TromboneChat

Hello!

So I got my hands on a large bore Conn 88H slide and a rather dented sterling silver bell. I'm also in need of a trombone for jazz, nothing fancy just something that works. I know that the Conn 88H is meant to have an F attachment, but I have these parts already and I already bought a bass this summer so I'm a little strapped for funds. So my idea was to try and make the parts I have into a straight horn I can use for jazz at college. I visited a nearby repair shop and they said it would be possible to make it work granted that I find a body that fits with the bell and the slide. They also said that generally the only makes that would fit are Conn and some Blessing parts.

So my questions are, is this a good idea to try and make this work, as far as cost efficiency and playability? And where are good places to find the parts for this? I've searched a little bit and didn't find anything that I'm looking for.

Any help would be awesome! Thanks

Just buy a JP Rath 230 or Yamaha 354 instead and sell the 88H slide. You'll be financially better off and have a more suitable instrument.

Or a 3B or 2B. You can find many jazz horns for much less than 1K that will be more appropriate.

There was a Martin Committee on Ebay that I got outbid on that went for under $200.

Deals are out there.

Note that an 88H without the F-attachment is an 8H. But it's still a tad large for anything but 3rd in a Jazz Band. And a solid silver bell makes things worse (for jazz).

Yeah, not all straight horns are "appropo" for jazz, nor all horns with F attachment inappropriate for jazz. I have a great King 605F that's a straight 500 bore with an F attachment. I'd take it over a straight large bore for playing lead.

Depending on the condition of the bell, you might be able to trade your existing horn for something more appropriate. I actually have several horns at the moment that might fit the bill --- you can send me a PM if that's a direction you want to take. I'm just getting back from vacation so I'm a little behind but I'll try to respond as soon as I can (that goes fro everyone else who has recently contacted me and hasn't heard back too! :O)

Ahh okay, thanks everyone for the advice! The other option for the bell was to sell if for the silver, which also seems like a viable option.
Thanks Matt! I’ll shoot you a PM and see what’s up