New Blessing trombones

[MStarke]

Hi everyone,

as I am - in addition to a few other horns - happy owner of two older Blessing trombones that play really will (medium and large bore straight) and out of curiosity:

Has anyone recently played a new one?
Especially this which seems to be their top model:
http://www.blessingbrass.com/instrument/btb-1488or/

What is your impression?
Just another Chinese production?
Or coming back to the roots of making good but affordable trombones?

[walldaja]

Blessing was on life support in the late 90s and the last several transfers of ownership didn't dramatically improve them. I wouldn't expect much out of their latest efforts. Trying to use a once fairly rated name to sell stencils. I had several of their top trumpets bought with price as a primary priority. You get what you pay for and this was before those changes in ownership. I'd rather by a stencil from Dillon.

[paulyg]

I don't see any "China" country of origin stampings on their horns, maybe they're still being made here...

[Bloo]

New Blessings are nothing special. They play fine for what they are, but I definitely would put them below Dillon. Not necessarily the best thing for the price point.

The only reason they're still around and they still get bought is because they used to be decent.

[FOSSIL]

Made in China. The bass seems to be the same as the instrument I developed for Wessex.... quite possible as the Chinese will put any stamp on the bell of anything. I wonder if it is exactly the same ? Removable lead pipe ? Good job I was not on a percentage.....

Chris

[MStarke]

Hi all, thanks for the quick replies.

So that confirms what I suspected...
It's a pity they seem to not deliver more than that - especially the large bore straight trombone I have is a great instrument.

@Chris:
Seems like no one can protect himself from being copied in this aspect.
If we just remember that the most common Chinese alto is the most obvious copy of a K&H Slokar...

[LeTromboniste]

The BTB 88 used to be based on the 88H and they describe it as their long-running model based on a classic American design....yet it looks nothing like the old ones, and it looks like a knock-off Yamaha. The whole line just screams generic stencil designs.

[MStarke]

Again thanks for your inputs.

I also had noticed that there tenors that before were 88h copies now look like any other Chinese tenor...

However I was hoping that maybe with the BTB 1488OR (http://www.blessingbrass.com/instrument/btb-1488or/) they would make a step away from that.

[JohnL]

@Chris:
Seems like no one can protect himself from being copied in this aspect.
If we just remember that the most common Chinese alto is the most obvious copy of a K&H Slokar...

Quite possibly not actually a copy, but the same instrument built in the same factory, just with someone else's name on it. Always a risk in this sort of situation (and most definitely not exclusive to China); you do a bunch of R&D to develop a product, make a deal with a manufacturer, then you find out that they're making the same product for someone else (who can afford to undersell you because they aren't trying to recoup what you spend on R&D).

[SirJohn]

Made in China. The bass seems to be the same as the instrument I developed for Wessex.... quite possible as the Chinese will put any stamp on the bell of anything. I wonder if it is exactly the same ? Removable lead pipe ? Good job I was not on a percentage.....

Chris

Copying is the Chinese way. I looked at the Blessing early on in my process of finding a bass trombone for my son. I discovered that the Blessing bass is the exact same horn as the Allora Bass, but with a rose brass bell.
https://www.musiciansfriend.com/brass-i ... s-trombone

Blessing


Allora


If you look really closely, you find that both of the horns share a lot of parts with the JP rath 333. Check out the linkages in particular:
Blessing/Allora

JP Rath 333

If you look at the 333 profile and remove the decorative elements, extra brace and counterweight, there is a lot of similarity between it and the blessing.

[FOSSIL]

Nice to see that Chuck's 'Brasslab' valve wrap has become so popular. It must be a compliment that so many 'makers' want my design from Jin Bao. I deliberately kept a double bend in the F valve tube to see if the Chinese could make it.... seems they can. I think the JP Rath is made in a different factory, so it may be more a visual copy. What it was built from, only I and Jin Bao know, but it obviously works.

Chris