Thein Ben Van Dijk?

[bassbonebuster]

Having played my way around the bass trombones at ITF, I came away with pure awe at the quality of instruments we have at our disposal. Getzen, Edwards, Schilke/Greenhoe, Courtois, Shires, Yamaha, and Butler all had instruments that simply played well, sounded great, and simply worked. There were differences for sure, but It was akin to a smorgasbord of the finest food you enjoy. But, the Thein BvD model was the most enchanting instrument I've ever played. I finally had to put it down simply because I felt guilty I was giving false hope to the exhibitor as I don't have trombone buying money laying around at the moment. The engineering of the instrument was noticeably superior to the other instruments and the ergonomics were simply perfect for my hands. There was no contest to the response of the valve side of the instrument. It was pure, thick, rich, and savory and blew so freely with a throw that was short and crisp. The slide was on par with the best of others and the instrument is strikingly beautiful in person. Again, nothing played like it for me and I begin to wonder why we don't see them more over here. Is it cost? Do Theins, or that model in particular, not blend well with the standard American trombone sound? Is it lack of mass availbility? Or, did the horn just work for me and usually doesn't for other American Trombonists?

[TomRiker]

I would imagine it's probably everything you stated. I have never played one so no idea how they blend but the traditional German trombone features would probably make a lot of players worried about that and since they aren't popular it's hard to test without spending a bunch of money. In particular the slide bores move in the opposite direction from the trends in the U.S. i.e .547/.562 vs .562 or .562.578. I'd imagine those details might make it not work for trombonists used to the larger slide dimensions. I personally think it would be great if more younger players explored smaller horns but I'm far from the first here to express that opinion.

[Rob1662]

I'd love to try a .547/562 slide as I'm sure it would help with my limited resources due to getting older.

[BGuttman]

Thein makes German style trombones and American style trombones. I'm not sure which kind the Ben Van Dijk is. Given his rep, it probably is American.

Thein makes great instruments, but they charge high prices for them. That's part of the reason they aren't popular in the US. Basically you can get more for your money with an Edwards or Shires.

[blast]

I've played Ben's actual instrument and it was exceptional. It is a German style instrument.

[bassbonebuster]

I’m imagine cost is probably the reason. Can a horn play $4000+ better than a Shires or Edwards? That’s up to the person paying. I will add that the Getzen horns were every bit as good as the Edwards which should be the case, but having played Getzens for 12 years, their fit and finish always seemed nominally sub par to Edwards but they were always substantially cheaper than an Edwards too. Not anymore, at least the ones at ITF weren’t any less quality than Eddies. There was also a Yamaha 830 that sounded incredible! Big fat sound all over the horn with almost no effort. I’ve played a few 830’s over the years and this one was special. I found myself playing almost as constantly as the Thein.

[sweetpedals]

I played a Thein BVD for several years almost exclusively. Now I use it more for specific rep and settings. I really love the special sound and craftsmanship. The .547-.562 does enables a very nice upper register and compact yet dense sound. My biggest criticism is that it is touchy pitch-wise. It is definitely more sensitive to temperature changes than my Shires. Also, there is also no tuning slide on the Gb valve which contributes to the situation. Still, it is a stunning instrument - one I intend to keep around for a long time. It is a joy to play.