you seriously anyway. You type like you're an 11 year old kid on AIM, no offense.