[Trombone-l] Selman Alto Trombone

[Dave Demko]

John's tuning slide fits fine; mine and Howard's have non-severe
problems. My speculation is that the Selman (Jin Bao)
quality-assurance procedures let some problems slip through that a
shop more oriented to fine hand-crafting would catch.

That said, the thing is a real trombone, not a mere "instrument-shaped
object." It has good heft and isn't flimsy. It is properly if not
lovingly put together. I agree that for a walking-away price of about
$200 it's a good deal. Certainly it's a good learner's horn. I will
let you know how it works out in the family quartet when I get up to
speed on alto.


On 10/16/07, Howard Spindel <howard at sci1.com> wrote:
> Dave's report encouraged me to update my initial report based on a
> couple things he said.
>
> 1.  My tuning slide is out of align in the same way Dave
> mentions.  It moves freely when inserted, but if it pops completely
> out it can be difficult to re-insert.
>
> 2.  The slide lock on mine does not rotate the entire cork barrel -
> just a little ring like on most trombones.
>
> 3.  The slide needs to be stored in the case with the bell tenon up
> and to the right to prevent possible bell damage.  The case works
> fine if the slide is stored that way.  The case has no storage for
> slide lube, which is annoying, and the only mouthpiece storage is one
> of those holes (like in current Bach cases) that seem designed to
> eventually let your mouthpiece damage your horn.
>
> 4.  I still think for the money I paid that this is a heckuva good
> way to get introduced to alto bone.
>
> Howard