TromboneChat

Hi all

Was curious… did Edwards ever make a dual bore bass slide .547-.562?
I know they make the .562 - .578 dual bore.

Thanks for entertaining my query…

The .547-.562" slide was a tenor slide, labeled T-DB(N/-AN), and uses tenor leadpipes. You could probably use it on an Edwards bass (or Bach, same size tenon as an Edwards tenor), but it might be tight feeling on the front end. Ymmv.

Would this dual bore slide be a good match with an Edwards B454 for use as 3rd or maybe 2nd trombone instead of tenor trombone in windband or church trombone choir?
Apreciate all opinions.

Martin

Would it work with a B454? Yes.

Would it be a suitable replacement for a tenor? This is a bit of a non-answer, but that depends on what you're playing, who you're playing with, and how in shape you are. Jay Friedman essentially plays a bass trombone for principal in his 80s in the Chicago Symphony. While the slide is an important component to your sound, the tuning slide and bell throat have an enormous influence on the sound. In the same way that putting a 562 slide on a tenor doesn't make your tenor sound like a bass, putting even a 547 or smaller slide on a bass doesn't necessarily make it sound like a tenor.

If you are a full time bass player and don't have the time to keep the tenor side in shape, and you're playing with groups where a broader sound might be acceptable, then it might suit you well. What you are describing sounds like it would be fine, but don't expect the smaller slide to make an Edwards bell section sound anywhere as compact or focused as a tenor.

Many thanks for your Input, Matt. Meanwhile I saw that Thein sells the BvD model and Laetzsch the Cieslik model with a slide with almost this width. That leads me to the assumption that the sound could tend more towards the german style built trombones as the conical section becomes bigger (smaller upper leg). That is more or less the opposite of what I thought at first. I hope you all understand what I want to say. Again Many thanks in advance for any thoughts.
Martin

"German" style trombones did tend to feature "smaller" slides, often conical like you mentioned, with a lot of taper into a bigger bell. I've not played the BvD much to say one way or another. A lot of the Thein instruments aren't that far off from the "American" sound (indeed, they even have an "American" lineup now).

Kind of the opposite exists: A King 6B (Duo Gravis). It has a 562 slide and 562 through the rotor tubing... but then has a pretty reasonable bass trombone tuning slide and bell section. It sounds like a bass. If you put a .547 slide on it (I have done so...) it still sounds like a bass. As Aidan mentioned, it feels a little tight, but still definitely a bass sound.

Flip side: Like I mentioned, The Bach 50/42 (also Shires Chicago, etc.) has a 562 slide, but the bell is just a "regular" tenor bell. It sounds like a tenor.

I would suspect that if money were no object, you (or really most trombon players) were in shape for the mouthpiece you were using, etc. you would pick a tenor bell 10 out of 10 times to play the tenor part, even if the tenor had a .562 slide and the bass had a .547 slide.

The opposite is not necessarily true. It isn't unusual for a bass trombonist to "downsize" depending on the rep. So you may see a bass trombonist occasionally pull out a smaller bass or even a tenor for some bass repertoire, though that is a pretty niche use case that's probably not worth mentioning for your declared uses.

For "amateur" (of which I am technically myself now) use cases, as I noted, this is probably fine. But, I would probably look to get a tenor bell section rather than a bass slide, but this is admittedly a lot more expensive than your original thought.

Actually, now that I say that, I can think of a few very reasonably priced large bore and 525/547 Getzens for sale recently. The 725 is 525/547 and to me is one of the, if not the, most underrated horn of all time. I saw a 547 bore Eterna ii on Facebook marketplace recently for like $400. The Getzen lineup is essentially Edwards parts that are either hard soldered together or setup so they are not compatible with Edwards, but are otherwise produced in the same facility. If you like your Edwards bass, a Getzen might be a good option to not break the bank and not be much more (or even less) than your original plan to get a 547/562 slide for your Edwards.