[Trombone-l] Ashley Alexander (now TR-181 gone)

[Chris Waage]

The Blessing instruments are great for their target market - beginners
and intermediate players.  The B88 is an exact copy of the Conn 88H,
and will sometimes actually play better than Abilene Conns.  I've
played a few of their bass trombones, which are a copy of a
closed-wrap Bach 50B3 - which I don't think is still in production -
and they were ok, although stuffy.

The quality is good, but they're definitely not a pro-line instrument.

Disclaimer:  I haven't played anything from Blessing within the past
year or so, and they may have introduced some new instruments that are
geared towards the pros.  I just haven't seen them.

Chris

On 8/13/06, Jason Smith <jbone72 at yahoo.com> wrote:
> You mention some brands of trombones but you left out
> the Blessings any thoughts about those (just curious)
>
> --- David OLIVER <dcoliver at msn.com> wrote:
>
> > Now that's interesting! I just hit the Woodwind and
> > the Brasswind
> > website. They had been carrying the TR-181
> > constantly since I
> > returned to playing again a bit over 9 years ago.
> > When I took the
> > bass trombone plunge my first one was my 1980's
> > TR-181, which I
> > still have. I've pretty gone to my '70 Conn 73H
> > (modified by Eric
> > Edwards for Gb tuning - like the TR-181) full time
> > but don't plan on
> > selling my TR-181 anytime soon. It seems to play
> > better than the
> > more recent ones did. People have commented to me
> > that the
> > rose brass looks to be a different shade for one
> > thing.
> >
> > Anyway, the TR-181 is gone from the WW & BW site.
> > Only two
> > Holton models are left, the TR-183 single valve
> > bass, and the
> > TR602F medium bore F-attach. That is it. It looks
> > like the Holton
> > trombone line is dying a slow death with all the
> > lines being one big
> > company now. It's essentially Conn-Selmer vs. Yamaha
> > with Jupiter
> > nipping at their heels and Chinese brands below
> > that.
> > It is sort like when baseball or football players
> > retire isn't it? It's all
> > very quiet. One day they are just gone.
> >
> > We saw the same thing happen when the King line
> > became the
> > small bore UMI line at the expense of the Conn small
> > bore models.
> > Conn's line became the symphonic/large bore line. GM
> > did the same
> > thing with the different car models, aiming them at
> > a different
> > consumer.
> >
> >
> > David Oliver
> > Broomfield, Colorado  USA
> >
> >
> >
> > >From: "Joe Norcross" <joetuba at lightspeed.net>
> > >Reply-To: joetuba at lightspeed.net
> > >To: "Adrian Drover" <slide at adios.co.uk>, "George
> > Carr"
> > ><georgecarr at gmail.com>
> > >CC: Mike Irwin <theimpalakid at gmail.com>,
> > trombone-l at server5.samford.edu
> > >Subject: Re: [Trombone-l] Ashley Alexander question
> > >Date: Fri, 11 Aug 2006 12:45:54 -0700
> > >
> > >Just checked the Holton web sight, the superbone is
> > there, but the 181
> > >double rotor bass is not. better keep ours
> > >
> > >Joe Norcross
> > >Tuba COS Sequoia Winds, Visalia CA
> > >Tuba-Announcer Kingsburg City Band
> > >joetuba at lightspeed.net
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > > [Original Message]
> > > > From: Adrian Drover <slide at adios.co.uk>
> > > > To: George Carr <georgecarr at gmail.com>
> > > > Cc: Mike Irwin <theimpalakid at gmail.com>;
> > ><trombone-l at server5.samford.edu>
> > > > Date: 8/11/2006 1:30:38 PM
> > > > Subject: Re: [Trombone-l] Ashley Alexander
> > question
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > > From: George Carr
> > [mailto:georgecarr at gmail.com]
> > > > >
> > > > > > Is it not easier to play the valves on the
> > left and slide on the
> > >right a
> > > > > > la the Holton Superbone?
> > > > >
> > > > > Perhaps others can chime in on this, but I
> > heard that he was
> > > > > originally left-handed, a la Slide Hampton, so
> > that he preferred "his"
> > > > > model of horn over the Superbone.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > Come to think of it, is the superbone
> > reversible?  I think it probably
> > >is.
> > > > Who has one?  Do they still make it?
> > > >
> > > > A.
> > > >
> > > >
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> > >
> > >
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-- 
Chris Waage, Bass Trombonist
chris.waage at gmail.com