Okay, my son plays in the 9th grade...jazz, marching, orchestra, concert, honors...you get the drift. He has never upgraded, so now is the time. He is trying these out at a local music store, which I think is necessary, so that is why I have these models listed. I am looking at the following for him and want to know the scoop or opinions: Yamaha YSL8820 or YSL882G0 vs. the Holton TR158, TR150, or TR160. I may consider a Bach or Conn, but the Bach is the 42 soloist series and I don't hear good things about them. He played the 88H Conn as well and wasn't impressed. I hear consistency seems to be an issue. I do want the F attachment and he seemed to like the closed wrap on the Holton TR158 although an open wrap isn't out of the question. He will keep his King for marching, but wants something better for the remainder of high school and possibly college. I just want to make sure that it is comparable to the Yamaha. I am not overly concerned about cost, although I am considering the Internet vs. the dealer....$400 to $1000 difference in pricing. I'll pay for support if it is worthwhile, but that is another topic. For now, I just want some good opinions on these trombones. Also, if anyone can find a "category comparison list" that will show me equal trombones that would be great.

Thanks,

New member - Tigerfan (yes...the ones that can't shoot freethrows)

Trying is the best way to find out. Oh, and having them tried by an experienced player of course, he might very well hear something your son doesn't. About the horns, I've never tried the Holtons. Those Yamahas are great for all-around playing. However if your son wants to get a darker, more symphonic tone, he might like the Conn or Bach better. I'm not a big fan of the Conn 88H, but lots of people love them. I prefer the Bach 42. About the Bach, you say you have heard bad things about them. What I know is that their quality control has been decreasing over the last few years (and they had a strike at the factory lately so a lot of bad horns came out of there). New Bachs...well, try them and have them tried, you can get either a quite ordinary horn or an excellent one. But this was less an issue with older ones, so maybe finding a used one would be a good idea. Other good brands to try would be Shires and Edwards, but those are custom-made high-end trombones and cost something like 4000$ new.

Thanks for the input. The Holton actually had a really dark rich tone compared to the Bach we played. I think the "soloist" series are made specifically for dealers so they may not be a true 42. Not much time until Christmas so I have to decide. I know the Holton is made by Conn-Selmer so that may influence me as well.

I had always thought the Holtons had a very stuffy feel...a bit too much resistance...especially the F Attachment. The bach "Soloist" is a re-issue of the old Benge 180 pro horn. After Bach bought Benge(among other companies) they discontinued certain lines but kept some and stamped the Bach name on them. If he has a king now that is NOT a student line horn and he likes it, you can try the King 4B.
Yamaha Xeno Trombones are great horns, the Bach 42 and Conn 88H are tried and true. You probably want to make sure he gets into a large .547 bore horn. The medium .525 bore may limit him a bit. All the horns mentioned thus far are large bore. Good Luck.

I have tried too many brand new, out-of-the-box Bach 42's that were just absolutely horrible to call the tried and true anymore. If you're going to go down that road, bring an experienced player to try the horns out because yes, there are some real gems out there. The Xeno is a great horn. Not as much personality maybe, but definitely better consistency from one horn to the next. If you try one at store A and store B has it cheaper, you can be pretty sure what you are getting.
But seriously.. the student is in 9th grade. He's going to notice a difference in sound because of the bore size change, but he's not going to be playing it to the level of its potential yet. It takes time to learn how to play a large bore instrument with good air. So anything is going to sound different for now and that will make the decision all the more confusing.
Personally, I'd say bring a solid player with you, and when they have picked a few winners, then have the student gauge what feels comfortable to hold, etc. (Different F attachments have different linkages that fit some hands better than others, stuff like that.. for example, I just can't play a Xeno... they sure are not for guys like me with big hands.)
Good luck, and thank you for supporting your child's trombone habit!

I'm also in ninth grade...I updated to a Yamaha Allegro and i too play in concert band jazz and also i play in a garage band of my own. I love my yamaha although i have never really tried other trombones out compared to it like some of the high end trombones. Mine does have the F attachment and its works okay the only complaint is the noise it makes. I learned pretty quickly how to control my breathing and just by playing it right you can tell how much harder and more breath support it takes. It will take some practice but once its handled it plays nicely. I am also looking for something for jazz and my band because i need a little more brighter and lighter sounding so im looking into the smaller bore tenors. Hope this helps at all and i would recomend him getting the Yamaha its very durable too.

GLad to help