ok, the title was just to cause interest, and to also get someone cynical with "experience" to judge a likely beginner.

the truth is, and i am sorry for asking such a novice question, what do you, the experienced trombone players, think of the brand Schiller or Berkeley?

im expecting to buy a new trombone, and i prefer something with a large bore, trigger, and warm tone. i don't want any Conn 88H's, Shires, Getzen, nor Edwards.....this is simply my first bass trombone. don't blow the bank.

this is a shires(sorry, im on ebay)- it's a schiller.
http://cgi.ebay.com/High-Grade-Bass-Tuning-Slide-Trombone-Bb-F-Eb-Bb-F-D-Gb_W0QQitemZ110500239920QQcmdZViewItemQQptZBrass_Instruments?hash=item19ba53da30

this is the second one im thinking of (berkeley)- http://cgi.ebay.com/Berkeley-Pro-CR-Rotary-Valve-Bb-F-Tenor-Trombone_W0QQitemZ390090514421QQcmdZViewItemQQptZBrass_Instruments?hash=item5ad334dff5

in return for any advice, i give you my school's best trombone player(my competitor) who is number 7 in the nation by high school standards. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ST-dMi_SKZw&feature=related

The thing about Chinese knockoff trombones, which I am assuming both of those are looking at the adds, the print details, and the fact that they are clearly modeled after big name American horns for a crazy low price is this:

They just don't work. Every single person I know that has bought one of these (and there are several) has had to take them to the shop within a month or so, or even right away, to fix bad welds, misaligned slides, clanky, badly adjusted valves, and the like.

I would save up just a bit more and keep an eye on the local used shops. I GUARANTEE if you are patient like this, you will be much more satisfied in the long run.

im not a trombone player, but why dont you just save up and get something like a Shire, Yamaha Xeno, or Bach Stradivarius? those are the ones we use at my high school, Shire bass bones, yamaha xenos for jazz and strads for concert band...:D

might help you out too, having a Good horn, if your the best trombone player in the world, playing on a crappy horn wont do you any justice. :D

Why? Simple. Because equipment doesn't matter as much as most people think it does. You can have the best equipment in the world, but if you don't know how to use it, or have a bunch of bad habits, it won't do you any good, and you'll get blown away by folks on old, cheap, beat up clunkers.

the thing is, i just want to try something with a bass trombone. i'm not ready to spend vast amounts of money on a yamaha, shires, getzen, edwards, etc.....

i just want to get the feel, so i know if i want to continue to do the bass trombone role.

Have you thought about renting?

well, one horn at my JH is a KING bass trombone, absolute junk, well it looks like junk, but it plays fairly well. might wanna look into a brand like that.

actually, all the music stores in our town don't have a bass trombone i can rent....i live in a very small town, with only 2 music stores that are more heavily invested in string instruments and percussion, because it's the "in thing" to be a wannabe rockstar.

i wouldn't know how to rent one from one of the college players here either....i live far from campus, and i'm guaranteed to dent something....

btw, not to hijack the thread, but has anyone ever heard of a BRONZE bell? what's the sound compared to a silver plated bell? or nickel?

http://www.zacharymusic.com/Zachary_Music/NewZTB9.htm

As far as I know, this site sells pretty good quality trombones for a pretty good price. Ever heard of it?