[Trombone-l] report on the Cerveny Cimbasso

[Ray Horton]

That reminds me, I had been meaning to report in on my recent purchase 
for a few months.


I bought one of the Cerveny CVT-576 F Valve Bass Trombone that was noted 
here last fall for it's low price.  Cerveny calls their straight model a 
"valve bass trombone" and the bent version of the identical instrument a 
"cimbasso," but the former is cheaper, for some reason, available from 
Interstate.com for $1460 including shipping. 


Here is a pic of the straight model:


<http://www.interstatemusic.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10001&storeId=10051&productId=40112073&langId=-1# 
<http://www.interstatemusic.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10001&storeId=10051&productId=40112073&langId=-1#>> 



Here is a pic of the bent Cerveny "Cimbasso."  Note the almost identical 
model number:


<http://www.cerveny.co.at/ventilposaune/cimbasso.php>


These are both bass trombone bore, although the bell taper is  larger, 
and mine has a European euphonium mouthpiece shank.  Cerveny also makes 
a large (.700) bore cimbasso.


When looking around the web for comments on these horns, I found one 
comment that said a bent cimbasso is very difficult to put down, but a 
straight one is hard to hold up while playing.  This one could get a 
little tiring to hold, but I had no trouble using one of my two Ergobone 
trombone playing stands on it.  (ergobone.com)    I borrowed an 
oversized trombone stand to rest it, and hope to get a cimbasso stand 
soon from hornguys.com (they were out of them when I tried to order one 
before.)


I bought it on trial last fall for performances of  Verdi's _Otello_.  I 
liked it and bought it, but made some alterations.  The whole horn is a 
bit sharp (slides pull ok), and the valve slides are a bit short.  It's 
hard to get a low Bb in tune off the rack.   I was fortunate in that I 
had some leftover F-attachment tuning slides from alterations to my Bach 
50B bass trombone, and had a local repairman put longer tubes on the 
first valve slide, plus tuning valve triggers on the first and third 
valve slides that I can work with my thumbs.  With those alterations I 
can play this horn very well in tune.   (Low Gb above pedal F is still 
difficult to impossible, though)


This horn barks at forte like a cimbasso should, and makes a nice bottom 
sound for the trombones at piano, too.   I tried two mouthpieces that I 
had with European euph shanks on it, a Shilke 60 and a Doug Elliott 114K 
(same rim as the Shilke but more funnel-shaped and shallow), and 
(oddly?) the Elliott played better.  I had an extra euph shank for the 
Elliott, and had that bored out pretty large and that made it play more 
boldly, less stuffy.   I might consider getting the shank changed to a 
large shank, but it's working OK with this mouthpiece. 


The repertoire for the cimbasso is rather low for an instrument in F, 
and the fingerings give me fits, but this is a lot of horn for the 
money, so I'm glad I bought it.  I just figured I could spring this 
comparatively small amount for one, and didn't see myself spending what 
some of the other ones out there cost.  I would like a chance to try 
this horn next to some of the other models someday, but I don't know 
when that will happen.


Raymond Horton
Bass Trombonist and occasional cimbassoist,
Louisville Orchestra, Kentucky Opera