Alessi Q series

[Elow]

Something special came through my shop. We’re a shires dealer so about once a month i get a nice horn to demo. This time it’s an alessi q series. We’ve had a couple q series come through, and they were good but not like unbelievably good. This is unbelievably good. First impressions weren’t that good. The case is nice and like a rip off marcus bonna case with shires on the side. First thing i noticed when i unwrapped it was how much grease there was literally everywhere. Spent half an hour just getting all that stuff off and after that id already came to the conclusion that i don’t like this horn. Anyways, i put it together and about to play my first note and realized the rotor is stuck. So i spend another 10 minutes taking it apart and putting some oil and stuff on it and now it works great, a little noisy though. Now it’s ready to play, and so i play my first note. I hate it. I swap the leadpipe from a 1 to a 2, now it feels better but not perfect. I get to playing some stuff, just etudes i half remember and the slide just isn’t the best. I swab for like 5 minutes and every time i get even more black gunk. About 50 swabs later it’s a decent slide, a little noisy even with trombotine though. Now, i start to play again and i just can’t stop. I played for like a literal hour just messing around with scales and etudes and solo stuff and i’m just addicted to playing it. The response is ungodly and the horn is so resonant. The valve is different i think, at least it feels different. For me, it plays a lot more open than the regular shires rotor. F feels terrible, but low E and below are fantastic. Well, except C and B. The slide isn’t long enough to get a good C. False tones are about the best sounding C i could get. Even with the slide about to fall off, it just sounds like an in between Db and C. Now, high range. I love this thing. Above D, it feels like you’re literally soaring. It’s so easy to just sing through this thing. I think the best range for this horn is tuning Bb to high D. The bolero excerpt, which i normally despise, is so easy on this horn. I’m not the biggest fan of the specs, i would probably change the tuning slide, but it still sounds great which is weird because i can’t stand Alessi’s tone solo. With a full section it sounds great, but there’s a album on spotify where it’s just him and a piano and i just am not a fan. But this horn sounds great. All in all, this horn is a dream to play and sounds great... but make sure that the physical aspect of the horn is working correct. I would love to hear anyone else’s opinions on this horn. Not the custom though, i played the custom at a convention and it felt very different than this.

[Mv2541]

When Dillon's first got one I went over to try it and I thought it was the best horns I have played in a good while. Just like the Edwards, it feels to me like it only wants to sound in one specific way. It's definitely not a bad color, just not what I hear in my head. I don't think you could get a better horn for that money though, and I would put it up against pretty much anything on the market.

As a side note I actually like those cases because of the compartment under the bell section. Also I agree the high range is ridiculous, and Shires slides are a fair bit shorter than a Bach so you'll never get a real C without pulling or manually compensating.

[Crazy4Tbone86]

I believe the Q Series parts are made in Massachusetts, shipped to China for assembly and then brought back for sales. We know that the Shires parts are good. If you get a collection of workers in China that get everything right..... put together precisely with no tension, the potential of the Q Series models is extremely high. It's just like any other brand, you must try a bunch and hope there is a great one in there!

[ZacharyThornton]

^Not true. Look into it. Ask Shires.

[paulyg]

^Not true. Look into it. A bit of sales misdirection. Ask Shires.

They did say this at one point, but I've heard (maybe from you) that the horns are entirely made in China now.

[harrisonreed]

Curious about why they would put the 1 pipe in for shipment...

Also, for all the love you have about how this horn is the best, is easy to play, has a great sound, etc, that means you do like the specs. Wanting to swap out a tuning slide to what you usually like, etc, because that is "what you like for specs" is the opposite of this great experience you had with this great trombone. You just got to experience playing and enjoying what a horn sounds and feels like, and you really like it. That's the way.

Arbitrarily changing a tuning slide because you're "not a fan of the specs" is playing and hearing with your eyes. It'll lose it's magic.

[BGuttman]

Just for the record, Zachary Thornton now works for Edwards. He may be right but also may be prejudiced.

[harrisonreed]

Just for the record, Zachary Thornton now works for Edwards. He may be right but also may be prejudiced.

Their official website no longer says where the parts are made. Based on this review from a dealer, at the very least they are not shipping the horns back to Hopesdale for final QAQC.

Their wordpress site still has the old verbiage.

[ZacharyThornton]

Wait what? I had a disclaimer that I worked for Edwards and was asked to remove it. Why would I have a problem with Shires? They are amazing people doing amazing work. I don’t point that out as an insult. The fact the horns are no longer American made but still held in such high regard and loved is great for them.
No one in this industry has any problem with anyone else. That is instrument fan boys that fight about what brand is better.

[Elow]

I guess i didn’t mention this. I played around with swapping parts with another custom we had and i liked a yellow brass tuning slide better. I kept the F attachment tuning slide gold brass though.

[harrisonreed]

I guess i didn’t mention this. I played around with swapping parts with another custom we had and i liked a yellow brass tuning slide better. I kept the F attachment tuning slide gold brass though.

So this isn't a review of the Q series Alessi as sold, but of a custom setup Shires Q.

It's too bad they sent you one that needed so much work to get it feeling right. But it sounds like you could probably get something even better at their custom shop.

[mrdeacon]

Woof. These Shires Q series threads always go from 0 to 60 rather quickly.

[harrisonreed]

Passion

[Elow]

I guess i didn’t mention this. I played around with swapping parts with another custom we had and i liked a yellow brass tuning slide better. I kept the F attachment tuning slide gold brass though.

So this isn't a review of the Q series Alessi as sold, but of a custom setup Shires Q.

It's too bad they sent you one that needed so much work to get it feeling right. But it sounds like you could probably get something even better at their custom shop.

Yes, felt the same, i just preferred the tone color

[mrdeacon]

Passion

Ha! Never a bad thing Someone has to keep buying these expensive hunks of brass!

[Markinsky]

Thanks for your detailed description of the Shires Q Alessi. I'm an amateur trombonist but play regularly in a good community orchestra. I'm looking to upgrade to a Q series and am looking for an easy producing horn. One question is how heavy is the horn. I play on a very heavy KIng 4B and I get cramps in my left arm. Can you tell me how heavy the Alessi Q series is. Thank you

[Elow]

Thanks for your detailed description of the Shires Q Alessi. I'm an amateur trombonist but play regularly in a good community orchestra. I'm looking to upgrade to a Q series and am looking for an easy producing horn. One question is how heavy is the horn. I play on a very heavy KIng 4B and I get cramps in my left arm. Can you tell me how heavy the Alessi Q series is. Thank you

It’s a lot more ergonomic than a 4BF in my opinion. I also can’t hold that specific horn for very long. I also messed around with the horn for about and hour but i was standing and had no troubles.

[Elow]

I hit the holy grail. I put a custom thayer on the alessi horn, and wow. I’m in love, i might actually buy it. The thayer helped so much with literally everything. The low range is nice and full all throughout, and best of all, i can pull to low E.

[pedrombon]

If someone is thinking of making the same mod as Elow, I'm selling an amazing Edwards Axial-Flow valve section with Bach mounting hardware at a good price, you just have to make a small modification to fit it on a Shires horn...

[jthomas105]

Thanks for your detailed description of the Shires Q Alessi. I'm an amateur trombonist but play regularly in a good community orchestra. I'm looking to upgrade to a Q series and am looking for an easy producing horn. One question is how heavy is the horn. I play on a very heavy KIng 4B and I get cramps in my left arm. Can you tell me how heavy the Alessi Q series is. Thank you

So is Elow, an amateur that is. He is 16 or 17 year old high school kid that works in a music store. A lot of passion but not much experience.

[harrisonreed]

I hit the holy grail. I put a custom thayer on the alessi horn, and wow. I’m in love, i might actually buy it. The thayer helped so much with literally everything. The low range is nice and full all throughout, and best of all, i can pull to low E.

As said previously in this thread, you're not talking about something remotely close to the Alessi horn except one of the parts might have his name on it. Unless you switched back?

This is the alessi bell with swapped tuning slides and a thayer, right? It's OK to not like the alessi horn, and if you're going to chunk down change, just have Shires set you up. Your preferences WILL change over the next 6 years, especially if you settle on a really wonky setup. If you pick one of their two or three "tried and true" setups, maybe that preference won't change. It's hard to go wrong if you settle on one of these: "Elkhart setup" "new york setup" "chicago setup"

[Hobart]

I'm gonna be honest here, I wouldn't put much money into that Q series, valve or not.
If you're going to pay for a new Thayer valve and put it onto a Q series, you're putting the valve on a horn that's possibly less than the valve is worth, especially if it's a store demo. Save your money like Harrison suggested, and see what Shires proper can do for you. You honestly could probably get away without spending a dime more on a horn well after high school, if you aren't going into music performance.

You also need to think, and I honestly never see this asked, "Do I really need a Shires?"

You don't need a Shires to succeed, especially if you're not getting into music performance after high school. If you're gonna play trombone after high school just to play it, and don't intend to play in a professional capacity, you don't exactly need a boutique horn. You could wait until college too to upgrade, when you'll have more money; many of my friends excelled in high school playing without even upgrading from the equipment they started on.

Like Harrison mentioned, you ARE going to change your preferences, I honestly just changed mouthpieces last week and I'm 18 myself. Before you buy a Shires, or put a nice Thayer valve on a horn that it's worth more than, you should really try as many things as possible.

There is a non-zero chance you can find a complete large bore horn with better resale value, and very good playing characteristics, for less than the price of the valve alone. If you're going to spend a considerable amount of money on a trombone, choose carefully and make sure you like what it is regardless of what the name is on the bell, rather than immediately putting a Cadillac of a valve on a Mitsubishi of a horn.

If you take the time and look around, you'll probably be way happier once you decide on what you'd like out of a horn, instead of hodge-podging expensive valves on relatively inexpensive(ly built) horns. It might not be a Shires, you might not get it now, but like... you'll be happier if you stew on what you're doing instead of immediately slapping things together. I honestly feel like you could do way better in terms of playability and resale value than what you're thinking right now, for less.

[Elow]

The thayer doesn’t cost that much, maybe $700 extra or something like that. I’m happy to pay $4000 and get that horn, it’s honestly a great horn. I did switch the tuning slide back to the gold brass, mainly because i didn’t want to have to find the case of the custom. Do i need a shires? No.... but i want one. If i have extra cash, what else could i spend it on something that i would use daily. If i find out i don’t like the horn, i’m pretty good friends with our guy so as long as there’s no damage i can just swap it. Just one extra thing, these Q series horns are really good horns. Don’t let the price fool you, they are professional instruments. Great build quality. Great parts. Great horn. I’d take a q series over any yamaha or king and probably over most bach’s and conns.

[harrisonreed]

If i have extra cash, what else could i spend it on something that i would use daily[?]

15 shares of VOO. You'll use it more than the trombone, every day. Or pay $4700 for a full Shires setup.

[Elow]

I can’t do anything until i’m 18. I’ve been trying to talk my mom into using my money to invest, but she’s a little iffy about it.

[BGuttman]

I can’t do anything until i’m 18. I’ve been trying to talk my mom into using my money to invest, but she’s a little iffy about it.

I would think that investing in a Fund would be more useful than buying musical instruments. Does she know what an IRA is?