Butler trombones vs DiCarbo - side by side comparison?

[BMadsen]

Hey all,

Been a long time since I’ve posted anything to any trombone forum - or been at it, frankly. I see I’ve been missing a lot!

I’ve been considering acquiring a carbon fiber trombone for a little while now, and I’m trying to find more information about them. Wondering who has some first hand knowledge.

I was on the verge of buying a Lawler (love the way they play), but I play lots of LONG gigs - I’d say on average, I play three or four 4-6 hour gigs a week, in addition to many other gigs and practicing. The reality is, despite the fact that I workout often, I still find that the weight is affecting my arm, even playing a 3b.

Doug Yeo’s thread about his Carbon Fiber Bass trombone, and the resulting discussion surrounding the changing landscape of how much musicians play a week now vs in the past has convinced me that, despite how much I do to care for my body, ignoring equipment choice is a sure way to shorten my career prospects. So I’m looking at carbon fiber horns for the longer gigs.

I had the opportunity to try the DiCarbo small bore awhile back, and I didn’t love it, but part of it was that I had trouble hearing myself behind the bell. That is not an issue with the long jobs I’ll be using it on - all of those jobs are mic’d with IEM systems, so I’ll hear myself just fine. I can go try it again, as Landress has one in stock last I checked, but I also want to hear about experiences with the Butler’s. I’ve always enjoyed 3b’s, and like I said, I was very close to buying a Lawler (and probably will at some point for gigs that are not 4-6 hour blast fests), so if anyone has been able to try both of Butler’s horns (the 6h version and the 3b version), and can speak to how they all compare, that would be really helpful. If you have additional experience with the DiCarbo and can speak to how they compare to the Butler, that would also be helpful.

Thanks all!

Brad

[dembones]

I play Lawlers, and they are fantastic, but yes a little on the heavy side. In the last few months I have developed a carpal tunnel situation in my left wrist, exasperated by long playing sessions. In particular, having the slide in the outer positions causes torque in my wrist that is quite painful.

Roy Lawler works with Butler to provide CF outer slides. I got one for my .500/.508 dual bore, and it has helped immensely. Beside reducing overall weight, and especially the torque on my wrist, it is really fun to play. It did take me a bit to get used to how the blow changes, and to find the tone I want on the horn, but I've found that its focused core has actually helped me zone in on the tone I want.

I'd like to try the Butler horn, but for now I really like this combination - the great Lawler sound, with the super fast and light slide.

[BMadsen]

I considered going the carbon fiber outer for my horn, but I don’t like how it throws the horn out of balance. I tried a friends lawler with the carbon fiber outer and didn’t have any issue with the blow, but I believe the balance would make things worse for me in the long term.

Thanks for the input!

[mrdeacon]

Don't forget there are always hand rest solutions even for small bore tenor!

I sure wouldn't be able to play my bass or large tenors if it wasn't for my leather specialities strap.

[BMadsen]

I did forget about that solution... I’m definitely on the hunt for a new horn, as I find my 3b isn’t quite working for me (hence why I almost bought a Lawler). But maybe I should try a hand grip first to see if that solves the arm issues....

[Burgerbob]

I use a Neotech on my 3BSS. Very comfy, no hand involvement at all.