[Trombone-l] bass trumpet

[Howard Spindel]

I can tell you the difference between MY bass trumpet and MY marching 
trombone.  Whether that would hold for bass trumpets and marching 
trombones I can't say.

The biggest difference is that they sound very different.  The bass 
trumpet sounds a lot more like a trumpet than a trombone.  The 
marching trombone sounds a lot more like a trombone (minus some of 
the characteristics of the sound induced by having a slide instead of 
valves).  The bass trumpet has a much brighter sound than the 
marching trombone.

They are built differently.  The bass trumpet has a narrow bore that 
persists all the way to the bell flare.  The marching trombone's bore 
expands earlier, like a regular trombone would.  This probably 
accounts for the sound difference.

The marching trombone is an easier, more responsive instrument to 
play.  It feels more like a trombone when I play it.  The bass 
trumpet feels like an entirely different animal than a 
trombone.  Since I'm not a trumpet player, I can't say whether it 
feels like a trumpet.

The horns I have are:
1.  A reconditioned old Reynolds Contempora marching trombone.  This 
appears to be the same instrument as the F.E. Olds marching trombone 
that seems to be a preferred marching trombone on the OTJ forums.
2.  An M&M bass trumpet.  This is Chinese made, but the fit and 
finish are very good and I think the horn plays well once you adjust 
your expectations for how a bass trumpet might play.  I got it from 
the M&M tuba people.

I hope that helps.  If you have any more specific questions, I could 
try to answer them.

Howard


At 08:17 PM 6/17/2008, Daniel Pliskin wrote:



>I asked a question a week ago and got no answer.  I'll ask again.
>
>What's the difference between a bass trumpet and a marching 
>trombone, like the following?
>
>
>
>http://cgi.ebay.com/MARCHING-TROMBONE-RESTORED-BACH_W0QQitemZ320264605391QQihZ011QQcategoryZ16216QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1638Q2em118Q2el1247
>
>or
>
>http://cgi.ebay.com/CLOSEOUT-NEW-2008-MARCHING-TROMBONE-FEW-LEFT_W0QQitemZ330243959687QQihZ014QQcategoryZ16216QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
>
>
>
>Inquiring minds want to know.
>
>DanP