Hey guys wats up. I have been playing with my high school jazz band for over 3 years now. Im not very farmiliar with jazz horns and im looking for a horn i can hopefully use for the rest of my life. Right now I play on a 1965-1970 king cleveland 605. Its a good trombone and i love to play it but are there other horns i should consider? Ive been looking for something like a 2b but like i said i dont know much about old jazz horns. Is king really the right way to go? Thanks for the help

any horn could be a jazz horn, but if you want a horn that would sound more like jazz other than classical, then a small bore horn would be more approite. as of horns, im not actually too sure

For jazz horns, King's really are great. 2B's and 3B's are both great horns, try to find a Silversonic if you can and try it. Another one you might want to check out is the Bach Stradavarius 16 series. I play a Strad 16M with the gold brass bell and the lightweight nickel silver slide, and I love it. The regular 16 (non-M) is also great.

I would suggest trying anything you find before you buy. Try as many as you can, even multiples of the same horn if at all possible. And play them a lot. Music stores will let you, they are usually very patient with you coming in, trying everything they have in a little practice room, for about as long as you want.

Just remember, my perfect horn could be your worst nightmare, and vice versa. So.... try a lot before you buy.

Good luck!

I second Erik's recommendations..
I own a 3b with a sterling silver bell, which I absolutely love. The Navy supplies me with a Bach 16G (dual bore with gold brass bell) for Navy gigs, which is also a great horn.
the king has a few extra tuning quirks, but nothing that can't be compensated for once you've gotten used to the horn.
Definitely try before you buy.. there are some real gems out there that don't cost a lot of money. Do a search on the OTJ forum also, Steve Dillon (dillon music), Steve Ferguson (hornguys.com), DJ kennedy, and other real knowledgeable folks post there and can help you out.
what kind of price range are you trying for?

Hey thanks for the help. Ill have to go try some out. Im kind of hoping i can find an older model king or strad but i dont know if ill find one. I really dont want to spend more than a thousand so i dont know what i can get for that especially the strad. I heard bill watrous play on his strad at a jazz festival and i definitley loved what he was doing with his but like i said its probably out of my price range. Thanks again for the help guys

Bill Watrous surely sounds fine on his Bach Strad, but you have to remember that he'll also sound great on a Conn, King, Shires, Edwards, Rath, etc. There's lots of good jazz horns out there, and Bill doesn't sound good BECAUSE of his Strad. He sounds good because he worked very hard at what he does.

for the thousand dollar price range, in the used market you'll have a lot of doors open for you. I really suggest contacting DJ Kennedy at the OTJ forum. He really knows his stuff and if he doesn't have what you are looking for, he'll find it for you. He's got an impeccable reputation.

I play King 2B who's serial number implies it was manufactured in 1949, smells like it too. Plays well though, decent lead horn- can retain some control of it when you brass it out and yet sounds 'sweet' on those sad ballads.