I recently had the opportunity to play on a "Shires by Eastman" trombone. As far as I know, this is a trombone made in China and supervised by Americans who are with Shires. It had an open wrap and an axial valve. I wasn't expecting much, but I was surprised to find it comparable if not superior to the Bach 42B and Conn 88H horns with an open wrap and traditional valve. It costs about half the price of an American made Shires. Thoughts?

Eastman by Shires. They're mostly made the same pieces as american Shires, but assembled as you said in China. They're fixed models whereas Shires are modular and custom-made. Good instruments if you can't afford the custom ones. I heard that the quality of the assembly isn't always as good as it should be.

I had a friend that played one for several years before he bought his Edwards, and he loved it. Seems like a great advanced high school through college horn. Might not be great for the pro world, but they really are great sounding and performing horns.