Hey, I'm still on my horn-hunting escapades (The King 3b I tried was take before I could say anything ) and now I'm asking about the Bach LT16M. It seems like a great horn with a nice, velvety sound, but people seem to have something against Bach nowadays. What do you think? I only tried it for about 10 minutes so I don't know too much about it yet. I'm now debating between that horn and an Eastman by Shires horn. It's a .525 bore with an F trigger, and it really projects clearly and loudly like nothing else I've ever played. But I mainly do jazz, so would the extra weight of the F trigger, the large shanked mouthpiece and the larger bore be worth it for the good response and the clear projection?

Bach still makes good horns, you just have to weed out the duds. If you don't have the option of trying multiple versions of the same model, then maybe a Bach isn't a good idea. For what it's worth, I took out a Bach 16 on a cruise last summer (the one I'm playing in my profile pic, actually) and it is a fantastic horn.
Comparing a small straight horn with a med bore F attach horn is really not a fair comparison. You're comparing apples to oranges.
If you're looking for overall versatility, the .525 would be the one. If you're looking to do mostly big band, it may be a bit big if you ever sit the lead chair. Ultimately, the best option is to own a few horns, but I realize that's not always possible.

I play on a LT16M, and I love it. I've played it since high school, and every time I think about trying out other small bore jazz horns, they just don't stack up in my eyes to my 16. The King 3B came close, but for me, the 16 was still better. There are a couple intonation quirks with mine, but they are quickly learned and adjusted to.

I love it's sound, full but still cutting and powerful, a great lead jazz or combo horn.

Then again, that's my opinion. I have a few friends that wouldn't touch them, and get completely different sounds out then I do. When it comes down to it, try as many as you can before you buy, and when you are trying them, don't even look at the brand name. Just listen to the sound.