Tiffany Johns Tiffany Johns

NAMM Show Report 2025

I’ve already done it once before, so doing a post-NAMM write-up is basically a sacred tradition now. So, here’s a comprehensive summary of all the horns I tried at NAMM 2025. I didn’t get to everything, but I got to quite a lot. Also, there were plenty of horns that were there last time that I didn’t try again, so for those instruments check out the 2023 write-up linked three sentences ago. This mainly concerns the Shires alto and tenor trombones, but there are other things too. Anyway, let’s dive in!

Adams

Adams always has a nice booth at NAMM, and this year was no exception. Overall, my impressions were: flugels spectacular, trumpets good, tubas excellent, euphs very good, trombones meh. They had examples of 6 different flugelhorn models: F1, F2, F3, F4, F5, and Sonic. They were all fabulous, including the Sonic which felt and sounded pretty much the same as the fancy F-series models. My favorite was the F2, followed by the F3 and the Sonic. The F2 had that super dark, fluffy sound that I seek in a flugelhorn, and was so satisfying to play. The euphoniums were very good as usual, just not as good as the Yamahas or Bessons for my tastes. There were at least a dozen different trumpet and cornet models there, and I only tried a few of them. They were all good instruments, nothing that blew me away but very solid. My favorite was the Trent Austin Coppernicus, which was a great player and extra fun with my mega-deep ACB FX mouthpiece. The trombones (an alto and a couple large bore tenors) were decent players but nothing special, though I felt the TB1 with sterling bell stood out. The Adams Solo F tuba was exceptionally easy to play - possibly the most effortless tuba I’ve ever played. It just reads your mind and does exactly what you want. The 4/4 C tuba was also good, but nowhere near the level of ease as the Solo F. And of course, the Adams instruments (especially the euphoniums) were some of the coolest-looking at the show.

Buffet Crampon

The big draw for me here was the Besson euphoniums, which are always some of the best in the show. This year there were four compensating euphs: a 967 Sovereign, 969 Sovereign, 2052 Prestige, and 767 International. They were all excellent instruments, including the 767 which I actually liked more than the Prestige, which my least favorite of the four (but not by much). The 967 was the second best, and the winner was the 969. The 969 is (I think) a new model that has an interesting feature: the mouthpiece receiver is threaded and you can screw/unscrew it by hand, allowing you to choose between the small and large shank receivers that come with the instrument. I’m not really sure why that was necessary, but it’s done very elegantly and doesn’t affect how the horn plays. And boy does it play…I only had to play 3 notes on the 969 to know that it was the best euphonium in the show. It had that Besson magic that only the best Bessons get, which is enchanting to play and to hear.

Courtois had a quartet of trombones there, similar to previous years. Two years ago they brought along an all-yellow 551 New Yorker bass trombone which I didn’t like, while this year the 551 had a rose brass screw bell and I liked it very much. Great player, big colorful sound, easy - everything you want. I believe the two large tenors I tried were the Creation Florida and Creation Paris. They were both very good, especially the Creation Paris. I didn’t try the fourth trombone at this stand, which I think was a Mezzo 260 or 280. There were also a handful of Courtois trumpets in one corner, including the new Courtois T.O.M.A. Bb trumpet with a 4th quarter-tone valve. That was one of the more interesting horns I got to try, and a solid trumpet too! It would take me awhile to get used to using the quarter-tone valve, but it was very cool to get to try one.

There were also a handful of Hans Hoyer horns. I only briefly stopped to try the nickel Kruspe, as I had tried all of these models last time. The Kruspe was a nice player with no issues, but it didn’t stand up to the Yamahas or Paxmans. Finally, I played a couple of B&S trumpets and a B&S 3145 Challenger I flugelhorn, none of which really stood out but were all good instruments nonetheless.

Conn-Selmer

The Conn-Selmer booth was mostly the same as it was 2 years ago. I only stopped by to play a few of the instruments there, as most were repeats from two years ago. The Bach A47BO large tenor trombone was fine, but nothing exceptional. The King 3B played like a 3B should, but unlike in previous years I noticed that it was definitely not as good in the upper register as my vintage 3Bs. What initially looked like the Kruspe-wrap Conn 6D double horn turned out to be a new intermediate model (CHR401) which appeared to be based on the 6D, but made cheaper and designed for school use. It was pretty good, but definitely a step below the 6D (which I liked a lot when I tried it 2 years ago).

The biggest disappointment of the Conn-Selmer booth were the new KMP611 and KMH611 marching mellophones. The KMP611 is the newest model in the King 1120 line, and it does have nicer ergonomics than my 1120 or 1121. But it just didn’t play as well, especially in the high range where it was uncentered and hard to play above high C. As for the KMH611, I hate to say it but my prediction that this would be awful turned out to be correct. The KMH611 is just a KMP611 with a French horn leadpipe/receiver, and it was terrible. In fact, it sounded a lot like the Getzen frumpet, which is the worst indictment an instrument can get. It makes sense too, as the frumpet’s whole reason for terribleness was using a French horn mouthpiece/leadpipe on an instrument whose tapers aren’t meant for that, and the KMH611 is the exact same formula. I can heartily recommend that you avoid the KMH611 at all costs.

There was also a British-style alto horn, baritone horn, and a couple of compensating euphoniums next to the mellophones. These I gather are for the European market and are not sold in the US. I only tried the alto horn, but it was a solid instrument. A nice player with a nice sound, no complaints.

The highlights of the Conn-Selmer booth were the Bach C trumpets that I tried, all of which were fantastic. I don’t usually get along with Bach Bb trumpets, but the Cs make me understand why they became the gold orchestral standard. They have “the sound” and play great. I tried three models: the C190SL292F (New York model), C190SL238VF (Tine Thing Helseth model), and C190SL229C (Chicago model). I would rank them New York > Chicago > Tine Thing Helseth, but by very slim margins. The NY model had the best sound and feel out of the three for my preferences.

Eastman/Shires/Willson

As always, Eastman came with a huge booth and tons of instruments. Many were the same ones as before, so I didn’t try most of them. But I still tried a lot!

I started with the euphoniums, of which there were five. There was a Shires Q41, Willson 2900TA, Willson 2950TA, Willson Q90, and Willson A27. The first three were there last time, while the last two are new models. Last time I thought the Q41 was better than either of the Willsons…this time I felt that the Q41, 2900TA, 2950TA, and Q90 were all on the same level. I think they brought better Willsons this time around, as the examples last time were uncharacteristically disappointing to me. The 2900TA and 2950TA this time were back to what I expect those two models to play like, and it was hard to compare them to the Q41, which goes a different way than the Willson huge/dark thing but feels similar. The Q90 meanwhile played just like the 2900TA, and in fact it was hard to tell exactly what the point of that model is. Overall, those four euphoniums are so close that it’s hard to determine which one is the “best”, but if it were my money I think I would end up with the Q41.

I didn’t bring up the Willson A27 at all just then because it is very different then all of those. It is a more affordable instrument intended more for students (as is everything in the Eastman/Shires/Willson A-series), it has a small shank, and most interestingly is 3-valve compensating. 3-valve compensating is a common configuration on certain British brass band instruments, especially baritone horns, and there have been plenty of professional-level 3-valve compensating euphoniums in the past. It’s arguably the best valve system for situations where you don’t need the extra low notes the 4th valve provides, and I think it’s a great idea to use it on a more affordable instrument. And the result of Willson’s efforts? I have to say, I actually liked the A27 better than any of the other Willson or Shires euphoniums. It was so easy to play and had a lovely sweet sound with more character than the big 4-valve compensators. Truth be told, I’d love to own one!

Moving on to Shires, I tried a couple of the bass trombones there. The George Curran model was fabulous as always - in fact, I think the one there this time was the best example of the model I’ve played. It was incredibly easy to play, especially down low (thank you axials!), and with a great dense sound with more character than I expect from the average Shires bass. Close by was the Vintage Elkhart bass trombone (model STBBVE), something I didn’t know they offered. It might be a new model? Either way, it had rotors and a red brass bell. It was definitely a nice player as all Shires are, but it ended up more like what I expect from modern Shires - easy to play but with a boring sound. Even with that red Conn-style bell, I really didn’t experience anything like what I experience playing a vintage 62H. A good horn regardless, but I was actually surprised when I read the model description after I played it.

I also briefly tried the Shires Rejano large tenor again, just to see if it’s as good as I remember. Yep…it’s still amazing. Easily the best tenor trombone they make, IMO.

There were also two models of Shires flugelhorn (Solo and Vintage Paris) there, which I learned they just started making. They were nice players, but I wasn’t convinced by the sound (though I am VERY picky with flugels). Above the flugels was a Shires Q15S Eb trumpet, which was really spectacular. Wonderful sound and so easy to play, in a way that that even the Schilke Eb wasn’t. Next to that was a Shires 4S8-S C trumpet, which was also excellent. I also randomly picked up a Shires AZ-S Bb trumpet, and was extremely impressed by that horn as well. Once again, it was extremely easy to play and sounded great.

Opus/Valkyrie

Opus Musical Instruments (which also brands itself as Valkyrie at their NAMM booth for some reason) is on the face of it just another Jinbao retailer, but like ZO it has far more good and interesting models than most. This year was no exception, with the highlight being their 900SBSM satin-silver marching euphonium. This instrument seems to be a clone of the Yamaha YEP202M, and I have no experience with that model (but have read universally bad reviews of it), but this one played GREAT. Big euphonium sound, great response, and lots of fun to play. A few friends tried it and they were all very surprised with how good it was, along with the Opus marching baritone (also a Yamaha clone) which I didn’t try. Plus, with the satin silver finish on all but the inside of the bell (akin to many early-20th century instruments, including the 1930 Conn 8E ballad horn I used to own), it’s more interesting to look at than most marching euphoniums.

Opus also brought something I’ve never seen (or played) in person: a normaphone. I didn’t catch what they called it, but a normaphone is a trumpet (or valve trombone, if a tenor normaphone) shaped like a saxophone. The Opus normaphone was a good player and definitely fun, but actually pretty hard to play due to the totally alien balance and grip. Still, it’s a great novelty and I enjoyed both playing it myself and watching my friends play it.

Opus had two models of British-style alto horn there, and both played well but the higher-end model was really excellent. They also had a valve trombone in C, this time in silver plate, which was also an excellent player. I learned both of these things last time, but it was nice to see that these were different examples of the models and still excellent players. Something about how Opus gets their horns from China makes them stand out from other brands selling the same models. John Packer, ZO, and Wessex seem to be the only other brands to get the most out of their Jinbao instruments. Opus is also based in Santa Ana, California, so I could easily drive down there and pick a horn up directly from the warehouse. It’s a great option to have!

ZO

Speaking of ZO, they were back with a big booth like last time. Many of the same instruments were there, so I’ll go through the highlights. The plastic instruments look like they’ve had an evolution since last time; they look much better, with a nice matte finish instead of just normal plastic or fake-metallic. It looks great, and the good models play great. Last time the highlights for me were the small bore King-style trombone and the double horn, and this year was the same. The trombone in particular was really excellent, enough that I would consider it one of the best small bores at the show. And it’s only $100! One of my friends took one home with him, and it made me kind of wish that I did.

The Alexander 103 clone (which I tried last time and loved) they had was not as good as the one they had last time, but it was still pretty good. And of course, the rotary travel tubas/euph/baritone were exceptional as they always are. I particularly enjoyed the little baritone this year.

One final standout was a model that I didn’t try last time, if it had even been there. It was the ZTB-2000 student model tenor trombone, which on the face of it just looks like any other student horn. But I was very surprised - it played extremely well! Between this and the plastic trombone, ZO legitimately beat out a lot of the expensive small bores at the show.

Packer/Rath/Taylor

John Packer was back, but this time they also brought some Rath trombones and Taylor trumpets along for the ride. I’ll start with the bass trombones - they had a JP Rath 333, Rath R900, all-yellow Rath R9 with Hagmanns, and an all-yellow Rath R9DST (DST = dependent, tuning in slide) with Hagmanns. The JP 333 was the surprise of the bunch - I preferred it to the R900 and R9! Because it’s a lighter instrument with a rose bell, it had a great punchy commercial sound that the others didn’t, while still being an excellent player in all respects. I was very impressed! This isn’t to say the R900 and R9 were bad either - both were great bass trombones, but to me they just didn’t sound as interesting as the JP 333. But the best of the bunch was the R9DST - it had a wonderful character and vibrance to the sound and feel that the others lacked. I don’t play dependent valves and it was hard to get used to, but I learned what I needed to. I think tuning in slide might be the secret to unlocking the most potential out of the Rath bass trombones, as that R9DST was really a cut above.

They also had an R6, Rath’s newest model large bore tenor. In the past, the R4Fs I’ve played never really grabbed me, but this R6 was a fantastic instrument. Easy to play, lovely sound, nice ergonomics…I would happily use this as my main large tenor. Next to the R6 was a beautiful nickel-belled R3F (.525”) with Hagmann that I adored. It was definitely my favorite medium bore in the show, not that there were many. I’m also convinced that there is something special about Rath’s nickel bells, as every Rath I’ve played with one has really stood out.

I also tried the JP Rath 236 alto trombone, which is a popular instrument for those looking for a good but affordable alto. It has lots of rave reviews, and…I didn’t really agree. I thought it was ok at best. But I’m also biased, as I have a wonderful Conn 36H.

Finally, I spent some time on th Taylor Phat Boy and Phat Puppy flugelhorns. The Phat Puppy was a lovely little horn, with a pocket trumpet-style grip (which I’m a fan of) and dimensions but still a big flugelhorn sound. But it wasn’t quite dark enough for my liking, which is where the Phat Boy comes in. This was one of the best flugels I’ve ever played, with a buttery sound and perfect valves. I would put it at a tie with the Adams F2 for my favorite flugel at the show - they are similar enough in feel, sound, and quality that it feels impossible to call one “better” than the other.

Paxman

Paxman brought along the same models of double horn as last year, and my conclusion was the same: the model 20 is my favorite. It’s a lovely player with an effortless high range. They also had a triple horn, which was a great player. I am not the biggest fan of triples, as the two thumb valves are awkward to play and the few triples I’ve played didn’t have the most convincing high F side. This Paxman was no different, but it was a more comfortable grip than most.

The big highlight of the Paxman booth was the double Wagner tuba, which wasn’t there last time. It had been a long time since I played a Wagner tuba, and the only ones I’d played previously were a pair of old Alexanders. This Paxman was in a different league - very easy to play, with an enormous sound that really made the difference between horn and Wagner tuba abundantly clear. What a treat!

Schilke/Greenhoe

I didn’t play too many instruments at this booth. I tried an independent Greenhoe bass trombone that was very good, a large tenor that was pretty good, and a small tenor that was good. I spent more time on the Schilke trumpet side. The XA1 cornet (with copper bell) was a really excellent player with a sweet sound. It definitely had a brighter, more American sound than the dark British sound I like, but it was a lovely sound nonetheless and it was so satisfying to play. The Bb, C, Eb, and G trumpets I played all played like a Schilke should - easy, great characterful sound, addicting to play. My favorite was the G trumpet, which was a fabulous little horn. Finally, while the two Schilke flugelhorns were very nice, they played brighter than I like from a flugelhorn.

Yamaha

Going to the Yamaha booth close to last is always fun because you think you’ve experienced the best in the show and then Yamaha proves you wrong. This year was DEFINITELY no exception in that regard.

I started with the trumpets, spending most of the time on the new professional BR models that replace all the nickel trim with brass. There were two YTR-9335NYS-BR-III (Bb New York model) next to each other, one lacquered and one silver plated. Interestingly, they played differently, with the lacquered horn being the preferred choice between myself and my trumpeter friends that were there with me. But, both of them were just fabulous players in every way - better than any other Bb I had tried at the show. I also spent some time on the 8335IIS, 8345RS, and 8310ZII Bbs, all of which were similarly fantastic. As for the C trumpets, there were 2 YTR-9445CHS-BR-III, again one lacquered and one silver. This time, the unanimous opinion was that the lacquered one felt a little better, while the silver one sounded a little better. But once again, both were the best Cs in the show, though I would put the Bach New York model pretty close.

Next I tried the two flugelhorns they had on hand: a YFH-8310ZII (Bobby Shew model) and a YFH-8315IIG (Wayne Bergeron model). Between the two I preferred the 8315, but they both caused me to have a bit of a crisis. You see, I really love a big, dark, velvety flugelhorn sound. Anything trumpet-like is not my bag. My Couesnon flugelhorn, while not having a big sound, has a very special dark sound that has gobs of character and is 0% trumpet. Most of the flugelhorns at NAMM didn’t get where I wanted from a sound perspective, except for the Adams F2, Adams F3, and Taylor Phat Boy. And these Yamahas didn’t either. They had a compact sound brighter than many. And yet…I could not stop playing them. Part of that was just because of how absurdly easy they were to play, in a way that you just do not expect from a flugelhorn. They are the easiest flugelhorns I’ve ever played, and they provide absolutely no obstacle to doing exactly what you want to do on the horn. And the sound, while not big or the darkest, just grabbed me and didn’t let go. It’s a very commercial flugelhorn sound, like you hear in a big band section or from the Jerry Hey horns. But unlike all of the other brighter flugelhorns in the show that just left me wanting more, the Yamahas convinced me that this sound was correct and complete, not missing anything and not “less than”. It was a sound that I could use and even desire. No small feat!

I didn’t try most of the trombones, because generally trombones are the area where, for my tastes, Yamaha misses. But I tried two. First of all, the YBL-835D bass trombone. I tried the 835 (no D) last time when it had just come out, and I was very unimpressed. That horn felt pretty much the same as the outgoing 830, which is an instrument I have a ton of experience with and really dislike. But I had heard from friends that the 835D (D = screw bell) was a totally different animal, so I was excited when I saw that that’s the model Yamaha brought this year. And…yeah, the difference is night and day. The 835D was one of the best (if not THE best) bass trombones in the show, and pretty far up there among all the bass trombones I’ve ever played. It was completely spectacular, and I would gladly play one as my main bass trombone. The other trombone I played was the YSL-882 (closed wrap), which is my favorite Yamaha trombone by far (well, no longer “by far” now that I’ve tried the 835D!). I’ve tried it on many occasions, and each time it’s been complete magic. There is something to that model that any other Yamaha tenor trombone model just…doesn’t have. I actively dislike every other model, but the 882 specifically has something really special going on. I actually talked about that with the Yamaha rep there, and he agreed. Well, I played the 882 again, and I can confirm it is still magic. It was the best large tenor at the show, and it’s not close. This is compared to truly exceptional large tenors like the Shires Rejano, Y-Fort YSL-763, and Rath R6. None compare to the 882.

Next I went to the horns, and the hits didn’t stop coming. In addition to the YHR-871D and 671D Geyer-wrap horns that were there last year (that are excellent), they also had two new Kruspe-wrap models: the 672N and 872ND. The 672N replaces the long-serving 668NII, which is a lovely horn that plays amazingly well but has always had a bit more boring of a sound than other good Kruspes. The 672 rectifies that, adding great 8D-like character to the sound while playing even better than the 668. This horn is already a revelation, but the 872ND is a really special instrument. It is extremely easy to play, like any other top-of-the-line Yamaha horn, but it sounds like a great Elkhart 8D. I was shocked. It has ALL of the character and ALL of the charm, with NONE of the quirks or difficulties. It is a revelation, and is one of the best horns I’ve ever played.

I also briefly tried the YEP-642TSII just because I knew I would love it like every previous time, and I was right. One of the best euphoniums in the show, which is a surprise to nobody. Finally, I tried the YCB-623S 4/4 York-style C tuba. It was a good instrument, but just too big for me. It really felt more like a 5/4 to me, and big tubas are not something I enjoy playing at all. Still, it was nice to get to play it.

Y-Fort

Now that I’ve owned my Y-Fort YSL-763L tenor trombone (which I bought straight from their NAMM booth two years ago), I have more interest in the company than most. It was lovely to go back to the booth and be instantly recognized by all the Y-Fort people - they even remembered which horns I tried and didn’t try two years ago! Since I bought my Y-Fort, a few more people in southern California have bought one, especially thanks to Raymond Music in Santa Barbara, which now stocks them. I was curious to try the whole Y-Fort trombone line again after having lived with mine for almost 2 years, and the instruments they had there did not disappoint. Even the YSL-363GL, the cheapest large bore at around $1k new, played great. It wasn’t quite as easy to play or with quite as nice of a sound as the flagship YSL-763, but it wasn’t far off. Plus, with the nickel slide, the 363 in particular had a different character of sound than the others. The student-model YSL-260GL, which has a .525” bore and resembles an older Jupiter, played better than I remember. It was a great instrument! Tons of fun to play, very easy, and zippy without being brash. I definitely wouldn’t say no to one of these, especially at only about $800 new!

I also tried several of their trumpets, which I loved last time and loved again this time. All were very easy to play, and while by no means the best trumpets in the show or close to it, were all excellent instruments.

Other Brands

As usual, there were lots of other Chinese brands, most of which (maybe even all of which) were the same ones as last time. As such, I didn’t really feel the need to play their instruments, as I already know what those models play like, including from those specific brands. The one standout that I did play was a very unique compensating euphonium by Hunter that put the 4th valve in between the 3rd valve slide and the main bow, not behind the bow like every other euphonium does. It also had a main tuning slide trigger that was placed on the inside of the 3rd valve slide instead of in between the two tubes. I was very curious how this setup would feel ergonomically, so I tried it. While this unique left-hand setup did work, it wasn’t really any more comfortable than the usual setup, just different. The euphonium itself wasn’t anything notable either, but I’m still glad that it’s an original design and not a clone, and dares to think outside the box.

There was also a brand called Tianjin Master Import & Export Co. Ltd., whose booth was to the left of Y-Fort’s. They had a small tenor trombone with a very unique dark purplish lacquer that played great. My best guess from the brand’s website is that this is the TB-600LS with a special finish. It was very easy to play (especially up high) and made a nice sound. Their large bore tenor with F, which I would guess is the TB-686F based on the models shown on their website, was also very good and very easy to play. The F wrap looks suspiciously similar to the JP Rath 332O, so I’m wondering if it’s the same instrument. Either way, I was very impressed with both of these trombones.

Rankings

If you’d rather a TL;DR or just a nice summary of my findings, here’s a ranking of each instrument type from what I tried. Obviously, this is all just my opinion and how I play, and your mileage may vary.

French horns:

  1. Yamaha YHR-872ND

  2. Yamaha YHR-672N

  3. Paxman double Wagner tuba

  4. Paxman 20

  5. Yamaha YHR-871D

Bb trumpets:

  1. Yamaha YTR-9335NYS-BR-III (lacquer)

  2. Yamaha YTR-9335NYS-BR-III (silver)

  3. Yamaha YTR-8310ZII

  4. Yamaha YTR-8345RS

  5. Yamaha YTR-8335IIS

  6. Shires AZ-S

  7. Schilke M bore (don’t remember the model)

  8. Adams Trent Austin Coppernicus

  9. Adams A1 v2

  10. Courtois T.O.M.A.

C trumpets:

  1. Yamaha YTR-9445CHS-BR-III (silver and lacquer equal)

  2. Bach New York (C190SL229F)

  3. Bach Chicago (C190SL229C)

  4. Bach Tine Thing Helseth (C190SL238VF)

  5. Shires 4S8-S

Eb trumpets:

  1. Shires Q15S

  2. Schilke E3L

  3. Y-Fort YTR-742

Cornets:

  1. Schilke XA1

  2. Adams CN2

  3. Adams CN1

Flugelhorns:

  1. Adams F2 Selected (gold brass bell)

  2. Taylor Phat Boy

  3. Adams F3 Selected (yellow brass bell)

  4. Yamaha YFH-8315IIG

  5. Adams Sonic

  6. Taylor Phat Puppy

  7. Yamaha YFH-8310ZII

Alto Horns:

  1. Opus top model (Besson style)

  2. Conn

  3. Opus lower model (Yamaha 203 style)

Mellophones:

  1. Opus King clone

  2. there were no other good mellophones :(

Alto Trombones:

  • there were no good alto trombones (though I’m sure if I had tried it again, the Shires Q alto would have won)

Small Tenor Trombones:

  1. Two out of the three Rath small tenors there, one with a nickel bell and one with a yellow bell. There were no labels showing which models they were

  2. Opus C valve trombone

  3. ZO ZTB-2000

  4. ZO Next Generation plastic trombone

  5. Tianjin Master TB-600LS

  6. King 3B

Medium Tenor Trombones:

  1. Rath R3F (nickel bell, Hagmann)

  2. Y-Fort YSL-263GL

Large Tenor Trombones:

  1. Yamaha YSL-882

  2. Shires Rejano

  3. Rath R6

  4. Y-Fort YSL-763L

  5. Courtois Creation Paris

  6. Courtois Creation Florida

  7. Y-Fort YSL-363GL

  8. Tianjin Master TB-686F

  9. Y-Fort YSL-563L

  10. Bach A47BO

Bass Trombones:

  1. Yamaha YSL-835D

  2. Shires Curran

  3. Courtois 551

  4. Rath R9DST

  5. JP Rath 333

  6. Shires Vintage Elkhart

  7. Rath R9

  8. Rath R900

Baritones:

  1. ZO ZBH-800L (it’s the only baritone I tried, but it was fantastic as expected)

Euphoniums:

  1. Besson 969 Sovereign

  2. Yamaha YEP-642TSII

  3. Willson A47

  4. Besson 967 Sovereign

  5. Besson 767 International

  6. Shires Q41

  7. Besson 2052 Prestige

  8. Willson 2950TA = Willson 2900TA = Willson Q90

  9. ZO ZEU-800L

  10. Opus 900SBSM

Tubas:

  1. Adams Solo F

  2. ZO ZTU-F800L

  3. Adams 4/4 C

  4. Yamaha YCB-623S

Best in Show:

  1. Yamaha YHR-872ND double horn

  2. Yamaha YSL-882 tenor trombone

  3. Besson 969 Sovereign euphonium

  4. Yamaha YBL-835D bass trombone

Worst in Show: King KMH611 marching mellophone/horn

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Tiffany Johns Tiffany Johns

A Catalog of Rare Brass Instruments

There are a lot of rare brass instruments out there, and not a lot of information on where to buy them. There is information scattered around the various articles on this website, but this article is an attempt at a one-stop shop to see exactly what is out there to buy, and where you can buy it. This will focus mostly on new production instruments currently offered by instrument makers, but will also include any information about the current used market that I have on hand. If you know of another example of a rare brass instrument in current production, please let me know the details and I will add it to the catalog!

A Cornet and Trumpet

Aida Trumpet

Alto Valve Trombone

  • Schiller American Heritage F ($439), American Heritage Eb ($439) - I have not tried these for myself, but I have heard they are not very good.

  • Used: late-19th/early-20th century instruments, usually in terrible condition

Bass Flugelhorn (fiscorno)

Bass Valve Trombone

B-flat Cornet with 4 Valves

B-flat Trumpet with 4 Valves

Cimbasso

C Cornet

C Flugelhorn

Contrabass Trombone

Contrabass Trumpet

  • Lars Gerdt model GS in F with 4 valves, after Strucel (reportedly around $10,000)

  • Used: I have only ever seen one used contrabass trumpet for sale, a 3-valve Glier in E-flat. There are a few others floating around, like the ones made from parts by Carl Kleinsteuber. But unless you can afford the Gerdt, you’re better off having one custom made from parts, as the original instrument that George Strucel made for Roger Bobo was.

Corno da Caccia (modern)

  • Beck Venatio in Bb - €5690

  • Kromat (special order only)

  • Ricco Kühn C311 (Bb/A, €4800), C311/2 (Bb/A, €4800), C313 (C, €4800)

  • Stomvi Titan TP5500/5505/5510 - $5750-5995

  • Takao Nakagawa in Bb - €3450

  • Thein in Bb/A or C

  • Willenberg in Bb/A

  • Wolfram in Bb

  • Used: corni da caccia rarely show up used, so you’d be waiting awhile for something that will likely still be very expensive, such as this Thein at Pope Repair for $5995. F. Syhre used to make them in Bb, C, and D and they show up used once in a blue moon. The Takao Nakagawa instrument is a new continuation of the Syhre B-flat design.

Corno da Tirarsi (slide horn)

C Piccolo Trumpet

C Trumpet with 4 Valves

Double Tuba

G Trumpet/Soprano Bugle

E-flat Cornet with 4 Valves

E Trumpet

F Alto Trombone

Flugabone

  • Chinese King 1130 copy (Wessex FB24 ($955), Lake City 415) - I haven’t played one of these, so I don’t know how they play. But as far as I know, they are the only flugabones in current production.

  • Used: King 1130, Olds O-21, Reynolds Contempora TV-29, Blessing M-200, Bach 883/MT300, Kanstul 955, Dynasty M565/M566, Weril M567, DEG/Willson; buy the King to use in loud ensembles and for a shouty, punchy sound, buy the Olds for the most refined sound that sounds the closest to a slide trombone, and buy the Blessing to use in quiet jazz settings. But the King and all the Olds-pattern flugabones (Olds, Reynolds, Blessing, Bach) are all good instruments that work for everything you might need a flugabone for.

Large Bore Valve Trombone

Low Orchestral Trumpet

Marching Horn

  • John Packer JP2052 ($1110-1407) and other Chinese Yamaha YHR-302M clones (Schiller at $639)

  • Jupiter JHR1000M/MS Qualifier ($1874-2324)

  • King 1122 ($2399+) - discontinued but still in stock in some retailers. Plenty available used.

  • King KMP411/411S ($1879-2249) - a King marching mellopschillhone with a horn shank, so not really a true marching horn.

  • Otto 207 La Revolución - to my knowledge, the only professional/concert-quality bell-front horn on the market.

  • Schiller Field Series ($569) and other Chinese Holton MH-101 clones

  • Yamaha YHR-302M/MS - $2577-2796

  • Used: Kanstul 185/285/284, King 1122/Conn 134E, Blessing M-400, Holton MH100/101/102, Yamaha YHR-301M, King K-60, Dynasty II/III, Olds Ultratone, Whaley-Royce Concert Imperial, Getzen Titleist, etc.

Ophicleide

Piccolo & Sopranino Cornets

  • Stomvi Titan 4VE in F ($4495-4720), in G ($4495-4720), and in A ($4695-4920)

Piccolo Trombone

Quarter-Tone Flugelhorn

Quarter-Tone Trumpet

Saxhorn

Sopranino Trumpet (F and G - not G piccolo)

Soprano Tenorhorn (rotary flugelhorn in upright oval shape)

Soprano Trombone

  • Carol Brass CTB-1005-YSS-Bb-L - various prices depending on the retailer; $479 at Carol Brass of the Rockies and $900 at Austin Custom Brass. In my opinion, this is the cheap-but-still-good soprano to buy. It’s made by Carol Brass which makes good instruments, and it has tuning in the leadpipe rather than the inferior tuning in the bell receiver that the cheaper Chinese sopranos have.

  • Carol Brass CTB-2005-GLS-GL - a unique soprano trombone in G that uses a flugelhorn bell. I have yet to see this instrument for sale at a retailer, but hopefully it will be soon enough.

  • Helmut Voigt HV-D1

  • Miraphone 63 - $2535

  • Thein

  • Wessex PB455 Bb/F (special order only)

  • Countless cheap Chinese examples, any of which would be good if you just want one for fun. Out of all of them, I would recommend the Thomann SL-5 ($125). It is the same as all the others, easily the cheapest, and backed by Thomann’s excellent customer service and return policy. The Wessex PB453 ($410) is all gussied up with the curved slide brace, nickel slide, and what looks to be a red bell, so if you want something a little more interesting without spending a ton that’s the one to get (especially as Wessex does quality control on their horns).

  • Used: DEG (not good), Minick (very rare), early-20th century American examples (decent and usually not too expensive, sometimes with cornet shank), Kanstul 140/150 (rare and not cheap), Bach Model 10 (enormously rare), Jupiter 314 (cheap and basic, essentially the same as the Chinese sopranos but a bit better quality)

Superbone

  • Schagerl - $5999

  • Wessex PB930 ($975) and other Chinese Holton copies

  • Used: Holton TR395, always with a hefty collector tax

Wagner Tuba

Vienna Horn

Vienna Tuba

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Brass, Alto Brass, G Bugles, Low Brass, Mellophone, Trombone, Trumpet Tiffany Johns Brass, Alto Brass, G Bugles, Low Brass, Mellophone, Trombone, Trumpet Tiffany Johns

All the Brass Instruments I've Ever Owned

Over the years, I have owned nearly a hundred brass instruments. I thought it would be fun (both for me to write, and for the reader to read) to show all of them in one place and give my thoughts. Enjoy!

Horns

1947 Conn 6D Artist - This is a 6D from the era where it was a top-of-the-line professional instrument, long before it became an intermediate horn meant for schools. As such, it has the quality and sound you would expect from a pro-model Elkhart Conn. Unfortunately, most 6Ds this old have had bell transplants due to the original bells getting damaged beyond repair, and this one is no exception. The bell looks to be an early Abilene bell, probably from a 4D student model. It’s a shame the horn lacks its original bell, but despite the transplant it still plays and sounds fantastic. This is the second early 6D I’ve owned, and I’m so glad to have the small-throat 6D sound in my stable again. I do plan on eventually getting a new O’Malley bell for it, along with other modifications.

1990 King 2270 Eroica - This horn is just about the polar opposite from the Conn 6D above. It has a massive bell throat that is even larger than a Conn 8D’s throat, and is extremely free-blowing. Designed by George McCracken, the Eroica is known for being one of the most open-blowing horns of all time and having a huge sound. The Eroica never caught on as a desired horn for professionals like the Conn 8D or Alex 103, but it is a wonderful horn nonetheless and I was able to acquire it for cheap thanks to its relative obscurity.

Yamaha YHR-321 - This is a single Bb horn with stopping valve, and is one heck of a sleeper. Yamaha has a habit of making instruments they market as student models, but are secretly pro-quality gems, and the YHR-321 is no exception. It is a copy of the Alexander 90, a professional single Bb horn historically played by many professionals including Dennis Brain. The light weight and easy high range make this horn a good descant horn substitute for a fraction of the cost.

Selmer Thevet Ascendant - This is a true French horn, built by Selmer Paris as one of the last examples of the French tradition of small bore piston horns with ascending 3rd valves. I’ve dreamed of owning one of these for many years, and while it is not yet in playing condition I am so thrilled to now own one. These are extremely rare and command collector prices, but thanks to the severed leadpipe I managed to snag this one for an unfathomably low price.

Josef Lidl double horn: This is a cool double horn made in the Czech Republic, which I bought from Ukraine. It’s a heavy instrument, but plays well.

1975 Holton H180, 1977 Holton H180, and Holton 180 bell: I got these two and a half horns in one lot for cheap. I took them to my tech, who brought them back to life, and now they are ready to move on to their next homes. I had been curious about the H180 for awhile, as it has the large bell throat that the H178 I used to own lacks, but to me the yellow brass H180 is still missing something compared to the nickel silver H179. Interestingly, two of the main tuning slides are yellow brass on the 1977 example, but nickel silver on the 1975. I’m not sure if these are replacement parts from an H177 or H179, or if they’re stock.

1936 Buescher 330 - This is a license-built copy of the famed Alexander 103 double horn. It has the sweetest sound, but unfortunately the rotors are badly in need of a rebuild for it to be usable, so I sold it to a Buescher collector.

Hampson Horns/Jackalope Brassworks corno da tirarsi - The corno da tirarsi, a.k.a. slide horn, is a very rare and unique instrument that J.S. Bach wrote for. I am fortunate enough to own this wonderful modern slide horn, which can be crooked to Bb, A, Ab, or G. It has a lovely sweet sound and is an impeccably-built handmade instrument. I used it extensively in my latest Christmas multitrack.

1938 Conn 6D Artist - This is the first early 6D that I owned, and it was my only double horn for awhile. Despite its totally worn-out valves, it was still possible to make it do your bidding and it had a special sound. I kept it around after getting another horn in hopes of eventually getting it restored, but money dried up and I had to sell it before I got the chance.

1971 Holton Farkas H178 - Nowadays, Holton Farkas double horns are a common sight in high schools, and generally have a reputation for being student-level instruments. But a good one is every bit a professional instrument, and that’s doubly true for the early ones such as this one from 1971. This is the horn I replaced the derelict 1938 6D above with, and it was my only horn for quite a few years before being replaced by my King Eroica. This particular H178 was an exceptional example of the model, and every horn player who tried it loved it. However, the yellow brass medium-throat bell was neither fish nor fowl to me…the sound had none of the qualities of both small-throat (a la 6D, 103) or large-throat (a la 8D) bells that I love. Instead it languished somewhere in the middle, and I was never able to achieve a sound I was truly happy with on it. It was a solid workhorse, but I was happy to replace it with the Eroica.

Holton MH101 - This Bb marching horn has to be one of the most Seussian instruments of all time. Its specs are just as odd as its looks, too; it has a tiny bell throat and a trumpet shank, the latter of which allows you to use a whole variety of mouthpieces with it. With a horn mouthpiece and adapter, it’s a decent little marching horn. But the other mouthpieces far more interesting. Despite being pitched a 5th lower, this horn could scream better than most mellophones with a marching mellophone or trumpet mouthpiece. It is a truly hilarious instrument, but at the end of the day I absolutely didn’t need it for anything, so off it went.

Getzen 383 frumpet - This doesn’t really belong with the horns, but it doesn’t really belong anywhere else either and it takes a horn mouthpiece so I’m putting it here. Anyway, if you’re reading this you probably already know about the frumpet. It is awful. Don’t buy one, no matter how cheap…unless you just want to use the valve block for parts.

Schiller Field Series Elite Bb marching horn (not pictured) - I briefly owned this Yamaha YHR-302MS clone, and it was exactly…ok. Not great, not awful. It was given to me for free, and I gave it away for free.

Trumpets

Yamaha YTR-737 - This is my workhorse trumpet, and is the only trumpet to leave the house with very rare exception. It was made in the late 1970s, during a period where all of Yamaha’s professional trumpets were designed in collaboration with Renold Schilke. Some, including mine, were even assembled in the Schilke factory! The result is these horns play pretty much like Schilkes, for a fraction of the cost. The YTR-737 in particular is essentially a Schilke B5 with Yamaha written on it. This horn is excellent for the commercial work I do on trumpet. If I ever start getting classical trumpet gigs, I may need to acquire a darker-sounding Bach-style Bb, but until then the 737 does everything I need.

Selman 17001 - I’ve owned this Chinese C trumpet for a long time, even longer than the YTR-737 above. I got it on eBay for $85, and it has exceeded my (low) expectations from day one. It is a perfectly competent C trumpet. Not perfect of course, but really no C trumpet is and the quirks this one has are very manageable. It also doesn’t have the sterling sound of a nice Bach or Yamaha Xeno, but for what I need C trumpet for (mostly just my own multitracks) it is completely fine. Sure, it would be nice to get a better C eventually, but why spend 4 figures when this $85 horn is decent enough?

JinYin JYTR-A688 - This is a Chinese Eb/D trumpet that has same story as my Selman C trumpet above: I got it used for very cheap on eBay, I had low expectations, and the horn exceeded all of them. Again it is not perfect, but it genuinely plays very well and has a nice, light sound. For an instrument that I will literally never need, a really cheap one was the only way I was ever going to own one and this JinYin is good enough that it is a viable option in my arsenal.

Bach 351G alto trumpet - This is one of the coolest instruments I own - a Bach F alto trumpet with a gold brass bell. The Bach alto trumpets were built in very small numbers up through the early 2000s, in both F and E-flat. They are very rare and probably the best alto trumpets ever made, and I have never seen another one with a gold bell. This one is in mint condition and plays like a dream. This is 100% a forever horn!

J. Melich Eb/D bass trumpet - This rotary bass trumpet is also a fairly recent acquisition, and replaced my Bb rotary bass trumpet. It is old and worn, but it has a fantastic trumpet sound and plays very well throughout the whole range of the instrument - down into the pedal register and up through sounding Gb5, the highest note in the repertoire.

Mendini MPT-N - This Chinese Amazon-special pocket trumpet was a Christmas gift, and I love it because it is small enough to keep on my desk and noodle with whenever I feel like. I have actually used it on a gig before though - it was the perfect instrument to pull out for a Raymond Scott composition called “The Toy Trumpet”. It is a decent little trumpet - nothing spectacular, but there’s nothing actually wrong with it either. It just…exists. I also find the left hand grip and 3rd valve kicker to be more comfortable than they are on normal trumpets.

1968 Conn 8B Artist - I never actually took a picture of this horn by itself, which is surprising considering it was my main trumpet for quite a few years. I bought it for $50 via Craigslist from a farmer in the middle of nowhere in Illinois, who had used it as a wallhanger for 50 years. Looking back on it, I really should have prioritized finding a better Bb trumpet sooner, as it really wasn’t an instrument I should have been gigging on. The valves were worn, it was hard to play, and I never got a sound that I really liked on it. When I finally got my Yamaha YTR-737, I realized just how much the 8B had been holding me back.

1965 Conn 6B Victor - I got this years after selling the 8B, entirely because I was curious what a trumpet with the same basic design as the 8B but in much better condition would be like. I still didn’t like it very much, but it was definitely a better player than my 8B had been. I sold it on pretty quickly.

Carol Brass CTR-2000H-YSS - Another horn that I owned and sold long before I started taking pictures of all my instruments, this student-model Carol was my first Bb trumpet, naturally bought for cheap on eBay. It was…almost decent. I definitely wasn’t great at trumpet back then, but the trumpet felt harder to play than even the Conn 8B that I replaced it with. I gave it to my grad school roommate before I moved to LA.

Holton LT101 - The LT101 is a fairly rare lightweight copy of a Bach 37 with a 25 leadpipe. I got this one for very cheap from a friend, and was interested to see if I took to Bach-style trumpets any better than I had when I owned the Carol trumpet above. Despite the fact that this LT101 was a good player, the answer was a resounding “no.”

Josef Lidl Bb bass trumpet - This was my first bass trumpet, which I replaced with my current Melich Eb/D. It was decent and had a real trumpet sound, which is why these Lidls are the gold standard cheap bass trumpets amongst trombonists. But it had plenty of challenges, and my Melich Eb/D bass trumpet played circles around it in every register, so it was an easy decision to sell it off.

Mollenhauer low Eb trumpet - This was a true orchestral low Eb trumpet. Not an alto trumpet or bass trumpet, but a proper long Eb trumpet like the Heldenleben parts were written for. It had a totally different sound that was much closer to a baroque trumpet than a modern one. But it was also very hard to play and had woeful intonation, and though I did manage to sneak a few stems of it onto a TV commercial, it didn’t last long before I sold it. I would love to own a long orchestral trumpet again, but it would need to be a better-quality instrument in F.

Cornets

Yamaha YCR-2310 - This is my current cornet, and by far the best-sounding and playing out of all the Bb cornets I’ve owned. The YCR-231 and 2310 are interesting sleeper models, because although they don’t have Shepherd’s crooks, they have large bores and properly large British-style bell throats. The result is that they have a real, dark, beefy, British brass band cornet sound, despite looking like American cornets. Their Shepherd’s crook stablemates, the YCR-233 and 2330, were actually built with more American specs and sound brighter. A nice upside of this mix-up is that the 231/2310, which looks like yet another worthless student cornet, can be bought for next to nothing. I have used this instrument in a ragtime orchestra and in my multitracks, and have no complaints.

1964 Olds Ambassador - This cornet was decent. It was a nice player and well-built like all Ambassadors, but the sound was too bright and trumpety for my tastes, even with a deep Wick British cornet mouthpiece. That said, it was still a significant upgrade over my Bach CR310. The thing about student-model cornets is that they are basically worthless as they’re not used in schools anymore, so you can get a nice playing cornet for next to nothing. I found both this and the Yamaha above on eBay, without much searching, for about $50. So if you are looking to add a high brass instrument to your stable on a small budget, I would recommend looking for a student cornet rather than a student trumpet. With an American cornet mouthpiece it sounds like a trumpet, and with a British cornet mouthpiece it has a sweeter, mellower sound.

Bach CR310 - I’ve had this student-model cornet (which is a Bundy in all but name) for a long time. It was my first high brass instrument, and I used it heavily in my 2013 Christmas multitrack. I’ve spent a lot of time with this thing, and…it’s not very good. It is currently in the shop having some mad science done to it in order to turn it into something entirely different, which is really the only way forward.

DEG 1220 - This is an alto cornet in F, made for DEG by Willson. The 1220 was marketed in the United States as a “marching alto/French horn”, whatever that means, but is all cornet. These are great players, as you would expect from Willson. Not without quirks, but a totally manageable, giggable, and recordable instrument. I used mine a ton while I had it, but I ultimately sold it during a rough financial patch. I’d happily own one again.

Flugelhorns

Couesnon flugelhorn - This pre-WWI Couesnon flugelhorn is one of my favorite and most-used instruments. Being so old, it is definitely not as easy to play as a modern flugelhorn, even with the GR/Melk leadpipe I had installed. But the luscious sound is more than worth it. I think only a really special modern flugelhorn, like a custom Adams, would be worth replacing this with. And those cost thousands of dollars…this cost $300.

Elkhart alto flugelhorn - This alto flugelhorn is in F, with Eb slide. It is stamped Elkhart, but was made by Couesnon. It was a perfect match to my Couesnon flugelhorn in both sound and feel, and was one of the easier-to-play weird alto brass instruments I’ve owned. But it still had its quirks, and I later acquired a Kanstul KMA-275 marching alto in F that, while technically not an alto flugelhorn, did the alto flugelhorn thing even better than this actual alto flugelhorn. So, I sold it off.

G Bugles

Dynasty G350A soprano bugle - The Dynasty 3-valve soprano bugle (essentially a trumpet in G with a large bore and bell throat) went through a few variations over the years. Some were made by Allied Supply in Elkhorn, Wisconsin, while others were made by Weril in Brazil. The G350A was made by Allied before 1993. Soprano bugles were known to be screamers, and the G350A is no exception. But its secret weapon is its fat sound in the low register; with the right mouthpiece, it is an excellent alto trumpet in G. This is mostly how I used it when I owned it - you can hear it used in this way in my Way Away multitrack.

King K-50 mellophone bugle - Arguably the most legendary mellophone bugle of them all, the 2-valve K-50 is the sports car of mellophones. The bright, crystal clear sound and effortless high register make the K-50 a weapon in the right hands. I had a blast with mine, and would have kept it if money permitted. Two valves isn’t much of a limitation when you have F mellophones to cover lower parts and can keep the K-50 in the upper register, and I used this combination in the Way Away multitrack linked above.

Kanstul KAB-175 alto bugle - The alto bugle is a mellophone bugle with a much smaller bell flare, and while it was much less common than the mellophone or French horn bugles, it did see use in DCI. This early pattern Kanstul KAB-175 is legitimately one of the best instruments I’ve ever played. It was so easy to play, to the point where it was addicting and very difficult to put down. Yet despite this, I ended up selling it because the sound it made (in between a mellophone and a trumpet) was pretty useless. Out of all the instruments I’ve sold, this is the only one I regret selling.

Dynasty III alto bugle - This alto bugle was built for Dynasty by Willson, and is a very different instrument than the Kanstul alto bugle above. This one played and sounded like a big flugelhorn, and despite some odd intonation quirks was a very good instrument overall. It is also one of a handful of brass instruments I’ve owned where there is only one known example in the world. Before I found it on Canadian eBay and bought it, there was no evidence on the Internet of this particular model ever existing, and we still don’t know if any others were made.

Kanstul MFL meehaphone - The meehaphone is the most legendary G bugle of them all. Built for and used by the Blue Devils from 1987 to 1991, it is essentially a field descant horn in G. There is only one meehaphone in the world in private hands, and for awhile I was lucky enough to be the owner. I sold it mainly because, while extremely cool, the meehaphone didn’t have a special sound and wasn’t a great player. Still, I feel very privileged to have owned it.

Kanstul low alto bugle - The low alto bugle is essentially a G French horn bugle with a trumpet shank. Only 6 were made, and they were used by the Mandarins in DCI. I got this one on eBay for about $100, with a crunched bell and listed as a marching baritone. It’s one of those instruments that I never thought I’d get to even see, let alone own. I’ve been fortunate enough to have many such instruments come through my collection, mostly via eBay. I really enjoyed playing the low alto, especially as the trumpet shank allowed for many different mouthpiece possibilities (like the Holton MH101 Bb marching horn) and the low alto somehow played great with all of them. I held until the low alto the longest out of my G bugles because it played well, made different sounds than anything else I had, and was just a really cool thing to own. But it too eventually got sold off because I had nowhere (other than my own multitracks) to use it.

Kanstul KHB-185 French horn bugle - This is the French horn bugle that the low alto bugle was based on, and is a rare bird itself with only 14 known to have been made. It was a fabulous instrument, and may be the closest thing to a true horn sound from a bell-front instrument that’s ever been made. I loved it. I got it before the low alto, and sold it in favor of the low alto, because with a horn adapter and a horn mouthpiece, the low alto could do the same thing while also having all the other available mouthpieces available.

Kanstul KBB-190 baritone bugle - In my opinion the best of the G baritones, this is an instrument that I would look at on the Kanstul website and dream of owning as a high schooler. (I’ve always been a nerd, what can I say?) Like all of my other G bugles, I found this for cheap on eBay. It was a wonderful player, with a huge yet colorful sound that distinguished it from any Bb marching baritone. But, like all the other G bugles, I eventually just couldn’t find a reason to keep it when there was no real use for it…not to mention that I already owned a flugabone, a British baritone horn, a marching baritone, and a euphonium.

Mellophones

Yamaha YMP-204MS - The Yamaha 204 needs no introduction - it is the gold standard of all mellophones. I finally acquired a 204 of my own recently, and it immediately became my workhorse mellophone. The 204 is not perfect, but it is SO much closer to perfect than most other mellophones. I can’t think of any reason why this would ever leave my stable.

1993 King 1120 - This became my workhorse mellophone the second I bought it in 2023. Its position has recently been usurped by the Yamaha 204 above, and its days in my possession are probably numbered. Still, it is a solid mellophone that was very easy for me to acclimate to after owning its father and grandfather, and I can heartily recommend it to anyone looking for a good marching mellophone for cheap. It is by far the best mellophone that is readily available for less than $200 on eBay, and has served me very well.

King 1121 - The 1121 is what replaced the 1120, and is an incremental improvement. The most notable differences are the angled leadpipe, spring-loaded first valve slide, and re-wrapped 3rd valve slide. I bought this one cheap mainly to compare it to my 1120.

1969 Conn 16E - This is the instrument that started my obsession with obscure brass instruments. I bought it on eBay in 2011, shortly after graduating high school, and it was my gateway drug. I still have it and use it on all my videos, and it’s not going anywhere. Despite its many flaws, this mellophonium is still my desert island horn. I will always love it!

Holton M602 - The M602 was Holton’s second mellophonium model, after the more traditionally-designed M601. Holton marketed the M602 as a “marching mellophonium”, and it really does feel like an instrument that pulls from both mellophoniums and marching mellophones, which were both around at the time. It has the sound and feel of a mellophonium, but with the bore and ergonomics of a marching mellophone. In some ways it’s the best of both worlds, and it really does have a special sound. It is darker than the Conn 16E and perfect for smoky jazz. Do I need a darker mellophonium? Not really…but this is one of those instruments that I want to hold on to, and it’s not worth enough to be worth the effort of selling anyway. So this one is probably staying with me. <3

Kanstul KMA-275 - This is a rare small-bell variation on the marching mellophone called a marching alto. Apart from the size of the bell flare, this KMA-275 is the same instrument as Kanstul’s late-pattern marching mellophone, the KMM-280. The marching alto and marching mellophone have the exact same relationship as the alto bugle and mellophone bugle. Much like the alto bugles I’ve owned, the 275’s smaller flare makes it lose much of the characteristic mellophone sound. However, unlike my Kanstul 175 alto bugle that was far too flat when using a tenor horn mouthpiece, the 275 will happily play in tune with a tenor horn mouthpiece, giving it a dark alto flugelhorn sound. This sound is so flugelly, in fact, that I sold my actual alto flugelhorn shortly after acquiring the 275. It’s also just an excellent instrument in general, with solid intonation, good ergonomics, and a main tuning slide kicker to let you fix any note on the fly. I sold this instrument to a friend, as I found that I prefer my Holton M602 mellophonium for alto flugelhorn duties.

Nirschl E102SP - This rare mellophone is the worst mellophone I’ve ever owned. It is so bad it may even be worse than the abysmal Getzen frumpet. Seriously…don’t buy one.

Yamaha YMP-201M - This was my first marching mellophone, acquired in 2022 after over a decade of owning pretty much every other variation of mellophone out there. It was a pretty good instrument, and I used it a fair bit before acquiring my King 1120. The reason I ultimately bought the 1120 and sold the 201M was because the 201M felt very tight and unforgiving to play, and I got tired of dealing with that quickly. It’s a shame because it had a lovely sound that, in some ways, was better than the newer models. But ultimately, there are good reasons why the 201M became the 204M.

Yamaha YMP-201 - The YMP-201 (no M) was the first Yamaha mellophone. It also has the distinction of being the last circular mellophone design, and is arguably the only one that really feels like a modern instrument. It was designed for use in Japanese school bands in the late 1980s, as a cheaper alternative to the French horn (which was prohibitively expensive in Japan at the time). It really plays fantastically well and is a beautifully simple and functional design. However, using the 201 in a big band exposed the circular mellophone’s greatest disadvantage: the downward-pointing bell made it impossible to hear myself at all. This combined with the terrible ergonomics that every circular mellophone (including the 201) has made me realize that I just didn’t want to deal with the severe disadvantages the design brings, and soon after I sold all of my circular mellophones including the 201. But funnily enough, I traded the 201 to my repair tech for a German trombone, and he in turn took the 201 and straightened the bell, turning the instrument into a mellophonium. And now…I also want to do that.

1925 Buescher 25 True Tone - This circular mellophone (in F) has two rotary change valves. One puts the instrument in Eb, the other puts it in D, and both together put it in C. Despite this 25 having worn-out valves consistent with an instrument this old, it was still a great player with a gorgeous, velvety sound - much darker than any of my other circular mellophones. It played well in all 4 keys, and had a unique sound in each.

1930 Conn 8E - The Conn 8E is a ballad horn in C and B-flat. While some ballad horns from the era were more like circular tenor flugelhorns, the 8E was a circular mellophone crooked in C by default with a slide to B-flat - essentially, a tenor mellophone. I enjoyed playing it, and the slanted valves did a lot to improve the usually-terrible circular mellophone ergonomics. It wasn’t the easiest instrument to play, as it felt pretty different from most other instruments (even other circular mellophones in higher keys). But after a short adjustment period each time I picked it up, I found myself unable to put it down. It felt, played, and sounded like an extra-large-bore single C or Bb horn, which I suppose isn’t far off from what it was. A ballad horn, and in particular a Conn 8E, was one of those instruments that I dreamed of playing but never thought I would even get to see one, let alone own one considering the collector prices they usually go for. But one day on eBay, there it was at a shockingly affordable price. When I owned this it was the crown jewel of my collection, and every time I showed it to someone I had a silly grin on my face. I couldn’t hide my passion for this instrument. I didn’t think I would ever sell it, but my brief flirtation with being a collector (at the time I owned 8 mellophones…) eventually wore thin. I’ve never really been a collector, as I hate having instruments I never use. So I eventually let the 8E go. I don’t regret selling it, but I do look back on my time with it fondly.

1918 Conn 6E - This E-flat only mellophone was marketed as a “French horn alto”, in reference to its wider, horn-like wrap compared to the more tightly-wrapped Conn 4E. But it was all mellophone, and also the same exact design as the 8E ballad horn above, just in E-flat instead of C. This instrument had a more familiar feel, and had a gorgeous, colorful sound - probably my favorite sound out of all the circular mellophones I’ve owned. But the valves were worn and I just didn’t need it (like all the other circular mellophones), so off it went.

Alto & Soprano Trombones

Conn 36H alto trombone with C valve - The Conn 36H usually has a Bb attachment, but this one has had the attachment tubing cut to C. I’m not actually sure if the rotor is the stock Conn rotor or not, but in any case, this alto trombone plays wonderfully. The C attachment really makes perfect sense on an alto trombone - to me trill valves are gimmicks, and you really don’t need a Bb attachment when alto trombone repertoire never goes below low A. The C attachment is the most practical tuning for an alto trombone valve that I’ve encountered, and the alto it’s attached to is addicting to play.

Unmarked German soprano trombone - This is undoubtedly one of the coolest brass instruments I’ve owned. This unmarked instrument was likely an exam instrument made by a German brass-making apprentice, and is handmade and the highest quality. It has an old-school leather strap to activate the valve, 4 different slides for the valve that allowed you to tune the valve to A, Ab, G, Gb (via pull), or F, a nickel bell kranz, and about 5 positions on the slide. This instrument is likely the only one of this specific design in the world. With the right mouthpiece it had a real trombone sound, and it was a great player. I sold it because I had no real use for a soprano trombone…and because I got GOOD money for it.

Selman 11303N alto trombone - Somehow this is the only picture I could dig up of this basic nickel-plated Jinbao clone of a K&H Slokar alto trombone. These Chinese Slokar clones used to be EVERYWHERE, as they were the only option for an affordable alto trombone to learn on. Nowadays quite a few retailers who used to stock the Slokar clone no longer do, and there are other cheap Chinese options now. But back in grad school when I owned this, it was this or pay big bucks for a “real” alto. While it obviously was far from perfect, the Selman was good enough to learn on and play the occasional gig with. For the price, I really had no complaints.

Tenor Trombones

1970 King 3B - This is my workhorse tenor trombone, and has been since I bought it in 2015. It sounds great, plays great, can cut through anything, will work with any mouthpiece, and can fit in any style. The 3B is one of the most versatile trombones ever made, especially with an F attachment, and though I have tried dozens of amazing small bore trombones over the years, I have yet to find a reason to replace this 3B. I recently had the bell section delacquered, and I am in love with the dark, uneven finish that came out.

1970 King 3BF - I got this instrument years after the 3B above, but it plays EXACTLY the same. The valve really makes no noticeable difference to the sound or feel. It’s been really nice to have the option of valve or no valve depending on the gig, and I have used this 3BF a ton. However, I don’t REALLY need two trombones that play the same, so it is currently in the shop along with two King 607s below having mad science done to it.

1967 King 607 - The 607 is marketed as an “intermediate” trombone, but in reality it is a King 3BF with a straight bell brace and a yellow brass .525” slide. The result is an instrument that plays the same as my 3B and 3BF, just a little bigger. It has a monstrous low register in exchange for a high register that’s only slightly more difficult than on the 3B/3BF. It also happens to record the best out of any of my trombones - on a mic, the 607 punches WAY above its weight. I’ve used this trombone a lot, and it is about to get even better (see above).

1976 King 605F - The 605F is not the same beast as all the 3Bs or 3B-based trombones above. It is truly a student-level instrument, and is just a garden variety Cleveland 605 with an F attachment. This means it has a .491” bore and a student-grade slide, bell, and leadpipe. It is nowhere near the quality of the Kings above, but it is fairly rare and interesting for being such a small bore with an F valve. However, I really only bought this (on eBay for cheap, naturally) to use as a parts horn for an alto trombone project, which is ongoing.

2023 Y-Fort YSL-763L - This is my main large bore tenor, which I use for most classical tenor gigs. It is a fabulous horn that I bought straight from the Y-Fort booth at NAMM. It eliminates a lot of the headaches I usually have with large bore trombones, and just works everywhere, no matter how long it’s been since you’ve played it. I replaced an excellent Elkhart 88H with this, and I couldn’t be happier. It also came with an excellent Marcus Bonna-style screw bell case, for no extra charge!

Early (1990s) Willson 411TA with G valve - This large tenor trombone is extensively different than the standard 411TA you can order from Willson. The most obvious difference is that the valve attachment is in G rather than the usual F, but additionally the valve is an ULTRA rotor (instead of a Rotax), the attachment tubing matches the slide tubing at .547”, and the slide has a Saturn water key. This is a great-playing instrument with a dense, colorful sound, and the G valve allows for much more fluid slide movements in the middle and low registers. It’s also extremely cool, with a unique push-button slide lock and titanium nitride-coated inner slides.

Bach 42G with G valve - This is another G valve conversion like the Willson above. It too has an ULTRA rotor, and the valve tubing is the more typical .562”. The handslide is a lightweight nickel dual bore .547-562” slide, ensuring the lower slide bore matches that of the valve tubing. This is a nice playing example of a modern Bach 42, and the G tuning, ULTRA valve, and dual bore slide all work beautifully together. This horn now belongs to a friend of mine.

Conn 88HT with G valve - This is yet another G valve conversion, with an ULTRA valve and .547-.562” handslide (in this case a Conn SL5462). It is a rock-solid example of a modern 88H with the additional utility of the G valve. This one also now belongs to a friend of mine.

1962 Conn 88H - This Elkhart 88H was my large bore tenor for quite a few years, until I replaced it with the Y-Fort 763L. It had that magic Elkhart sound, and when you were in tune with the horn it was a wonderful player. But if you didn’t play the horn every day, it would really punish you. As someone who rarely gets called to play classical tenor, that meant the horn and I rarely agreed and it was often a struggle.

Yamaha YSL-682G - I bought this mainly out of curiosity, and I learned that it was a solid, dependable large bore with a pleasant sound and no surprises. Nothing super inspiring, but a great workhorse large tenor. If I had still been on my 88H when I bought the 682G, I would have replaced the 88H with the 682G without hesitation. But since I had the Y-Fort, I had no use for the 682G and it was gone quickly.

Unmarked German quartposaune - This German trombone was really in project condition when I got it, but I still used it on a few gigs and a multitrack in spite of that. It had a beautiful dark German sound unlike any other trombone I owned, and sounded full and rich in all registers - a true tenor-bass trombone. However, I was totally unwilling to spend the money necessary to make it comfortable to use, so off it went.

Selmer Largo - The Selmer (Paris) Largo is a fairly rare and very French large bore tenor. It was my first large bore, and in hindsight I probably should have bought the world-beater Holton 156 that I also tried that day instead. But at the time, I was completely enchanted by the captivating, velvety sound of the Largo. It really did have a special sound, and would be fabulous as a classical trombone soloist’s instrument. But I am not a classical trombone soloist, and the totally alien intonation and bright sound made playing in ensembles a losing battle. I later acquired another Largo bell section with 9” bell and F-attachment, which helped somewhat, but was still not enough to offset the horn’s many quirks. So I sold the Largos, bought an Elkhart 88H (see above), and didn’t look back.

1982 King 3B+F - The 3B+F is the real deal .525” 3BF - no sheep’s clothing like the 607. It has a proper nickel slide like the 3B, a gold brass bell, and the signature curved bell brace. It plays very well as you would expect, though it does sound and respond a little differently than my other 3Bs/607s thanks to the rose brass bell. Ultimately, I concluded that I preferred the sound of my yellow bell 3Bs and 607s, so I sold this one on.

1965 Conn 77H Connquest - The 77H is an uncommon Conn model that was sold as an intermediate model, but is essentially a 6H with a half-inch smaller bell. My 77H (which came with a King Cleveland counterweight for some reason) was yet another cheap eBay acquisition to see if the 77H was a hidden gem. I concluded that while it was a nice player, it wasn’t for me as the 6H’s bigger bell (and the bigger sound it creates) is part of the reason that I love the 6H. So I sold it on.

1966 Holton 66 Galaxy - This is the first instrument I ever bought on eBay. I got it for $90 in high school, to use in the school jazz band. It was my only small bore trombone until I bought my King 3B after I graduated undergrad in 2015, and served me well. It had a very bright, cutting sound to match its all-nickel plate construction and .485-.500” dual bore, and was great for New Orleans/second line. But ultimately it was too small for me, and I was very happy to trade up to the 3B.

1940 Holton 63 - This is a rare Holton small bore model (.480-.495” dual bore, 7.5” bell) that I owned briefly during grad school. It was a nice player with a very pretty sound, but ultimately I concluded once again that it was too small for me, and sold it on.

Bass Trombones

1963 Conn 72H - This is my main bass trombone, and has been since I bought it in 2017. It has an independent valve set from what looks to be a Yamaha YBL-830, and I bought it in that configuration. I bought it after having used a stock single-valve Conn 72H bass trombone as my only bass trombone for awhile, so it was the perfect upgrade. This bass trombone is a wonderful instrument that can go toe-to-toe with anything out there. It is perfect for big band playing, but I have also used it in big orchestras, opera pits, recording sessions, and chamber music and it fits beautifully in every situation.

Early (1990s) Willson 551TA - Willson bass trombones are rare and interesting, and this is possibly the most unique Willson bass trombone out there! This is a 551TA that heavily departs from the stock configuration. Most importantly, the valves are pitched in G and E instead of F and Gb, and the valve tubing is wrapped really beautifully, with the E tubing flanking the G wrap on both sides. This tubing is also .562”, matching the slide bore. Everything else is standard: .562” nickel slide with unique titanium nitride inners, push-button slide lock, and a huge, dense sound. This instrument is an excellent complement to my 72H, as two instruments’ sounds are very different and best suited to different musical situations. Even in these pictures you can tell just how much larger the Willson’s bell throat is than the 72H’s. The G/E/D valve tuning is very different to play than the usual F/Gb/D, but it works well.

1964 King 1480 Symphony - While some people think of the King 1480 as a large tenor, it is really a small bass trombone, and Bart Varselona played bass trombone in the Kenton orchestra on one. This is actually the second 1480 I’ve owned, and it is a great instrument with a beefy yet compact bass trombone sound. Sadly I have yet to have an opportunity to use it, but I’m hoping that opportunity comes before I decide to sell it!

1939 Boosey & Hawkes Artist’s Perfected - This is a traditional small-bore (.484”) British bass trombone in G. It has a full-length slide with handle, no leadpipe, and all the bark the G bass trombone is famous for. Unfortunately, the handslide is currently barely usable, but I hope to rectify that and eventually add a valve or two, because the sound is worth it.

1937 Julius Rudolph F bass trombone - This is the other side of the long bass trombone coin - a heavy German bass trombone in F. It has a massive bell throat and the biggest difference in bores between the upper and lower slides I’ve ever seen - .510-.590”! Despite being designed as a bass trombone, it has an enormous sound that sounds as broad and powerful as a modern contrabass trombone to my ears. I’m so glad I got the chance to own this, but I was searching for a true bass trombone sound rather than a near-contra sound, so I sold it to a friend who will make better use of it.

196x Conn 72H - This is the stock (apart from the valve slide stopper, which I never used) single-valve 72H I was playing on when I found the double-valve 72H. This came with a modern Conn SL6262 slide when I bought it, which really wasn’t a match for the bell as it was too short, but I made it work. Once I got the double 72H, I sold the SL6262 and just swapped single and double bell sections with the proper 72H slide. I kept that up for awhile, but eventually sold the single valve bell section as it didn’t provide a big enough difference in sound compared to the double valve section to be worth keeping around.

1972 Olds S24G - The Olds S24G was the first production independent bass trombone in history, and this one came to me with these modified open wraps. It was a great player, with a dense, colorful sound that I really loved. Unfortunately, the small rotors made the trigger register stuffy, and the trigger paddles were the most uncomfortable setup I have ever tried on a bass trombone - my left hand would be in pain within 30 seconds. If I had had a boatload of spare cash at the time, I might have had new valves and linkages put on it and had a world-beater. But I also still liked my indy 72H more, so I sold it.

2006 Getzen 1052FD - This was my first bass trombone, and it took me all the way through my undergrad. It was a great starter bass that was made even better when I eventually got a BrassArk leadpipe for it.

1960 King 1480 Symphony - This was my first King 1480, which I owned many years before I got my current one. Note the different F wrap compared to the 1964 model.

Valve Trombones

1985 King 1130 flugabone - This is the classic flugabone, and the model that coined the term. I got this on eBay for a whopping $67 many years ago - no small feat considering the prices they go for nowadays. I have owned several other flugabones (as well as a valve trombone and a trombonium), but the King is the one I kept. It has a shouty sound and is much louder than the Olds design, both of which are advantages for the situations I use it in (mainly cumbia). I’d love to get another one and cut it to C. I recently had this instrument delacquered, and as you can see the results are spectacular.

Blessing Artist M-200 flugabone - This flugabone is the same basic design as the Olds O-21, an instrument I briefly trialed but didn’t buy. The two are similar, though the Olds is more suited to classical flugabone playing (if such a thing existed) while the Blessing is more suited to smoky jazz flugabone playing (something that can actually exist in specific situations, including the quiet jazz trio gigs I used the Blessing on when I had it). Both cannot match the projection of the King 1130, but are great players in their own right. I enjoyed owning and playing the Blessing M-200, but ultimately it was destined to lose to the King.

1940 King 1140 trombonium - This is the original trombonium, and the same one that J.J. Johnson and Kai Winding played on occasion. I bought it out of curiosity, but I was not prepared for just how good this instrument is. Seriously, the 1140 blew even the King flugabone out of the water in both sound and playability. It was an excellent instrument and great fun to play. However, I could not get past the bad ergonomics, hugely inconvenient form factor, and awful factory case (with no available aftermarket replacements), so I made the tough call to sell it.

Jupiter JVT-528 - A bog standard Bb valve trombone. It has great valves and a nice sound, and is a fun player. This valve trombone now belongs to a friend of mine.

Baritones

Jinbao JBBR-1240 - This British-style baritone horn is one that I had tried many times at conventions before buying one. I have tried all the big name baritones - Besson Prestige, Besson Sovereign, Yamaha Neo, etc…and this little Jinbao (I think a Sovereign clone?) is as good or better than all of them. So when this one showed up on eBay for cheap, I was quick to snap it up. I have used it quite a bit since then, and it still impresses me as much as it first did.

Blessing Artist M-300 - This is the same model of marching baritone that I used in high school marching band. My high school had a couple of these old Blessings, and a few newer Kings. The Blessings were traditionally given to the freshmen, while the upperclassmen got the shiny Kings. But I quickly found that not only did the Blessings play better than the Kings, they were genuinely good instruments in their own right and not just by marching band standards. When I eventually became section leader, I assigned myself a Blessing while everyone else got the Kings. I liked it enough that I tried to buy mine from my band director when I graduated, but she wasn’t allowed to sell it to me. 13 years later, I finally have my own Blessing M-300, and this one is sticking with me.

Tubas & Euphoniums

Kanstul 902-4C tuba: This is a 3/4 C tuba that, while looking very worn, plays wonderfully. It is very easy to play in all registers, has good intonation and easy slide pulling, and sounds bigger than its small size would suggest. I also got it for an absolute steal of a price, so it really checks all of the boxes for a tuba doubler like me.

Schiller Elite IV - This is yet another weirdly-great Chinese clone - in this case a clone of the Yamaha YEP-642. I actually replaced a Sterling Virtuoso with this, because it was more consistent between registers and because I could no longer justify owning a fancy $3k+ euphonium when it never leaves the house. Such is the plight of most euphonium players after college. But this Jinbao model is hardly a bad instrument - it is a good euphonium by any standard. Would I like to have a nicer euphonium? Of course…but how could I justify it?

V.F. Cerveny Eb althorn - This althorn is essentially an alto tuba, and sounds like it. It makes a very dark, euphonium-like sound, but in the alto register. I eventually plan to either add valves or put on a totally new valveset to make it better, and maybe finally realize my dreams of having a 4+-valve alto euphonium.

2007 Sterling Virtuoso - This is a very early Sterling Virtuoso euphonium, and is one of the coolest-looking euphoniums I’ve ever seen. It played great, too - in the upper register it had the colorful, lyrical sound of a Besson, while in the middle and low register it had the broad, dark sound of Willson. It was an interesting combination, and a great overall result. But despite everything I just didn’t gel with this instrument, so I eventually replaced it.

2008 Kanstul 975 - This is a very early Kanstul 975 - likely a prototype. It was my first euphonium, and I had it for 11 years. It served me very well especially in my undergrad, and there was a lot to like about it. It remains the most comfortable euphonium to hold that I’ve ever played, which is a huge deal when most euphonium designs apparently don’t consider left-hand comfort at all. It had a nice sound somewhere in between the Besson and Willson extremes, and it had a monstrous low register. But it also had the usual intonation quirks present on every euphonium, and a few additional quirks not present on others. The worst one was that F in the staff was very sharp played open, so you had to play it with the 4th valve, which changed the sound a lot. It also had very heavy pistons, which were hard on the fingers when played for long periods. It was those two quirks that were the primary motivation for me to find a replacement after 11 years, and the 975 was eventually sold to a local high school band program.

Pelisson bass saxhorn in C - This early-20th century French bass saxhorn had a lean, compact euphonium sound. Being in C meant it was a pretty different experience from playing euphonium, which I liked. However, the valves were totally worn out and it really needed a full restoration to be worth keeping, so I sold it on.

Boosey & Hawkes Imperial Eb tuba - This is a classic 15” bell British compensating Eb tuba. It had a sweet sound and was essentially a big euphonium, which was exactly what I wanted. Unfortunately, it didn’t stick around too long for three important reasons. First, the pistons were totally worn out and the instrument really needed a total restoration to be usable. Second, I pretty much never used it. And finally, I lived in an absolutely TINY bedroom at the time, and a massive tuba that I never used was the last thing I needed. It was a very easy decision to sell it.

Instruments I have yet to own, but would like to

  • Natural horn

  • Parforce horn

  • Double descant horn

  • Alexander 103 double horn

  • Kanstul 284 high F marching horn

  • Kanstul 285 Bb marching horn

  • Dynasty II 2-valve G French horn bugle

  • Wagner tuba

  • Cheap rotary piccolo trumpet (maybe)

  • High F trumpet

  • Bb and/or C rotary trumpets

  • Kanstul 3-valve G soprano bugle

  • Contrabass trumpet (probably made from parts)

  • Eb cornet

  • C cornet

  • Pro-model British Bb cornet

  • British tenor horn

  • Rotary circular alto horn

  • A nice Bb oval tenorhorn

  • Eb soprano flugelhorn

  • C flugelhorn

  • 4-valve flugelhorn

  • Kanstul KMB-180 G mellophone bugle (early pattern)

  • Kanstul KMM-280 F marching mellophone (early pattern)

  • Harry B. Jay Columbiaphone

  • Large bore Bb soprano trombone

  • G soprano trombone

  • F alto trombone

  • Conn 6H (Elkhart) tenor trombone

  • F contrabass trombone (American tuning)

  • F cimbasso

  • Superbone

  • Alto, tenor, and bass sackbuts

  • F tuba

  • Sousaphone (maybe)

  • Valved ophicleide

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Listening Project Tiffany Johns Listening Project Tiffany Johns

Listening Project Chapter 7

We continue the listening project with a flurry of Japanese artists.

Makoto Matsushita was an easy inclusion into the project for me, as his beautiful album First Light (1982) is my favorite city pop album. But he also made three more albums, so I checked them out. The Pressures and Pleasures (1982) and Quiet Skies (1983) were more of the same soft city pop style is First Light, but to me none of their songs reached the same level as most of the songs in First Light, which are pillars of the genre for good reason. In 2019, Matsushita-san released a very different album from his previous work. Called Visions, it is an ambient album. I do like some ambient, but this particular album wasn’t for me, except for the first track “M 31 Andromeda”.

Mariya Takeuchi is the artist behind the legendary “Plastic Love”, the most famous and iconic city pop song. That song is most peoples’ first exposure to the genre, and is a wonderful track. Takeuchi-san has quite a few albums, and while most of the songs therein lean more towards just pop rather than city pop, I found a few gorgeous songs that I love - 3 from Expressions and 2 from Request.

Miki Matsubara is another well-known city pop artist, thanks to her hit “Stay With Me”. But like Mariya Takeuchi and most city pop artists, she has an extensive discography besides. Sadly, she is no longer with us as cancer took her far too soon in 2004, but she left behind plenty of great music. Out of her songs that I’ve added to my library, the most unique is probably “Touhikou”, which has a very dark, almost Bond vibe in the choruses.

microstar is an interesting artist that I don’t really know how to describe, as every album/EP has a different sound. While most of it wasn’t my cup of tea, the album She Got The Blues is where all of the microstar tracks I like come from.

Satoshi Bandoh is a drummer and composer who has played with T-Square since 2004, maintains a solo career, and also played on the soundtracks to Gran Turismo and Mario Kart 8. So basically, everything that’s right up my alley. I’ve known and loved one of his songs as an artist (“Every Moment”) for years, so it was no surprise to me that I found several more to love in his 3-album discography. Funky, modern jazz fusion at its best!

It’s hard to think of an artist that I would be guaranteed to love more than Masahiro Andoh. In addition to being the founding guitarist/composer/leader of T-Square, Andoh-san also wrote some of the soundtracks to the early Gran Turismo games, which were the sound of my youth and one of my biggest musical inspirations. His discography is only two albums, but they are strong albums. Winter Songs is a precious little pearl of joy and warmth.

Akira Jimbo is a drummer who most notably played in the band Casiopea, but he also has an extensive library as a solo artist. For me, while I did really enjoy a few songs, most were tarnished by Akira’s overly-showoffy drumming. It often sounded like I was listening to a drummer performing at a drummer convention, showing off as many hip polyrhythmic fills as he could in order to impress his fellow drummers. Drummers might hear it differently, but to me these constant random fills ruined the groove and never felt like they were serving the music.

TRIX is a newer Japanese jazz fusion band in the same vein as Casiopea and T-Square, formed by former members of those two bands in 2004. After listening to the complete libraries of all three bands, if I had to compare their styles in general terms it would be as follows:

  • Casiopea: Gran Turismo

  • T-Square: Mario Kart

  • TRIX: Sonic the Hedgehog

Especially with the synth patch choices, TRIX got a heavy Sonic vibe going in quite a few tracks. Otherwise, it felt like their sound was somewhere in between Casiopea and T-Square.

Based on how much I love the music of those two bands, you’d think TRIX would be a slam dunk for me. But while the arrangements and playing were just as tight, there was something off about most of TRIX’s library to me. Most of the time it was the mix that felt lifeless to me…bass too quiet and everything above sounding empty and flat. Sometimes it was the melodies, which were often boring, even amateurish. Sometimes it just felt that the band was playing it very safe. Other times it was all of the above. I did find a few songs that had none of those problems and were great listens, and those are now saved in my library alongside the many Casiopea and T-Square songs. But I expected to love a lot more going in. Oh well! We move on.

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Listening Project Tiffany Johns Listening Project Tiffany Johns

Listening Project Chapter 6

As we move into fall 2024, I’ve listened to enough artists for this listening project that I’ve come across a few that I just didn’t like. These won’t receive a write-up, but will eventually be included in the final list of artists I listened to in this project. With that clarification out of the way, we move right along.

PROTODOME is the artist name of Dr. Blake Troise, a researcher and musician who makes funky chiptune fusion music. Protodome’s library was a refreshing change from…well, pretty much everything else in my listening project. Four tracks really stood out to me. “Hotline Coldcall” and “New York Cheesecake” are delightful, groovy chip fusion that just makes you smile. “Nostalgia Breaks Hearts…” is a little gem that’s surprisingly poignant. Finally, “4000ad” is a real triumph - an 8-minute epic made entirely with 1-bit synthesis.

Electro Deluxe is a French fusion band that isn’t as well known as they should be. I initially discovered them through their fabulous cover of “Staying Alive”, but their library has a lot more to discover. Most notable to me is the album “Live in Paris”, where they are joined by a full big band. To me the band really comes alive in this format, and this album is an absolute jewel - like the perfect cocktail of Tower of Power and European big band jazz. I gushed about it when I first heard about it and I’ll gush here again - in my mind this album is a must-listen.

Chappell Roan has been taking the world by storm, and has become something of a patron saint for lesbians everywhere. I had friends recommending Chappell’s work very highly, so I bumped her library up the list and listened to all of it twice. The word I would use to describe Chappell the most is refreshing. It is refreshing to hear pop music with a great voice, great songwriting, great lyrics, and heart. Most pop music nowadays all feels like the same bland, formulaic drivel designed specifically to print money and nothing else. Well-produced and engineered yes, but memorable? Absolutely not. Chappell’s music is fun to listen to, it is memorable, and (most importantly) it makes you feel things.

For me, the slow songs were really what drew me in, especially on the second listen. In fact, out of my 5 favorite songs, “Red Wine Supernova” is the only one that is up-tempo. The rest (“Bad for You”, “School Nights”, “Coffee”, and “Kaleidoscope”) are slow heartbreakers or sensual love letters. When you’re in a more melancholy mood, those four songs are enchanting. They draw you into your own emotions in the exact way that you want.

With a start like this, I can’t wait to heart what Chappell Roan will create going forward.

Sadly, Sabrina Carpenter to me is more of the usual bland pop that is the vast majority of the genre. However, I did find one song to love in her library with “In My Bed”.

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Listening Project Chapter 5

We continue the project with ABBA, an artist near and dear to my heart.

Like everyone, I knew ABBA for “Dancing Queen” since I was a kid. I had also heard “Gimme, Gimme, Gimme” several times and liked it. But I never explored further until one random day in 2022, as I was working the early morning shipment shift at Banana Republic and the default Spotify playlist we had going played “Lay All Your Love On Me”. Once I got off work I HAD to hear that song again, and began exploring ABBA’s library.

It turns out that “Lay All Your Love On Me” is one of the tracks on what instantly became one of my all-time favorite albums, Super Trouper. I absolutely adore that album and listen to it often. At the time I also listened to every album before it, comprising all of ABBA’s mega hits. I found other songs to fall in love with, including three from “Voulez-Vous” and three others (including “Dancing Queen”, of course).

But I stopped there, figuring I’d listen to the few albums after Super Trouper at some point. Well, with my listening project in full swing, “at some point” has come and gone and…I have to be honest, nothing in “The Visitors” or “Voyage” was worth saving to me. There were a couple of decent songs (“Head Over Heels”, “No Doubt About It”) but I wasn’t a fan of anything else.

A shame, but I have all I need with Super Trouper and all my other cherished ABBA songs.

After this short jaunt was complete I turned my attention to an artist brand new to me: Sophie Ellis-Bextor, an English pop artist. She was the lead vocalist for indie pop band Theaudience (whose music is majorly not my vibe) in the late-’90s before going solo.

Sophie’s music is all very well-made and refined with catchy vocals - the perfect pop formula. As with most pop music there was a lot that I didn’t care for, but I found quite a few songs that I really enjoy. She started out strong with the first track on her debut album “Read My Lips”, “Murder On The Dancefloor”. This song is ultra-catchy, has a great vibe, and sounds like it should be on GTA V’s Non-Stop Pop FM radio.

Chances are I’m going to keep a song around if I find myself randomly singing it, and since I went through Sophie’s library I’ve noticed that happening with “Murder On The Dancefloor” and “Me And My Imagination”, my two favorite songs from this library. Those two songs along would make this listen worth it, but there’s plenty of other songs to love. “Heartbreak - Make Me A Dancer”, “Love Is Here”, “Bittersweet”…as I write this I’ve been going back through all of my favorites and playing them on repeat.

If you like modern dance-y pop, I can heartily recommend giving Sophie’s entire library a listen.

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Listening Project Chapter 4

After listening to 3 artists with massive libraries and similar styles, I wanted to take a left turn for the next few artists.

First up was Opolopo, a Hungarian/Swedish dance producer with a hefty library of funky, disco-y, house-y dance tracks. I ended up saving 15 tracks. If you like funk, disco, house, and dance music you’ll probably find something to like by Opolopo. My favorite track was definitely “In the Thick of It - Opolopo Dub Remix” by Joey Negro, The Sunburst Band, Angela Johnson, Dave Lee, and of course Opolopo.

Next up was the Spice Girls. I’d only ever heard the hits and figured there was more to the group than just the hits everyone knows from back in the day. The Spice Girls’ library is quite small, and I only ended up saving 3 songs: Too Much, Saturday Night Divas, and Holler. Most pop (no matter how good the group is) doesn’t do anything for me, so this is not a surprising result. With every artist in this listening project, if I find even one song I like enough to save and put in my library, it’s worth it…but this is especially true of pop artists and rock bands.

Speaking of rock bands, after the Spice Girls I took another turn and went to Van Halen. Also a fairly short discography, but plenty of hits throughout. I saved 7 songs, some hits but others not so well known.

After Van Halen I felt like continuing the rock kick, so I turned to Boston next. The first album (self-titled) turned out to be one of the best albums I’ve ever heard. It is genuinely a masterpiece, and in my opinion a truly perfect album. I was blown away. Sadly, not a single song after this first album did much for me, but the exceptional first album is more than enough.

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Listening Project Chapter 3: INCOGNITO

Incognito is a British jazz funk/acid jazz band that started in 1979. Compared to the previous two bands I listened to, Incognito's 18-album discography was a welcome change from the 70+ album juggernauts. I had never heard of Incognito before, but discovered them through music-map.com (really great site to find new artists, check it out!) and added them to the project.

I found Incognito's music to be consistently well-written and performed, with nice grooves and a solid horn section. But while I didn't find much to DISlike, most of their library didn't really grab me. It was good enough to listen to, but didn't make me want to save it or listen a second time.

That said, sometimes the band really hit me where I wanted it to, and I saved 21 exceptional songs that have me coming back again and again. My regular playlists have definitely been enriched by these songs and this band, and their best is as good as anyone's.

My favorite Incognito albums:

Tribes, Vibes + Scribes (1992)
Amplified Soul (2014)

My favorite individual tracks:

Need to Know - Tribes, Vibes + Scribes (the horns on this!!!)
Magnetic Ocean - Tribes, Vibes + Scribes

On to the next!

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Listening Project Chapter 2: T-SQUARE

Unlike CASIOPEA, I had never listened to T-Square before I started this project. When I saw the size of T-Square's formidable discography, I knew I would be in for a ride.

78 albums (!!!) later, I am finally done.

Funnily enough, the 78th album (a double live album) released literally YESTERDAY, the day I finished everything else! I thought I was done, and then saw by chance on T-Square's main Spotify page that they had just released a new album. So I started it right away, and finished it this morning. Now I am TRULY done (at least until the next album comes out). Out of those 78 albums, I saved 109 songs.

T-Square is a Japanese jazz fusion band much like Casiopea, with the same keys/guitar/bass/drums but with the important addition of a saxophonist. While the alto saxophone (and EWI) is a signature part of T-Square's sound, the first like...40 albums are essentially solo alto saxophone with rhythm section accompaniment. With apologies to my saxophonist friends, I do not like the alto saxophone enough to listen to it play all the melodies and solos for 40 straight albums.

The band's writing is consistently excellent from their first album in 1978 to the one from yesterday, but I found myself often wishing that the great melodies were played by a horn section rather than one saxophone. The other downside of this saxophone-oriented music is that it gave no room for the other 4 members, all fabulous musicians, to shine. This becomes particularly evident in later albums where you do start to hear guitar and keyboard solos, which are always excellent and make you wonder why the band waited so long to give them even a melody, let alone a solo.

All that being said, this band has made some incredible music that I really love, and I am so thrilled to have gone on this journey.

My favorite T-Square albums:

  • 夏の惑星 (Natsu no wakusei) (1994)

  • 宝島 (Takarajima) (w/Munich Symphony) (1995)

  • Wordless Anthology II (1999)

  • 33 (2007)

  • Wings (2012)

  • Crème de la Crème (2020)

Honorable mentions:

  • Truth (1987)

  • New-S (1991)

  • Impressive (1992)

  • Brasil (2001)

  • Groove Globe (2004)

  • Nine Stories (2011)

  • City Coaster (2018)

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Listening Project Chapter 1: CASIOPEA

CASIOPEA is a 4-piece Japanese jazz fusion band that is one of the giants of the genre. They are one of my favorite bands of all time, and they were who I decided to start my listening project with. Because although I had already listened (and re-listened) to a few Casiopea albums, that is but a drop in the bucket that is their full discography of well over 50 (!) albums. This band has been extremely prolific since they released their first album in 1979.

After listening to EVERY Casiopea album in order, and most of them for the first time, my love for this band has only increased. I had a lot of emotions when I finished the very last song: first sadness that there were no more Casiopea songs to discover, then happiness and relief that I had finished the library, and finally a feeling of being hugely enriched. This is the feeling that has persisted. It was a wonderful journey, and it made me so excited to continue this project and ultimately see it all the way through.

If you decide to check out Casiopea, the first track that you should check out is “Take Me”, from the album Mint Jams (1982). This was my favorite Casiopea track before I started this project and it is still my favorite. It is a jewel of a song that perfectly encapsulates the magic that is Japanese jazz fusion.

My favorite Casiopea albums:

  • The Party (1990)

  • Answers (1994)

  • 20th (2000)

  • Living On a Feeling ~ Casiopea Night Selection (2009)

  • Make Up City (1980)

  • Mint Jams (1982)

Honorable mentions:

  • Asian Dreamer (1994)

  • Places (2003)

  • Full Colors (1991)

  • Casiopea (1979)

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The Tiffany Johns Listening Project

Finding new music to love is hard.

In an era where an impossible amount of music is at your fingertips via Spotify and other streaming services, it feels harder than ever to find music that you really love. The weeds you must wade through to find a gem are thick and stretch beyond the horizon. I spend quite a lot of time and energy trying to wade through these weeds, but it’s slow going. It’s very rare that I find even one song that I really like, let alone an entire artist.

In January 2023, I began using Spotify’s fleet of discovery tools every day, in a much more dedicated effort to find new music to love. Over the course of that year I did indeed find some amazing music and artists that I never would have come across otherwise, and I added a lot to my library. However, I eventually got to the point where any of the discovery tools kept showing me the same songs they had already shown me before, so I moved on.

About a year later, in early 2024, I had the idea to dive more into artists I already know in a methodical manner, rather than attempting to discover new songs and artists by chance or via an algorithm. I realized that even my favorite artists have a lot of music I’ve never listened to; in fact, I can only think of two artists whose entire library I had listened to before I started this project: Moonchild and Dirty Loops. Along with this, I have massive holes in my knowledge of more popular music (in case you weren’t already aware, I was a turbo nerd in high school) and have intended to fix that for a long time.

So, with all that in mind, I decided to start an ambitious listening project that would take years to complete. I went to Spotify and added the entire discography of every artist I like or want to discover into a few colossal listening playlists sorted by genre. Each of these playlists has thousands of songs, and a couple of them reached the Spotify playlist limit (9,999 songs) so I had to start a second playlist for that genre. These playlists include my favorite artists, artists who have a few songs I really like but I never explored further, artists that I feel like I should know based on the genres I listen to, and artists that I feel like I should know as a Millennial.

I will make a post for each artist when I finish their library, giving general thoughts and my favorite albums. I will also be buying physical copies of the albums I really love - support artists directly! I will also be doing a summary post when I finish each genre, and years in the future maybe an overall summary of the project when I finish them all. All of these will be linked at the bottom of this post.

One final note: I’m writing this after having already finished one artist and nearly finished another. I’ll detail this more in the individual artist posts, but I feel that it’s important to also state here that I have already felt incredibly enriched from this project, and I would absolutely recommend it to anyone.

Here are my favorite albums from the artists I’ve discovered ( * = I knew the album beforehand):

  • ABBA - Super Trouper (1980)*

  • Akira Jimbo - 29 NY Red (2021)

  • Alex M.O.R.P.H. - Hands On Armada (Mixed Version) (2011)

  • Boston - Boston (1976)

  • Casiopea - Make Up City (1980)*

  • Casiopea - Mint Jams (1982)*

  • Casiopea - The Party (1990)

  • Casiopea - Answers (1994)

  • Casiopea - 20th (2000)

  • Casiopea - Living on a Feeling ~ Casiopea Night Selection (2009)

  • Electro Deluxe - Live in Paris (2012)

  • Incognito - Tribes, Vibes + Scribes (1992)

  • Jimsaku - Dispensation (1996)

  • Killer Mike - MICHAEL (2023)

  • Masahiro Andoh - Winter Songs (2010)

  • T-Square - 夏の惑星 (Natsu no wakusei) (1994)

  • T-Square w/Munich Symphony - 宝島 (Takarajima) (1995)

  • T-Square - Wordless Anthology II (1999)

  • T-Square - 33 (2007)

  • T-Square - Wings (2012)

  • T-Square - Crème de la Crème (2020)

  • Yellowcard - Ocean Avenue (2003)*

  • Yellowcard - Southern Air (2012)

Chapters:

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Alto Flugelhorn

There are alto trumpets, alto cornets, alto bugles, and of course alto horns, along with many other alto-voice brass instruments that have more interesting names. But what about an alto flugelhorn? This would be an instrument a 4th or 5th below the standard flugelhorn, still with a flugelhorn bore profile. This instrument does exist, but it’s not very common. It’s even rarer than alto trumpet or alto cornet, but it seems to bring more to the table than either of those do.

Here’s an alto flugelhorn - an “Elkhart”-stenciled Couesnon alto flugelhorn in F or E-flat:

This instrument has a gorgeous low flugelhorn sound that matches my Couesnon flugelhorn very well. In my opinion the sound is so purely flugelhorn that if someone heard an audio sample without knowing what instrument was playing, I’m guessing most brass players would immediately guess a 4-valve flugelhorn or maybe some other kind of flugelhorn. It does have a subtle hint of euphonium to the sound as well.

This alto flugelhorn plays just as well as my fabulous pre-WWI Couesnon flugelhorn, and is one of the better-designed/easier-to-play bell-front alto brass instruments that I’ve owned and played. It’s wonderful, and the sound is creamy smooth.

Couesnon alto flugelhorn (left), Couesnon flugelhorn (right)

These Couesnon alto flugels used to grow on trees on eBay, but in the past decade or so they sort of disappeared. I was surprised when this one showed up, and this time I didn’t let it pass me by. I enjoyed owning it and used it on my 2023 Christmas multitrack, but I no longer own it. First, I realized that my Kanstul 275 marching alto was actually better at being an alto flugelhorn than this actual alto flugelhorn…and then I realized that I didn’t even need that as my Holton M602 mellophonium is equally as good at being an alto flugelhorn as the Kanstul 275, while also having much more character. So off both went.

I have owned an alto trumpet, alto cornet, alto flugelhorn, and 2 alto bugles, but sadly none at the same time (so no back-to-back demos). But this alto flugelhorn sounded VERY different than the alto cornet did. It had that velvety flugelhorn darkness that the alto cornet just didn’t have, much more like the Dynasty III alto bugle in G (which is essentially an extra-large G flugelhorn).

Here’s a quick back-to-back comparison I did of my Couesnon flugelhorn and the Elkhart (Couesnon) alto flugelhorn. Hopefully, despite the phone microphone, you can hear the subtleties in each instrument’s sound.

Lastly, here are some photos of other types of alto flugelhorn out there. Most are in E-flat, which makes sense as the even rarer soprano flugelhorn is also in E-flat.

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B-flat Tenor Brass: What's the Difference?

Bass trumpets. Flugabones. Trombones in various bore sizes. Baritones in various shapes and sizes. Euphoniums. There are so many different kinds of 9-foot B-flat brass instruments that broadly function in the tenor register, so how do you justify them all?

Easy: they all sound different! Admittedly sometimes the differences are small, but the differences ARE there. Each was designed for a different purpose, but how do they compare when you put them head to head? Time to find out!

What follows is a cornucopia of audio files from various 9-foot instruments that I owned or had access to long enough to sit down and record for a while. This is by no means complete yet; I have a bunch more instruments and instrument/mouthpiece combinations to record, and I will continue adding to this as I gain access to different instruments. It is a forever work in progress, but hopefully before long it will be a comprehensive archive of most of the B-flat low brass out there. I may add tenor brass in other keys as well, but I’ll have to rework the excerpts to accommodate their ranges.

For now, let’s take a brief look at the instruments I’ll be demoing.

1970 King 3B Concert tenor trombone (.508” bore)

This is my main gigging commercial tenor trombone. It is extremely versatile, equally at home knocking down buildings on a funk or salsa gig or playing in a brass quintet. I use two mouthpieces with this instrument - a Warburton 8S/4* (very shallow lead mouthpiece) and a Hammond 11M (normal-depth V-cup general purpose mouthpiece).

1979 Conn 5H tenor trombone (.500” bore)

This is an Abilene Conn 5H, which is a lightened 6H. It tends to have a bright sound with lots of core, great for pop work. I only trialed this instrument and ended up not buying it, but I had it in my possession long enough to use it on these demos as well as a few other things. It didn’t like my Hammond 11M, so I used it only with my shallow Warburton 8S/4* (which it liked very much).

1985 King 1130 flugabone (.500” bore)

The source of the word “flugabone”, and a very good player. I’ve gigged on this a ton and its shouty sound is a great asset to have. Gotta be careful with mouthpiece choice though!

1973 Olds O-21 flugabone (.515” bore)

Another flugabone (or “marching trombone” in Olds-speak) that feels more refined and restrained than the King 1130. The better choice for classical flugabone playing (???). This is another instrument that I trialed but ending up not buying, though I ended up owning a different example of the same model later.

Josef Lidl rotary Bb bass trumpet (~.440” bore)

An old-school bass trumpet with a very small bore, that makes up for its difficulty with its piercing trumpet sound.

Blessing Artist M-300 marching baritone (.562” bore)

An older model of marching baritone that plays very well with a nice, colorful sound. I used this model baritone in high school marching band! This model also has a Bauerfiend valve set for some reason???

The Excerpts

I’ve prepared five contrasting excerpts to showcase the differences in all the instruments that will be playing them. (And by “prepared”, I mean “improvised on the spot when recording the first instrument”.) They are all very short, but give some good information. All instruments were recorded close-mic’d into my Cascade Fat Head ribbon microphone. I generally left intonation foibles in rather than re-taking until it was perfect, as tricky intonation is an important part of playing each instrument.

First up is a short marcato excerpt with 3 parts. I divided up the takes into 1 part solo, 3 parts (1 on a part), and 3 parts tripled (3 on a part).

Solo first:

3 parts (1 on a part, no doublings):

3 parts tripled (3 on a part) and panned to simulate a large section:

The next excerpt is a very short, softer triadic statement that starts high and ends low. As with the last excerpt, this one has 3 parts and was recorded the same 3 ways.

Solo first:

3 parts (1 on a part, no doublings):

3 parts tripled (3 on a part) and panned to simulate a large section:

The next excerpt is quick, high, and loud. 3 parts, nothing else. Very simple.

This one is a brief jazz excerpt in a typical 4-part big band trombone section style.

The last excerpt is a short 4-part chorale on the softer side. Starting with just the 4 parts, we’ll go through some fun variations later.

4 parts, no doubling:

The same stems as above, but this time drenched in some nice reverb:

This time each of the 4 parts is doubled, making for 8 total players.

Now we take the doubled parts and bring the reverb back.

Just for fun, after I finished recording the first 6 instruments, I unmuted all tracks on the chorale and exported that result too. This makes 48 players on 4 parts - 12 on a part, 2 per instrument. Just in case you ever wanted to know what a massed choir of bass trumpets, trombones, flugabones, and marching baritones sounded like.

Finally, I thought the massed chorale sounded so good that I decided to try pitch shifting the whole thing to see how it would sound in different ranges. I started by pitching down, but I was not prepared for the heavenly trumpet sound I got when I pitched up!

That’s all for now. As mentioned at the top of the post, there are still more instruments to record. At the very least, I have 4 trombones, possibly a bass trombone or 3, British baritone horn, and euphonium to add to the pile. In time!

In the mean time, if you’re interested in more comparisons, I uploaded some quick phone mic comparisons of some of these instruments on YouTube a few days ago.

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Brass Instruments That Don't Exist (But Should)

It goes without saying (especially on this particular website) that there are a lot of brass instruments out there. Some probably shouldn’t exist, and others are probably not distinct enough to really deserve their own name. But they exist nonetheless, and going down the rabbit hole to discover and make sense of all of them is an endeavor that takes years.

But even though the concept of a mouthpiece attached to a metal cone has been tried hundreds or even thousands of ways, I believe we have not explored all that is possible in the brasswind medium. More to the point, I believe there are some brass instruments that should exist…but don’t. That’s what I’m going to discuss here, and hopefully inspire intrepid makers to make them a reality. (I can dream, ok?) Naturally, these are just my personal opinions, and if you have a different idea of a non-existent brass instrument that you wish was less non-existent, I’d love to hear about it.

Alto Euphonium

This might be the instrument I wish existed the most - a true F or E-flat alto tuba in the British euphonium style, with 3+1 compensating valves, a much larger bore and bell throat than an alto horn, and a small trombone mouthpiece shank. Technically, an alto euphonium does exist: the Yamaha YEH-901ST, which was made in a very limited (14 or 15) run in 1984-85 for Yamaha artists. It only had 3 valves, none of them have ever been for sale, and Yamaha no longer has the tooling to make any more. So although it technically does exist, practically speaking it might as well not. But this is the idea.

Yamaha YEH-901ST alto euphonium in E-flat (picture from Hidekazu Okayama’s website)

I plan to get an alto euphonium custom made for me from parts, as I really believe in its potential. Hopefully that project might inspire makers to give the concept a try. If my alto euphonium project is successful, I may then think about trying a soprano euphonium as well.

(Compensating) Euphonium in C

A similar (but less radical) instrument I’d like to see more of is a professional compensating euphonium in C. This did exist as the Besson BE765C, a special order instrument available until the company moved to Germany in 2006. That tooling is also likely long gone, and the picture below is the only evidence I have ever seen of the model. I can’t imagine more than a handful were ever made.

Besson BE765C-2 euphonium in C (left), Besson BE765-2 euphonium in B-flat (right). Picture from Hidekazu Okayama’s website.

C euphoniums do exist and are used in some parts of the world, but apart from the Besson above there are none that I know of that are British-style professional instruments. C tubas are a standard for orchestral tubists…I see no reason why a British-style compensating euphonium in C couldn’t also have merit, especially as a doubling instrument for tubists used to C fingerings.

6/4 American-Style Tenor Tuba

There have been some extra-large compensating euphoniums in the past, but what I’m proposing goes a step further. Massive 6/4 York-style C tubas are very much in vogue…why not try that same blueprint an octave up? Give it 4 front-action pistons with a 5th rotor and orchestral tuba players will flock to it as a doubling instrument even more than the C compensating euphonium mentioned above.

Bass Euphonium

I know what you’re thinking: “Isn’t a bass euphonium just an F tuba?” And I don’t blame you for thinking that, especially when small bell British F and Eb tubas that look and sound like big euphoniums exist. But my thought for an instrument called “bass euphonium” would be to take the dimensions of a modern compensating euphonium (.590” starting bore size) and use them to build an instrument in low G. The goal is an instrument somewhere in between a euphonium and bass tuba in sound. I will admit, this one isn’t that important to me, but I think it would be an interesting experiment. I have seen a few very small bass tubas for sale that have seemed like really good candidates to cut down into a bass euphonium. I’ve even seen a piston F tuba with a 12-inch bell!

Soprano Mellophone/Mellophonium

A custom Holton Bb soprano mellophonium, made from parts

A soprano mellophone in high B-flat is something I’ve wanted for a long time. A couple have been cobbled together from parts using trombone bells (see the above picture), but that’s not really the real deal. I’m talking new mandrels and tapers that match a modern mellophone, just a scaled down for an instrument a 4th higher. I would suggest still using a trumpet shank and the same bore size as an F mellophone, as you still want it to feel like a mellophone. Truthfully, I would love a soprano mellophonium with a .500” bore, the same as the Conn 16E mellophonium. But as no maker makes a bell-front mellophone that large anymore, you’d have to do that first and then make the high Bb version. Which…I would also welcome with open arms. I love my 16E, but that design leaves a ton of room for improvement by a modern maker.

Lower Mellophones

If the mellophone formula can be expanded upwards, why not downwards as well? I used to own a Conn 8E ballad horn from 1930, which is essentially a tenor mellophone in C or B-flat. But (to my knowledge) a modern bell-front tenor mellophone is not something that anyone has ever attempted. I even think a bass mellophone in F (an octave below the standard mellophone) would have a lot of potential.

I have been fascinated by the idea of a complete mellophone or mellophonium family for a long time, and even drew freehand sketches of what I would imagine some of the non-existent members could look like.

An old sketch of mine for a bass mellophonium in low F. I figured for an instrument of this length, an upright design was much more practical as a normal mellophonium is already an ergonomic challenge.

An old sketch of mine for a soprano mellophonium in high Bb.

I even sketched a little sopranino!

A Real Bass Horn

I’m not talking about the “bass horns” out there that are basically just rewrapped tubas. I’m talking about a proper double horn a 4th or 5th below a normal double horn, with a small bore proportionate to that of a normal horn, playable by a horn player or trombone/euphonium player, with a dedicated mouthpiece that’s a deep horn mouthpiece scaled up to around big alto horn (~19mm) or small trombone size. Much like modern descant horns usually use the same bells as double horns, the bass horn could use standard XL-throat double horn bells, like those from a Conn 8D or King Eroica.

Endangered Instruments

This category is for instruments that do exist, and you can even order them in some cases, but they are FAR too rare - often nearly impossible to find and/or prohibitively expensive. These are instruments that I would like to see someone step up and make more widely available. I think rare, odd instruments like these are the perfect specimens for Jinbao/Wessex/etc. to take on. They’ll be playable enough, but also affordable enough that many players can try them out, and maybe get a boutique maker to make them a better one if they like it enough. If you start with the ultra-expensive handmade custom horns, nobody will ever buy one and the market won’t materialize. But if you start cheap, it just might. Certainly, these instruments would make more sense and have more merit than some of the odd instruments Jinbao has chosen to clone.

  • Soprano flugelhorn (they are always in Eb, but I would love one in F as well)

  • Flugelhorn in C (with pistons and a 3rd slide trigger, just like a normal flugelhorn)

  • Martin-style jazz flugelhorn (the Miles Davis horn)

  • Alto flugelhorn (G, F, or Eb, a la the Couesnon)

  • Alto cornet (G, F, or Eb, a la the DEG model 1220)

  • Alto trumpet (G, F, or Eb)

  • Bass cornet (C or Bb)

  • Double trumpets (Bb/low F, Bb/high Eb, C/high F)

  • High F and G trumpets, especially with 4 valves

  • 4-valve C and Bb trumpets

  • 3-valve Bach-style piston bass trumpet in C (with main tuning trigger)

  • Contrabass trumpet (F or Eb)

  • British-style alto horn with 4 valves (most recent example: Kanstul ZAT-1540)

  • British-style 3+1 compensating baritone horn

  • Double bell alto horns, baritone horns, and tubas

  • British-style 3+2 non-compensating euphonium

  • Large bore (.500") soprano trombone (with valve and tuning-in-slide)

  • Large bore (.547”) alto trombone (with Bb valve, possibly tuning-in-slide)

  • Alto trombone in F

  • Alto valve trombone (F or Eb)

  • Large bore, bell-up trombonium (a la Conn 90G)

  • Bass trombonium (3 valves, in low F or E-flat)

  • Sopranino trombone in Eb

  • Tenor trombone in C

  • Tenor or bass trombone in Bb/F/ascending C

  • Double valve (Bb/F/Gb) tenor trombone (in .508”, .525”, and .547”)

  • Modern bass trombones in low G or F (hey pBone, please make a straight F bass. I’d love you forever)

  • G contrabass trombone (a la Jeff Reynolds)

  • Tuba-shaped F cimbasso (a la Kalison)

  • Tubas in G and D (G = shortened small F, D = shortened 4/4 rotary C)

  • Valved ophicleide (I would LOVE to try an F bass valved ophicleide in a brass quintet)

  • French ascending piston double horn (a la Selmer Thevet Ascendant)

  • Ascending double horns in general

  • Bass Vienna horn (F/C)

Other Pie-in-the-Sky Ideas (that I’m not actively hoping for, but would be fun)

  • Alto superbone

  • A superbone with 2 valves and a 4-position handslide, requiring you to use both in tandem constantly to play chromatically

  • New sizes of corno da tirarsi (slide horn), and corni da tirarsi with a valve or two

  • New sizes of Wagner tuba (alto in Eb, contrabass in C, high double in Eb/Bb, low double in F/C)

  • French ascending piston triple horn and double descant horn

  • Soprano trombones in G and C

  • Soprano valve trombone (in a shape and taper that distinguishes it from a trumpet)

  • 3 and 4 valve trumpets (not alto trumpets, or soprano bugles) in G

  • Contrabass cornet in F or G

  • 4-valve compensating flugelhorn

  • Tubas/euphs/baritones/tenor horns/cimbassos with echo bells (like an echo cornet)

  • A Bb contrabass trombone that doesn’t suck (the most unrealistic idea here)

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Brass, G Bugles, Alto Brass, Low Brass Tiffany Johns Brass, G Bugles, Alto Brass, Low Brass Tiffany Johns

G Bugles

If you’ve been wandering around my website and have noticed a fair bit of content regarding a bunch of weird bugles in G and want to know what that’s about, if you’re interested in G bugles and want to know which ones could be the most useful, or if you’re deep into the G bugle game and you just want to consume as much G bugle content as possible, this article is for you.

I’ll start with a very brief history lesson and a definition of what exactly a G “bugle” really is.

Civilian drum and bugle corps in the United States began after World War I, initially using actual valveless military bugles for the brass line. Eventually they started adding valves to the bugles, which were only allowed to be in the key of G. First came a single horizontal piston, then 1 piston and 1 rotor, 2 pistons, and finally 3 pistons. Each change came after a long and laborious process of arguing for and against The Tradition™, a drum corps pastime that continues to this day.

Along with valves, new brass voices were gradually added to the allowed instrumentation, and while many of them were not at all bugles, they were still called bugles. (For this reason I like referring to the “family” as a whole as competition bugles, rather than just bugles.) This resulted in fun names like “French horn bugle” and “trombonium bugle” that sound like they came from a Dr. Seuss book. Weird naming scheme aside, drum corps instrumentation was rife with experimentation until the year 2000, when the rules were changed to allow brass instruments in any key, instead of just G.

Drum corps is a pretty insular activity, and as a result most brass players who aren’t into drum corps don’t know much (if at all) about the G bugles. I myself never marched, and so my main interest in G bugles has always been “which of these instruments is useful outside of drum corps?”, and that’s mainly what this article is about. I have been fortunate to own a smattering of ultra-cool, ultra-rare G bugles in the past few years, and have used a few of them in very not-drum-corps environments, so I feel like I can answer that question pretty well at this point. If you are a G bugle collector, this information and advice probably does not apply to you. Let’s dive in!

Soprano Bugle

King K-20 soprano bugle

The soprano bugle was the top voice of the G hornline. These are essentially trumpets in G with an extra large bore and bell throat, and they are SCREAMERS. If that sounds appealing, you would probably enjoy a 2-valve soprano. The 2 valve horns are extremely light and extremely free-blowing, and if you’re playing screamer parts you don’t need the 3rd valve. Look for a King K-20 or Dynasty II.

However, I believe the soprano bugle’s real niche outside of drum corps is the LOW notes. Put an extra-large mouthpiece into a 3-valve soprano and you have an excellent G alto trumpet. With the huge scarcity of real alto trumpets in F or E-flat, a 3-valve G soprano bugle (which you can easily pick up online for around $200) is a legitimately useful tool for a trumpet player, or an interesting left-field choice for someone looking to add a high brass instrument to their stable.

Dynasty G350B soprano bugle

While I would definitely recommend holding out for a 3-valve for the reasons above, an ultra-cheap 2-valve soprano is not a bad pickup either. It is fully chromatic at sounding E4 and above, which can still be useful (especially if you already have a trumpet). Just don’t spend very much!

Piccolo Soprano Bugle

These are an octave above the G soprano bugle, and are very rare. Almost all of them have two valves, making them chromatic only down to sounding E5. An interesting curiosity yet ultimately not worth looking for, especially as if one does show up for sale it will not be cheap.

Flugelhorn Bugle

Dynasty II flugelhorn bugle

Flugel bugles are not a common type of bugle, but they did see quite a bit of use in the 2-valve era. As the flugelhorn’s strength is the middle register and not the high register, I tend to think 2-valve flugel bugles are not very useful. That said, if you really want a flugelhorn and can’t find a dirt cheap one in Bb, a 2-valve G flugel bugle might be your cheapest way into a playable, nice-sounding flugelhorn. Do not show up to any kind of gig with one, but for home use and multitracking it can be a great option for the right price (no more than $200). You get the same lowest note (sounding E3) as a Bb flugel and just have 4 missing notes (Ab3-Bb3, Eb4) above that, but if you have any other mellow alto instruments that’s easy to write around. For 2-valve flugel bugles, look for the King K-30 or Dynasty II.

As for 3-valve flugelhorn bugles, they barely exist. Dynasty had one model, but it’s just a Signature 2000 Bb flugel with tubing added, which is not a good recipe. Kanstul did make at least one, but it was not a standard part of their catalog. Yamaha made a full set for the Blue Devils in 1992, but they were just modified Bb flugels. If you want a 3-valve flugel-like instrument, look to the alto bugle instead.

Alto Bugle

Kanstul KAB-175 alto bugle

The alto bugle is usually a mellophone with a smaller bell, but the older ones (particularly the 2-valve Dynasty II Alto/Symphonic or the impossibly rare Dynasty III 3-valve version) are essentially big flugelhorns in G. A bit more horn-like when pushed, but otherwise all flugel. However, as the 2-valve is missing the same notes as a 2-valve flugel bugle (and is very rare), and the 3-valve I used to own is the only example I’ve seen of that model ever existing, these older (1970s) Dynasty alto bugles are not something to bet on.

The more common smaller bell mellophone type (King K-40 2-valve, Kanstul 175, later Dynasty II, later mellophone-wrap Dynasty III), is an interesting beast. With an alto horn mouthpiece, they sound like an even sweeter flugelhorn. However, they were usually designed around a marching mellophone mouthpiece, which means they can play far too flat to be usable when you use an alto horn mouthpiece. My early-pattern Kanstul KAB-175 was this way. I could only use a marching mellophone mouthpiece like it was designed for, and it played exceptionally well with that, but no longer sounded anything like a flugelhorn. Instead, the sound you get with that combination is more like a cross between mellophone and trumpet. It is certainly a unique and interesting sound, but not one that I would call useful. I’d love to hear it in a jazz combo or pop horn section, though.

Mellophone Bugle

King K-50 mellophone bugle

The G mellophone bugle was originally inspired by the Conn 16E mellophoniums used in the Stan Kenton band, and the modern F marching mellophone was developed from the G mellophone bugle. With great F mellophones like the Yamaha YMP-204M readily available, is the G mellophone useful?

In my opinion, a G is useful only if you play a lot of screamer mellophone parts. I used to own a King K-50 2-valve G mellophone, the screamiest of all mellophones, and it was great fun to play screamer parts on. It is the sports car of the mellophone world. I eventually sold it because it didn’t offer enough of a difference from my other mellophones, but I had a ton of fun with it. If you can find a K-50 for a great price and want to give it a shot, I can guarantee you’ll have a great time with a K-50 or a 3-valve G mellophone (Dynasty or Kanstul) if you like playing very high on mellophone.

What I would not recommend is buying a G mellophone as your only mellophone. Get a good F marching mellophone, like a cheap King 1120 from eBay, so that you can have a workhorse that you can read existing mellophone or horn parts with. Then, if you want, pick up a G mellophone (2 or 3 valve) to add some more brightness and high note security to your mello arsenal.

Meehaphone

Kanstul MFL meehaphone

The meehaphone is the most famous of the weird and ultra-rare G bugles. Made for Kanstul for the Blue Devils in 1987, the meehaphone is essentially a bell-front descant horn in G with 2 valves. I was fortunate enough to own the only known meehaphone not in a museum for a while, and while it was very cool it was not very useful. The instrument’s forte is its middle register, with the high register being weak and unstable. But since it only has 2 valves, that middle register is only fully chromatic for less than an octave! A 3-valve meehaphone built from parts would be interesting, but if you’re doing that you’re in pretty deep.

French Horn Bugle

Dynasty II French horn bugle

The French horn bugle was one of the standards of the DCI hornline in the 2-valve era, partly because it unlocked a lot of the missing pitches the mellophones had. Because it was built an octave lower than other mid-voice bugles, it was the only kind of bugle that really never needed 3 valves on the field. The lowest chromatic pitch (sounding E3) on a 2-valve “Frenchie” is far below what you would see in a typical drum corps French horn book.

However, because the French horn bugles were nearly as long as a single F horn, they were very easy to crack notes on while running across a football field. But are they useful off the field?

If you’re playing a live gig on multiple brass instruments where you are playing into a mic and need to cover some French horn parts, a marching horn is exactly what you need as the bell points the right way for the mic. But Bb marching horns exist and are plentiful, so why go for the G? Most of the time I would say you don’t need to, especially as 2-valve Gs don’t typically go for any cheaper than 3-valve King Bbs on eBay. However, the G really does sound very close to a concert horn, and the Bb is not as close. So if you want a really convincing horn sound for a mic placed in front of you, the G French horn bugle (King K-60, Dynasty II) could be your best bet.

While 2 valves is more than enough for field use, if you happen to come across one of the enormously rare 3-valve G French horn bugles (Kanstul KHB-185, Dynasty III) at a good price, that 3rd valve is obviously nice to have. That said, on the only gig I’ve had where I would have used my G French horn bugle if I had it at the time, I actually would have only needed 2 valves.

Low Alto Bugle

Kanstul low alto bugle

The low alto bugle is one of the oddest and rarest G bugles out there. It was made by Kanstul at the start of the short 3-valve era, and so few were made (6 total) that it didn’t even get a model number. It is essentially a Kanstul KHB-185 3-valve G French horn bugle with a trumpet shank, which sounds like it would just be a 185 but worse. However, the truth is much more interesting. Many kinds of mouthpieces will fit (trumpet, mellophone, alto horn, small trombone, French horn w/adapter), and the horn works very well with ALL of them. Each mouthpiece gives it a unique sound, like a cross between a French horn and whatever type of mouthpiece it is. Out of all the G bugles I’ve owned, the low alto might have the most potential. But since only 6 were made and at least 3 are spoken for, you’re very unlikely to come across one. If you want something like this, you might look into a Holton MH-100/101 Bb marching horn, which also has a trumpet leadpipe for some reason.

Trombonium Bugle

Dynasty II trombonium bugle

The award for the silliest name easily goes to the trombonium bugle, and it is also one of the silliest looking. It was made by Dynasty in 2 and 3 valve versions and small and large bells, and I can’t find any reason to recommend one over a normal Bb valve trombone or flugabone. They are also extremely rare, so you probably won’t have that choice to make anyway.

Cellophone

Dynasty II cellophone (catalog ad)

The cellophone is another impossibly rare G bugle. Essentially a Dynasty flugabone in G, only 4 2-valve models were made, all for the Phantom Regiment. However, 3-valve Dynasty III models were also made for the European market, but only 4 of those are known to exist. You’d have much better luck taking a Bb flugabone from King or Dynasty and lengthening it to G, or just playing a Bb flugabone.

Baritone Bugle

Olds Ultratone II baritone bugle

This is the low brass G bugle that you want. Originally called a “bass baritone” to distinguish it from the older and smaller type of baritone bugle, this kind of baritone bugle was the standard type of low brass in DCI hornlines from its inception until the end of the G bugles (at which point it was just replaced by the same thing in Bb). Most of them have 2 valves, and in my opinion they are not worth it for someone looking to use it in non-drum corps situations. You can get used Bb marching baritones very easily, and they will be much more useful. However, if you can find one of the much less common 3-valve G baritone bugles (Kanstul KBB-190, Dynasty III, Dynasty M371) for an affordable price, it can be an interesting purchase.

BAC (Kanstul 191) baritone bugle

As your only low brass instrument for home use, the 3-valve G bari would be a nice option as it can play as high as a Bb instrument but can also play chromatically down to Db2. However, I would usually only recommend purchasing a G baritone as a second instrument to a Bb instrument (regardless of type), and it doesn’t bring THAT much new to the table. It has a nice fat sound that is different enough to a Bb marching baritone that it could be interesting to own both, but between baritone and euphonium I don’t think there’s much of a need for that G baritone sound. I think the most sensible use would be if you don’t want to put down the money for a 4-valve euphonium (and/or no $500 Yamaha YEP-321s are for sale at the time), but want something that can play lower than your 3-valve Bb instruments. But it would have to be a very good price on the G baritone, like $300 or less.

Euphonium Bugle

Dynasty M376 euphonium bugle

The G euphonium bugle is the baritone bugle’s big brother, and is one heavy beast. Pretty much everything I said about the baritone bugle above also applies to the G euph. I will say that Bb marching euphoniums are not nearly as common to find used for cheap as Bb marching baritones, so if you need a bell-front euphonium to play into a mic and happen to find a G euph bugle for cheap it could be a good solution. That said, G euphs are also not as common as G baritones (ESPECIALLY the rare 3-valve models by Kanstul or Dynasty), so it would have to be a lucky situation.

Contrabass Bugle

BAC (Kanstul 201) contrabass bugle

Generally, contrabass bugles are just Bb tubas that point forward and are crooked down to G. A 3 or 4-valve G contra is a cool beast, but not a cheap or useful one. In my opinion the only reason to buy a G contra would be if it was an older piston/rotor or 2 piston model being sold for nearly nothing, that you could get converted to a concert tuba with a front-action valve set in the same bore that you happen to have lying around. Otherwise, a normal tuba is a much better purchase.

Closing Thoughts

Sadly, the door is nearly shut on the G competition bugle. G bugles were quickly phased out of DCI competition after the any-key rule change in 2000, and the list of groups that still use G bugles is not a long one. The most notable is the United States Marine Band Commandant’s Own Drum & Bugle Corps, which very recently moved from 2-valve Kanstuls to 3-valve BACs. Other than that, there are some alumni and lower-level junior corps that are still on G, as well as a handful of small G-faithful corps in Japan, such as the Yokohama Scouts.

The only place to buy a new G bugle is from BAC in Kansas City. BAC acquired the Kanstul G bugle tooling when Kanstul shut its doors in 2019, which is why they made the new bugles for the Commandant’s Own. They do advertise the G bugles on their website catalog, but they price them at nearly twice what Kanstul did, making them far out of reach for most people who might be interested in one. Additionally, they only offer 4 out of Kanstul’s 10 bugle models, so if you want anything other than a soprano, mellophone, large baritone, or contra, you are probably out of luck.

Fortunately, the common types of G bugle were made in large quantities to outfit all the corps’ hornlines, so there is no shortage of used soprano, mellophone, French horn, baritone, and contrabass bugles to be found. Additionally, as they are all essentially obsolete and only desirable by DCI alumni and G bugle collectors, they usually go for very affordable prices. The 3-valve horns and less common types (alto, flugelhorn, euphonium) are harder to find, but if you are patient it is still doable. If you are diligent, you may even come across one of the ultra-rare models for a very low price. There are still unaccounted-for examples of nearly every kind of bugle ever made out there waiting to be found.

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Brass, Trumpet, Alto Brass Tiffany Johns Brass, Trumpet, Alto Brass Tiffany Johns

Alto Trumpet (and other low-ish trumpets)

Without a doubt, the alto trumpet is the black sheep of the trumpet family.

Built in low F or E-flat, this instrument was allegedly invented by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov…at least, that’s what he claims in his treatise on orchestration. Regardless, he wrote for it often and his Russian contemporaries followed suit. But what is it really, and why is it essentially extinct?

The first and most important thing to note is that the alto trumpet is NOT the same instrument as the older orchestral trumpets in low F or Eb, which are direct descendants of the long natural trumpets that came before and were written for by many popular orchestral composers (Mahler, Strauss, etc.). Those are true trumpets, rather than the mostly-cornet instruments we call “trumpets” today.

Although both the low orchestral trumpet and the alto trumpet are the same length and you might think the distinction is unnecessary, they are completely different instruments. I have experience with both types, and they could not be any more different in sound, feel, and function if they tried. The difference is as large as a modern tuba compared to an ophicleide.

As if two instruments in the same family that are the same length but are completely different was not confusing enough, there is actually a third instrument to throw into the mix: the F or E-flat bass trumpet.

These instruments have a larger bore and bell than alto trumpets and take a trombone mouthpiece, and function essentially the same as the more common C and Bb bass trumpets. Once again, these instruments are entirely removed from either the low orchestral trumpet or alto trumpet in sound, feel, and function. Eb bass trumpets are most often seen nowadays in German folk music, for example as the middle voice between a rotary flugelhorn and a large Bb bass trumpet or bass flugelhorn. Here is a great example:

These three instruments are all trumpets in low F or E-flat, but they are completely different. To summarize:

  • F/Eb low orchestral trumpet: meant to be played in the same register as a Bb or C trumpet. It’s a natural trumpet with valves, and it plays and sounds as such. Uses a small mouthpiece.

  • F/Eb alto trumpet: meant to be played a 4th or 5th below the Bb trumpet. Designed from that instrument, rather than from the natural trumpet. Does what the name implies. Uses a mouthpiece in between trumpet and trombone in size (~19mm).

  • F/Eb bass trumpet: meant to be played roughly an octave below the Bb trumpet, like a C or Bb bass trumpet. Plays and sounds like any other bass trumpet. Uses a trombone mouthpiece.

While none of these instruments are particularly common, low orchestral trumpets are still made by Kuhnl & Hoyer and a few boutique makers (Thein, Egger, Dotzauer), and F/Eb bass trumpets still have a market (Thein, Meinl Weston, Helmut Voigt, Lars Gerdt, likely many more small German and Austrian makers).

This is not the case for the alto trumpet, which is currently made (to my knowledge) by nobody. Why is that?

The easiest explanation is the repertoire.

Eb bass trumpet does have a few important parts in the orchestra such as the Rite of Spring, but the bass trumpet in C is the orchestral standard for all bass trumpet parts so you’re not likely to see an F or Eb bass trumpet in the orchestra. However, it has an established role in German folk music, and thus will always have a use and thus a market.

While the low orchestral trumpet is sadly totally extinct in the world of modern orchestral trumpeting, a massive portion of the standard orchestral canon was written for it, so there will always be a small interest in them for players that value authenticity or regularly engage in historically-informed orchestral performance.

The alto trumpet doesn’t have any existing use like that to rely on. There is some Russian repertoire for it, but all of those parts were deliberately written within the range of the Bb trumpet so that the part could still be covered if no alto trumpet was available. This is a logical move, but the unfortunate result is that there is zero incentive to get an alto trumpet for those parts. Mahler-style low orchestral trumpets suffer from the same issue; with a few notable exceptions, everything is well within the range of a Bb or C trumpet.

Scythian Suite (Prokofiev) - Movement 2, Trumpet 4 (F alto)

But suppose an intrepid player wanted to honor Rimsky-Korsakov’s intentions and get an F alto trumpet. The player might also point out that there is some research to indicate Wagner’s 3rd trumpet parts might have been intended for a similar instrument, in order to further justify their purchase. Where can they buy one?

Unfortunately, alto trumpet buying options are nearly nonexistent. As previously mentioned, nobody (to my knowledge) makes a new one. The closest thing is the Carol Brass CTR-5000L-YLT-Bb/G-L, which is just a normal Bb trumpet with alternate slides to put it in G. You’d also have to find a dealer that would be willing to get one for you, as I haven’t found any online store that stocks the model.

Carol Brass CTR-5000L-YLT-Bb/G-L trumpet in B-flat or G (G slides equipped)

You might find some luck with Italian brass makers, as Italian military and police bands are the only place I know of where the alto trumpet has seen regular use, with the 3rd trumpet part often played on F altos instead of Bbs. Those bands are anomalous in other ways too, though - cimbasso, bass trumpets, and Eb soprano flugelhorns are standard features of those bands (though the Eb flugelhorn isn’t so common anymore, usually being substituted by Eb cornet).

The 3 alto trumpeters of the Banda dell’Arma dei Carabinieri, from their 2016 performance at the Kennedy Center. This ensemble also had 2 bass trumpets and a plethora of other uncommon instruments.

As an aside, alto trumpet does have some further history with concert bands. In the spectacular 1923-1924 roster for the University of Illinois Concert Band, one alto trumpet player is listed:

Okay, so what about buying an alto trumpet used? Well, here is a summary of the used alto trumpet market, from my experience:

Bach “contralto” trumpets (made in either F or Eb): enormously rare, and when they do show up for sale they have the Collectible Bach Tax™ and are very expensive. Not that they were cheap when they were new, mind you. I am fortunate enough to own one of these with a gold brass bell (model 351G) - something I’ve never seen another example of. Over the years this instrument was designated either 187F (and presumably 187E for the Eb model, though I have no proof of that) or 351, with the bell mandrel always being 351.

Holton 56 (Eb only) and Olds Custom F-10: both ultra rare, and usually expensive.

Conn 34B, 40B, 50B (all Eb only): very rarely show up for sale. If you do manage to find one, beware: everything I have read about them says that they are very stuffy and generally bad to play.

Getzen 389 (F with Eb slide): By far the most common used alto trumpet to show up, but still not common at all. Plus, it’s a student-level instrument that by all accounts is not that great. Make sure to not mistake a Getzen frumpet for one, as they look similar.

Getzen 389 alto trumpet in F and E-flat (E-flat slide installed)

A page from a Getzen catalog showing the frumpet, alto trumpet, and bass trumpet

Amati Kraslice ATR-262 (E-flat): I’ve only seen these show up for sale a handful of times, and there’s no other information out there that I can find. But it appears to be an alto trumpet with a bell big flare.

Kühnl & Hoyer low Ebs (model 599/599K): I include these only to warn you that these are not actually alto trumpets. They look like they should be as they have piston valves and a very normal wrap (in either the short (599K) or long (599) variety), but they are actually long orchestral trumpets like the old rotaries in terrible condition that live on eBay.

3-valve G soprano bugle: The old drum corps G soprano bugles were basically trumpets in low G with an extra-large bore and bell throat. This means that with a suitably large mouthpiece, they actually work very well as a G alto trumpet. As a bonus, the Dynasty 3-valve sopranos show up on eBay quite frequently at very affordable prices (usually $150-250). While these are not in F or Eb and you would thus have to transpose (or get slide extensions made), they can play down to concert Db3, which covers every extra low note in the repertoire except for the low C in Mozart 41 (which is not an important note anyway). Used Kanstul sopranos are less common and more expensive, but generally regarded as the better instrument. You could also buy a brand new Kanstul-pattern one from BAC if you really wanted to.

Dynasty 3-valve soprano bugle in G

My conclusion is simple: every orchestral trumpeter should own a 3-valve G soprano bugle. It costs nearly nothing, plays well, and covers all your extra-low needs. Use it on parts intended for alto trumpet (Rimsky-Korsakov 3rd trumpet parts) even if they don’t go below the range of a Bb. Use it for Carmen, use it for Heldenleben, use it for trumpets 4/5/6 in Mahler 6. Use it for all those old 2nd parts written for natural trumpet that throw in a random 2nd partial note or two (Don Giovanni and Manfred Overture for example).

Do I wish alto trumpets in F or E-flat were easier to get? Very much so. I would really love to have an F alto, and I’d also really love to be able to write for F alto. But until somebody decides to make a new one (hello, Wessex? ACB?), at least there is a readily-available alternative in the 3-valve soprano bugle.

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Brass, Alto Brass, Mellophone, G Bugles Tiffany Johns Brass, Alto Brass, Mellophone, G Bugles Tiffany Johns

The Lineage of the King Marching Mellophone

King’s marching mellophone has been one of the most popular mellophones since its introduction. While the Yamaha YMP-204M is the current standard of the mellophone world, the King 1120 and 1121 still see a lot of use in marching bands, most notably HBCUs. But the story of this design did not begin with the King 1120 - it actually has direct ancestry back to the bad old days of the drum corps G bugle.

L-R: King K-50, Kanstul KMB-180 (early pattern), Kanstul KMM-280 (early pattern), King 1120, King 1121 Ultimate

All five of these instruments share the same basic design, and all (except possibly the 1121) were the brainchild of the same person: Zig Kanstul.

These instruments are pictured in chronological order from left to right: King K-50, Kanstul KMB-180, Kanstul KMM-280, King 1120, King 1121 Ultimate.

This design began with the King K-50 mellophone bugle in G, a legendary mellophone that was the best of the 2-valve mellophones. Zig Kanstul designed the full line of King K-series 2-valve G bugles, and while all were good, the K-50 mellophone is one of the most revered models of the line. And it’s easy to see why - the K-50 is the sports car of the mellophone world. It plays easily, sounds great, and screams better than anything.

When Drum Corps International legalized three valves in 1990, Zig Kanstul came back to the K-50’s basic design and updated it with a 3rd valve, but this time under his own brand. The early Kanstul KMB-180 mellophone bugle in G was the next step in this design’s evolution. You’ll notice that the KMB-180 deviated slightly from the K-50 design by having the leadpipe enter the 1st valve from the other side, rather than angling to get around the 1st valve slide and entering the valve from that side. The leadpipe is also shorter than the K-50’s, with that length moved to the taper after the valves. This instrument also introduced the unique 3rd-valve slide wrap that remained a distinguishing feature of the design until the King 1121. I’ve never played a KMB-180, but I did own an early-pattern KAB-175 alto bugle, which is the same instrument as the KMB-180 with a smaller bell flare. That instrument was an incredible player that felt effortless in the hands, much like a K-50.

The unique 3rd-valve slide wrap on the King 1120 (and the early-pattern Kanstuls before it)

It didn’t take long for the Kanstul brand to branch out from G bugles, and the KMM-280 marching mellophone in F was this design’s next iteration. It was the same instrument as the KMB-180, just with a longer leadpipe and valve slides to bring it down a whole step to F. This was the real blueprint for the King 1120, and I would love to get my hands on one to compare the two. After this, Kanstul redesigned their mellophones and altos (in both G and F) into a completely new design, so the Kanstul Musical Instruments branch of this design’s lineage ends here.

Next up was the King 1120, which came about when King hired Zig to help design at least some of their marching brass. (The 1122 Bb marching horn is likely another, as it looks to be the same design as the King K-60 French horn bugle. I also wouldn’t be surprised if the 1124 marching baritone is also Zig’s work, being as it has the same wrap as the Kanstul 290 marching baritone.) Visually, the 1120 looks the same as the Kanstul KMM-280, apart from the leadpipe. The 1120’s leadpipe returned to the K-50’s design, with the longer wrap and routing around the 1st valve slide. The 1120 became one of the most successful marching mellophones ever, used by many high schools and colleges for many years. I used my 1120 as my gigging mellophone until I got my Yamaha 204, and the King never let me down. Because so many were made and used, they can easily be found for very cheap (around $100) on eBay. In my experience, out of all of the dirt-cheap ex-school marching mellophones out there, the 1120 is by far the best option. The 1120 has also been stenciled as the Conn 132E and Bach B1105.

Eventually, King updated the long-running 1120 and created the 1121 Ultimate. This is mostly the same instrument but with an angled leadpipe, re-wrapped 3rd valve slide, and 3rd-slide finger ring. Early 1121s also had a spring-loaded 1st valve slide, but the current ones do not. I’m unaware if Zig was involved in the 1121’s design, but it was only a minor update anyway. The 1121 was recently succeeded by a few different mellophone models that have made everything much more confusing. Based on what I can tell from product pages, these are the models and their differences from the 1121:

  • K20: no angled leadpipe or 3rd-slide finger ring, nickel-silver pistons (instead of Monel), half-inch smaller bell (10” vs. 10.5”), sometimes (but not always) with a brace on the bottom bow, already discontinued

  • KMP411: no angled leadpipe or 3rd-slide finger ring, half-inch smaller bell (10” vs. 10.5”), more open 3rd-valve slide wrap, notched main tuning slide, adjusted valve cluster location, sometimes (but not always) 1 or 2 braces on the bottom bow, apparently designed by the Blue Devils

  • KMP611 Ultimate: no angled leadpipe, half-inch smaller bell (10” vs. 10.5”), .466” bore instead of .468”, nickel silver leadpipe, and a redesigned bell

  • KMH611 Ultimate: a KMP611 with a French horn receiver and angled leadpipe, which appears to be the end result of the King/Patterson hornette project

The three KMP/KMH models are already out in the world, but there are still K20s and 1121s in stock at some retailers so the transition isn’t entirely complete. I haven’t tried the K20 or KMP411, but I have tried the KMP611 and KMH411, and unfortunately I think they are a step backwards. The KMP611 plays pretty much like my 1120, but is much worse above high C - difficult and uncentered, to the point where it evokes how the Conn 16E feels up there. The KMH611 is even worse…it is laughably bad! Adding a French horn leadpipe/receiver to and instrument with a taper not compatible with that is how the awful Getzen frumpet came to be, and the result is pretty much the same with the KMH611. While it does play better than the frumpet (what doesn’t?), it sounds very similar. I never thought I’d have to hear that terrible, anemic sound from another instrument, but the KMH611 proved me wrong. And sadly, I’m sure Conn-Selmer will sell loads of them.

As an interesting final note, the Yamaha line of marching mellophones was based on the cornet-wrap design of the Olds A-42 marching mellophone (which was stenciled by quite a few makers including Bach, Blessing, and Reynolds). The Olds marching mellophone was the first F marching mellophone, derived from the G mellophone bugle and designed by…you guessed it…Zig Kanstul!

So, the two mellophones that have dominated the marching arts for years are either an actual Zig design or a derivative of one. In fact, as the Jupiter mellophone is also essentially the same design as the Yamaha, the only current marching mellophone that isn’t a Zig Kanstul derivative in some way is the Adams MM-1, which bears a closer resemblance to the Dynasty mellophones.

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Brass, Alto Brass, G Bugles Tiffany Johns Brass, Alto Brass, G Bugles Tiffany Johns

Marching French Horn

The marching French horn is an enigma. Sure, it’s been used by high school marching bands and drum and bugle corps, but there are very few recordings of them on the Internet. They also carry a bad reputation with them…they’re impossible to march with, they sound worse and not as loud as a mellophone, and are generally pointless. Or so people say.

Some of these claims do have some truth to them. Picking out pitches on a horn in Bb or low G with a narrow horn rim while running around a football field is certainly not easy, and the drum corps “Frenchie” lines earned notoriety for lots of cracked notes. The marching horn (regardless of key) also does fall short of the mellophone in terms of raw decibel output. Additionally, band directors often don’t know what to do with them. Do they read Bb parts or F? (The correct answer is F. Always F.) Are they worth the additional expense over a mellophone? Why do some have bent leadpipes and some don’t?

Despite all this, I think the marching horn is unfairly maligned. A good marching horn with the right player and mouthpiece behind it really does sound pretty close to a “real” horn, and you certainly can’t get that sound with a mellophone.

It is also important to understand the marching horn’s integral role in drum corps G bugle hornlines before the legalization of 3 valves. While mid-voice instrumentation in drum corps back then was full of experimentation, French horns were a common choice. Why? Because being twice as long as the G mellophones (or flugelhorns, alto bugles, or meehaphones) meant that they could access many crucial notes in the mid-register that simply did not exist on the other 2-valve alto instruments. This was huge for the arrangers of the time, and a good French horn line added a huge amount of depth and flexibility to a hornline.

However, the top corps had begun to streamline their mid-voice to just mellophones even before 3 valves were legalized in 1990. While the tonal colors of a varied mid-voice line were great, unifying to one type of instrument meant tuning and blend was much easier. That said, a few small French horn lines did survive briefly into the 3 valve era, most notably in the Cavaliers and Santa Clara Vanguard. Both lines used the Kanstul KHB-185 3-valve G French horn bugle, with 8 made for SCV and 6 made for the Cavaliers. It is likely that no other examples of the model were made (despite it remaining in the Kanstul catalog for most of the company’s life), which would mean there are only 14 in the world.

Here’s one!

This is the Kanstul KHB-185 I used to own, which was one of the Santa Clara Vanguard horns (it is even stamped as such on the bell!). SCV used these only through the 1992 season, after which they moved to all mellophones.

This horn is a great player. It is certainly not point-and-shoot like a mellophone; you have to work for the right notes just like on a single F horn (which is only a whole step lower). But the reward for your efforts is a bell-front instrument that really does sound like a French horn.

But don’t just take my word for it. Here’s a quick 8-part demo I recorded all on this Kanstul:

While the register of drum corps French horn parts meant that they really did not need a third valve, I certainly enjoyed getting to use the full range of the instrument in this bite-sized piece.

Being fully chromatic also means that an instrument like this could really be the solution for playing French horn into a mic that’s placed in front of you. I have played many gigs where I doubled on French horn, and the only solution with a normal horn is to physically turn 90 degrees to the left and hold the bell up the mic like you’re playing Mahler. It is awkward at best. This Kanstul (which sounds like a horn, but points forward) is the perfect solution for a gigging brass doubler. I do feel that more typical a Kanstul 285 Bb marching horn is a better compromise just for the fingerings; I (along with most brass improvisers) am much more comfortable improvising in Bb than G, and this is the reason why I ended up selling the the KHB-185. I have also played a recording session here in Los Angeles where everyone was on marching instruments and one of the mellophone players also played a Kanstul 285 on some cues, presumably to fatten up the section sound.

The only other non-marching band use of a marching horn I’ve seen is by the fabulous Solo Hornist of the Munich Philharmonic, Matias Piñeira. He has a custom small bell Bb marching horn, which appears to be an Otto 207 “La Revolución”, that he uses for salsa playing in addition to his normal Alexander 103. He uses both instruments in this video:

Here’s a brief trip through some other interesting types of marching French horns.

First up is the previously-mentioned Kanstul 285 marching horn in B-flat. While you could be forgiven for thinking that the Kanstul 185 marching horn in G above was based on the 285, it’s actually the other way around. Zig Kanstul started his company making G bugles only, so the Bb 285 is actually a derivative of the G. It has the same up-turned leadpipe to allow for a typical downstream horn embouchure while holding the horn above parallel. Other brands’ marching horns do not have this feature. The B-flat marching horn is the most common type of marching horn, and a few manufacturers (Yamaha, King, Adams) each have a model in their current lineup.

Kanstul also sold a high F marching horn, model 284. High F marching horns are not common, but they have been produced by Kanstul, Dynasty, and Blessing. Since Kanstul closed up shop in 2019, I don’t believe there are any high F marching horns currently being produced. The closest thing I know of is the King KMH611, which is basically just a mellophone with a horn receiver and thus not really a marching horn.

Before the Dynasty B-flat marching horn became the more modern M551, the early models used the same basic wrap as the Dynasty III G French horn bugle. The Adams MF1 has a similar wrap to the Dynasty M551, but the older DEG/Dynasty design doesn’t have any imitators that I’m aware of.

There have been some very odd-looking marching horns throughout history as well, such as the Holton MH-100, 101, and 102. These Dr. Seuss horns play as oddly as they look, but at the same time they play concerningly well. They have a trumpet mouthpiece shank for some reason, which allows you to put lots of different kinds of mouthpieces in it. Most inexplicably, they have been copied by Jinbao. Every aspect of this instrument’s existence seems like it came out of a fever dream! Unbeknownst to most, Yamaha also made a circular marching horn in the Holton style: the ultra-rare YHR-301M.

Feast your eyes on this glorious Hans Hoyer 4-valve Bb marching horn, which is possibly the only 4-valve marching horn ever made, and certainly one of the only professional-quality bell-front horns in existence. My desire for one of these knows no bounds.

Finally, a discussion about marching horns cannot ever be truly complete without discussing the Patterson Hornette project. This was an attempt to create a new kind of bell-front French horn for use by horn players in jazz and popular music, in a similar vein to the Otto 207 referenced above. Unfortunately, despite Conn-Selmer being linked to the hornette project, it has been radio silence since the 2022 IHS Symposium. Hopefully we will get updates soon!

The Patterson hornette

The Low Alto Bugle

Speaking of marching horns with trumpet shanks, Kanstul also made a very odd variant of the KHB-185 3-valve G French horn bugle presented at the beginning of the article. They called it a “Low Alto”, and it is the same as the KHB-185 except for a different leadpipe (trumpet shank) and main tuning slide arrangement. As weird as it is, 6 were built and it did see some drum corps use with the Marauders and later the Kingsmen Alumni.

Kanstul low alto bugle in G (no model number)

Because it has a trumpet shank, the low alto bugle can accept many different mouthpiece types. As I have adapters for both trumpet to horn and trumpet to cornet, I was able to see how it sounds with mouthpieces that use all 3 shanks. As it is a Kanstul G marching horn at heart, if you use a horn mouthpiece with an adapter it plays and sounds pretty much like the KHB-185 French horn bugle. It’s a little harder to play accurately and a little more work to get a centered horn sound (I suspect mostly due to the adapter), but it’s there if you work for it. And unlike the 185, the low alto has a whole toy chest of other sounds to explore by using different mouthpieces.

From my time with the low alto, I found that horn, tenor horn, alto trumpet, and very small trombone mouthpieces worked the best. I do think that a mouthpiece that truly matched the instrument well would have to be custom made. But rather than talking about it any longer, I’ll just let you listen. I recorded a small collection of short, improvised excerpts on 11 different mouthpieces (and adapters when required), each meant for a different instrument.

Lastly, here’s a back-to-back comparison of the 2 marching horns with trumpet shanks: the G low alto bugle with horn mouthpiece (via adapter) and the Holton MH-101 with horn mouthpiece (via adapter).

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Brass, Low Brass, Trombone Tiffany Johns Brass, Low Brass, Trombone Tiffany Johns

The One Ring of Trombones

In many ways, most common brass instruments could be pared down to one model of instrument and no harm would be done. For example, if the only kind of trumpet in the world was a Bach 37, very little would change. Orchestral players would have to get used to not using C trumpets and/or rotaries, and high baroque and solo repertoire would be more difficult. But overall, business would pretty much continue as usual. The Bach 37 is played by many players in every style where a trumpet exists, and it works perfectly well in all of them. I personally have never played a Bach 37 I’ve liked, but it would still be my immediate suggestion for the only model of trumpet in the world.

Horns are even more flexible; you could pick an Alexander 103 or a Yamaha YHR-671D or any number of other popular double horns as the world’s only kind of horn and no harm would be done (apart from in historically-informed performance, but that’s a casualty in any of these “one instrument” scenarios).

A Besson Sovereign would be my pick for the only euphonium, but it could just as easily be a Yamaha YEP-642. Tuba is a little more difficult, but you can just pick one that’s pretty good at everything. For my money that would be a British compensating E-flat, such as a 19” bell Besson.

Trombones seem to be the most difficult; you need to find a trombone that can do everything, from alto to contrabass. That means screaming 4-hour salsa gigs, stratospheric Bill Watrous or Dave Steinmeyer jazz ballads, delicate Mozart alto trombone parts, heavy Mahler or Wagner orchestral parts from 1st to 4th, wild Broadway pit books, earth-shaking low blasts in modern film scores, and more. You don’t get to have one alto trombone, one small tenor trombone, one bass trombone, and so on. You can only have one kind of trombone, total.

Of course, there is no answer to this question that doesn’t compromise in some way. No single trombone can play alto and contrabass parts equally well. We need to find a trombone that can do everything decently enough that trombone players would be able to make it work. To me, that means it needs to be a medium-sized tenor trombone with F attachment that isn’t picky about what mouthpieces work in it, has an unusually beefy low register, an easy high register, the volume to project over a salsa or rock band, and a very “vanilla” trombone sound that is easily colored.

What trombone does all of that? Easy: the King 3BF.

For my money, the 3BF (along with its slightly larger stablemates, the King 3B+F and King 607) is the most versatile trombone of all time. I have used mine to play every tenor chair in a big band, lots of salsa gigs, New Orleans jazz, bebop combo work, principal trombone in an orchestra, brass quintet, Broadway books that go well into the bass trombone register, entire classical trombone sections top to bottom in recording sessions, and more. No, it doesn’t have as beefy of a low register as a bass trombone, but you’d be surprised at how much sound you can put through those low notes on the 3BF. The F valve has an E pull as well, so even if we don’t get to have 2-valve 3BFs in this hypothetical one-trombone world, we’d still do just fine on the low stuff.

Now the 3BF is certainly a bit biased towards the brighter, higher commercial side of the trombone’s oeuvre. The 607, being just a bit larger but otherwise the same, sits more right down the middle between the orchestral and commercial sides of the spectrum. The very high register (D5 and above) is just a bit more work than the 3BF, but in exchange you get an absurdly beefy low register (better than most large bore tenors in my opinion!), and a sound that more easily fits into the darker classical mold while still easily being able to play as bright and punchy as you need for any other genre you might find yourself playing in. But the 3BF and 607 play very similarly, with only a small difference that is mostly noticed when playing them back to back. On their own, you pick either up and it just works immediately, in any style. As an additional plus, these trombones are very easy to play and can handle lots of abuse, so it wouldn’t be a bad situation for beginners either.

It’s an easy conclusion for me. If the only kind of trombone in the world was the King 3BF, we would be just fine.

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Ascending Valves

If you are curious about brass instruments, you may have come across something called an ascending valve in your Internet travels. If you’re not sure what that is, or you do but would like to read about all the different kinds of ascending valves out there, this article is for you.

The concept of an ascending valve is pretty simple. A normal valve is inactive when it is not pressed down (via piston finger button, rotor paddle, etc.), so the air goes straight through and doesn’t detour through the additional valve tubing. When you press down the valve mechanism, the valve activates, redirecting the air through the valve tubing and lowering the instrument’s pitch. An ascending valve is set up the opposite way - the valve is active when it is not pressed, so its default state is using the additional valve tubing. Then when you press down the valve, it becomes inactive, raising the pitch.

In fact, there is an ascending valve that is completely standard in the modern brass world: the change valve on a double horn. The instrument stands in F, and then when you depress the change valve with your thumb it shortens to B-flat. (That said, some players will modify the change valve to stand in B-flat, especially in Europe.)

Eduard Kruspe double horn, an example of a typical double horn in F and B-flat.

The most complicated part of an ascending valve is really from a tuning perspective. Let’s say you have a tenor trombone with a normal descending F attachment. The trombone is in B-flat, and then the valve lowers it to F. Easy enough; you tune the whole horn with the main tuning slide (logical) and then tune the valve with the valve tuning slide. Now let’s say you that trombone has an ascending C valve rather than a descending F valve. The trombone’s open length (no active valves) is now C, but it still stands in B-flat. So to properly tune it you need to depress the valve and tune the open C horn via the main tuning slide first, and then lift off the valve so you can tune in B-flat via the valve’s tuning slide.

You may have noticed that even though this hypothetical trombone with an ascending valve is technically pitched in C, we still think of it in B-flat as that’s where it stands without depressing the valve, and how it is meant to be played. Thus we refer to it as a B-flat tenor trombone with an ascending C valve.

Ascending valves have a long history and have been used on various brass instruments in many different ways. They had the most widespread use in French piston-valve horns (that can properly be called French horns!) from the late 19th century until the middle of the 20th. Probably the most interesting type is the Chaussier horn, an instrument developed in the 1880s.

The valved horn was still unpopular in France at the time, and the Chaussier horn was intended to be played essentially as a natural horn with built-in crook changes. The Chaussier horn had a valve system completely alien to modern brass players:

  • Stands in F

  • 1st valve is a normal 1st valve (descending whole step, resulting in Eb)

  • 2nd valve is an ascending half step (resulting in F#)

  • 3rd valve is an ascending major 3rd (resulting in A)

  • Thumb (4th) valve is a normal 4th valve (descending perfect 4th, resulting in C basso)

The use of all these valves allows you to set the horn in any key from B basso to B-flat alto. As the highest possible standing pitch is achieved with both ascending valves (2 and 3) deactivated, B-flat alto is the true length of the open horn. But as it stands in F, it is thought of as an F horn with 2 ascending valves.

When the French fully adopted valve horns, they continued with the ascending valve idea, but in a more conventional way. On many French piston-valved horns, the 3rd valve is an ascending whole step, while all the other valves are in the typical configuration we are used to today. The result is an instrument that actually retains most standard fingerings, but with the added bonus of easier high notes using the (ascending) 3rd valve. It is still a compromise though; because you lose the descending minor 3rd of a typical 3rd valve, you lose a few notes in the low register.

Couesnon Monopole natural horn with ascending 3rd valve section installed

A normal single F horn with descending 3rd valve can play chromatically down to sounding B1, while a single F horn with ascending 3rd valve cannot play lower than D2 (excluding pedal notes) and also can’t play Ab2. Because of these compromises (easier high notes in exchange for worse low notes in the ascending horn, and vice versa for the descending horn), it was common in France for high horn players (1st and 3rd) to play horns with ascending 3rd valves, while low horn players (2nd and 4th) would play horns with descending 3rd valves.

A standard F/Bb double horn with descending 3rd valve is entirely chromatic all the way down. If you exclude the F-side pedals (which most horn players can’t reach), it can play chromatically down to E1. If you do include the F-side pedals, the lowest real note is B0. (With false tones you could play even lower, into the double pedals.) Meanwhile, an F/Bb double horn with ascending 3rd valve cannot play Db2 (or Db1, a pedal), and without F-side pedals bottoms out at G1. Thus, French horn makers continued to make both ascending and descending models when double horns became standard.

Ascending 3rd valves didn’t catch on outside of France, but there are a few single B-flat horns with ascending valves that you can buy today, such as the 5-valve Ricco Kühn W125/C. There have also been a handful of modern ascending double and double descant models, though I don’t know of any currently offered.

Outside of horns, ascending valves have had some notable trumpeter proponents. Robb Stewart has an excellent article on his website about the history of trumpets with ascending valves by Schilke and Thibouville-Lamy, and the players who used them. There are a couple of manufacturers that offer ascending valve trumpets today - Jaeger Brass offers ascending valve trumpets in C/D or Bb/C based on the Thibouville-Lamy designs, and Blackburn offers a 5-valve C trumpet with an ascending D valve designed by David Hickman.

Finally, a similar number of ascending valve proponents exists in the trombone world as well.

Günter Frost was a bass trombonist for the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, and pioneered the ascending C valve on trombones. In 1981, he patented the idea of a trombone for young beginners with an ascending C valve. Starting in 2001, he worked with a few master German makers (M&H Thein, Joachim Pfretzschner, Helmut Voigt, Jürgen Voigt) to make six models of professional trombone in various sizes, all with ascending C valves. (Herr Frost’s website is long defunct, but is still accessible via the Wayback Machine.)

Jürgen Voigt orchestral tenor trombone with dependent F and ascending C valves

In Günter Frost’s dependent designs, the F valve is inset in the ascending C valve’s tubing, which interestingly means that you can use either valve on their own, but not both together (as when you press down the C valve, it closes, leaving the F valve unconnected to the airflow). Personally, I think this is a genius configuration for a large tenor trombone. You get a standard trombone with F-attachment, plus low C and B as pedal notes and a turbo button for high notes. Imagine the 1st trombone excerpt from Symphonie Fantastique with the fortissimo high Eb, or the one from Also Sprach Zarathustra with the octave jump to fortissimo high D - much more secure on the C valve! But when playing solo rep, pit work, or contemporary classical music that is much more liberal with the tenor trombone’s low register, you also have easy access to low C and B.

The manufacturer Thein used to offer a tenor trombone with an ascending C valve and full-length slide, allowing for 8 positions with the C valve engaged. The webpage for this instrument had no photographs, but it had a diagram showing the positions on the slide in B-flat and C. Additionally, adding a second, independent F valve was listed as an option. Years later, Pete Edwards took the independent-valved version of the ascending concept to its logical conclusion and built a bass trombone with independent F and ascending C valves:

Pete Edward’s ascending C bass trombone, with a Bach 36 tenor trombone for comparison.

This instrument was also given a screw bell, making it incredibly convenient for travel. With the two valves independent, you also have access to flat G positions with both valves pressed, so it has a ton of slide position choices. (Thread with more information and pictures here.)

There is also a currently one mass-produced ascending valve instrument, Yamaha’s YSL-350C. This instrument is a student-level tenor trombone with a .500-.525” dual bore slide with 6 positions and an ascending C valve, and is intended for young players whose arms can’t reach 7th position but also can’t hold up a heavy F-attachment trombone. However, a few advanced players (e.g. Doug Yeo) use it as a travel instrument as it is significantly smaller than a normal tenor trombone. For whatever reason, this instrument has also been cloned by Jinbao and is sold by John Packer, Schiller, Thomann, and others for a much cheaper price than the Yamaha.

Yamaha YSL-350C Bb/C trombone

I think there is more to be done with ascending valves. It would certainly benefit the Conn 16E mellophonium, whose main tuning slide has room to be cut to G to then have an ascending whole step valve added. It could also be useful for tuba doublers (typically trombonists) who are used to Bb fingerings but need a real pedal C for the Lion King musical.

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