TromboneChat

Aloha!

My daughter is a serious 2nd year playing at the middle school level. She practices daily without reminders and is 1st chair in the symphonic band at her school She has been playing a Bach F trigger large bore tenor this year, assigned to her by her band director.

She'll need her own horn next year so we're on the hunt for a good used instrument. What are thoughts on a thoughtful way to scope out a horn for her? An intermediate horn? I'm leaning towards buying more horn than she can currently command so that she can grow into it, but with used prices of $3k and up, I'm wondering if there are thoughts on a good value instrument for her. The used market where we live in Hawaii is limited and she travels by bus to and from school with her horn on the daily, so the thing is not going to get treated with kid gloves.

Get something like a King 607F or Conn 50H and spend a little $ to bring it into good condition.

I don’t have the best insight as I am a student as well but I was in a similar situation to this as well so maybe my experience could help you out.

In middle school they had a Yamaha YSL-448G which was a great horn but I needed to start looking. Thankfully I was used to searching for used parts as I did so with many used car parts.

After a while a couple of great options popped up on eBay, FB marketplace, and Craigslist. There always a Shires Q, Bach 42BO, and a Conn 88HCL. The Conn was near me and was in pretty rough condition and definitely a lot of work so I passed. The shires was a little out of my price range. That left the Bach which was on eBay. The seller worked with me and sent me specific photos and videos. The price they were asking was more than fair ($700) so I bought it sight unseen from Nebraska and it has been great ever since. While I could have pushed for the Shires I think I still have lots of improvements to make in my playing before I even think about upgrading. Which I am still hesitant over as I love the sounds and feel of my 42. My private lesson teacher was instrumental in helping me with my purchase so if she has one I would also consult with them.

I say of all of this to say great used instruments online for amazing prices and many good sellers are willing to work with you even with shipping to Hawaii.

My 42 came with a came with a gig bag so I got a Protec Pro-PAC which doesn’t have the most premium fell but that case has seen some things and the horn has been fine. So if the horn will go on the school bus I recommend getting a good case if the horn doesn’t come with one.

Which island are you folks on? I’m guessing Oahu judging by the username?