what's the favorite trombone that you have played or own? i'm thinking about a new horn, and i want to hear what other people think about their horns.
also, rose brass and gold brass have a darker sound, right?

I personally prefer those with no valves, the sound is more open. But the disadvantage is that you cannot get to play all the notes in the scale, low E is all you can go continuously, then you can play low Bb until low-low E. You don't get to play Low Eb to low B, the non-valved trombone does not support those sounds.
A large-bore horn is more preferable than a small-bore horn unless you are playing high-registers. Small-bore horns are easier for tone production but they tend to have smaller overall volume, the sound also crack when you try playing loud. Large-bore horns are harder for tone production if you are a new player, but they are better if you have played for quite some time because they can produce better tones at louder volumes than small-bore horns.
Rose horns have darker sounds and gold horns have brighter sounds, I'm not sure about silver horns, some people say it's for marching bands.Maybe somebody can tell me.

most of what he said is just due to the person playing the horn. look at pros, look at simi pros, look at people who have worked on a horn for a long time in all different dynamics and everything. Its not hard to cope with both.
This is my opinion-
--Small bore.
Its good for jazz since it can be very articulate, tight and all that. Its good for lead spots if your looking for a horn that can play in the higher register without that much trouble. But if your looking for the tone quality, no matter what register you play in, its going to have a tight, forced almost comes to my mind, but its not it. umm...little, small, whatever. very closed sounding. But small bores are good for a lot of positions, but my personal perference is large bore for full band stuff.
--Large bore
Large bore are not as arctulate as small bore to someone who doesn't control it.Its more open, you can put a huge amount of air in it with not as much resistance. When it comes to tone quality, you can get a open sound on a large bore. It can blend into a symphonic band or a recording soloist spot more than a small bore in my opinion.

As far as darker sounds. My favorite is the rose brass bell, but I don't know about gold brass. Silver horns I'm not sure of either as of 1st hand, but i've heard they are really dark. But also require a whole lot of maintance since the silver will tarnish. But I'm sure that could be taken care of with ease.

Thanks, this helps a lot.

the valved part on his is true, even though the low B natural is a fake tone with the tigger, otherwise you can hit every note

Red brass bells are dark and warm in the lower volumes, but tend to get brighter as you play louder. That's not such a bad thing, since it gives your sound a wide range of color. If you want the sound to be more stable, choose a yellow bell.

And as for decibel levels, the myth that you can play louder on a large bore horn is simply not true. Jay Friedman has said that if he wanted to play loud and really cut through, he would choose a small bore horn. But for the purposes of blending in with the Chicago Symphony, he plays a Bach 42 with a lightweight 50 (.562) slide. Go hear one of the top jazz bands in the country - their lead trombone players will knock the walls down and rattle your ears with their "wimpy" .500 bore horns.

What model of trombone do you have?

I have a Shires tenor trombone and Rath bass trombone. Both brands are excellent, but be ready to open your wallet.

I used Besson 944, and am currently using Yamaha YBL-613H to play the bass trombone part for my band. I'll be switching to Yamaha YSL-354 when I return to my first parts.
Besson 944 has a really good valve (hagmann Valve), very quiet and fast.
Ybl-613H has more resistence because of it's double valves system, but the projection is quite good when you play loud. YSL-354 is those kind of normal small-bore, but its higher registers are bright and clear.

Have either of you tried an Edwards or Getzens?

I've tried both... but what matters is whether or not YOU like them. Try as many horns as you can. What matters is whether or not you get the sound YOU want.
While it is true that some horns play better than others, at the end of the day, you'll always sound like you.
Again... try horns out. As many as you can. Borrow other people's horns to try if they'll let you. But try them out. Take your time.

I'm just thankful for the will ship to you for try outs. Where i live (Ashland kentucky-horrible place thanks to the county comminissors) there aren't any music stores that have brass instruments within 60+miles. So it really stinks that there arn't, if there was, I'd probably be a unemployed employee just because i would be there everyday.

I probably won't get a new trombone until ninth or tenth grade and im only in seventh, so i have plenty of time. I want to visit a factory and try out their horns this summer.
In my area, there are a lot of music stores, but not many of them have very good brass selection.

I've gotten down to a realllly low C
And the tuner in the music room did read it.
lol