M&W custom trombones - any reviews available?

Post Reply
marccromme
Posts: 325
Joined: Fri Mar 30, 2018 7:03 am
Location: Copenhagen, Denmark
Contact:

M&W custom trombones - any reviews available?

Post by marccromme »

I just stumbled over this https://www.customtrombones.com/photos.html and it pleases my eye. Greenhoei'sh, but more elegant, definitely something of it's own.

Question is just: do they play as well as they look?

Is there any forum member daring to make a short review or share their experiences with these instruments?
User avatar
Finetales
Posts: 858
Joined: Fri Mar 23, 2018 12:31 pm
Location: Los Angeles
Contact:

Re: M&W custom trombones - any reviews available?

Post by Finetales »

I've tried a few of them, both tenor and bass, at shows and from friends who own them. I really liked them - they play extremely well!
User avatar
Matt K
Verified
Posts: 3945
Joined: Tue Mar 20, 2018 10:34 pm
Contact:

Re: M&W custom trombones - any reviews available?

Post by Matt K »

I've only played them in passing at Dillon Music but each one was a superb instrument. I really liked one that had a red bell and I think a narrow slide, which is unsurprising given how much I like my Shires with a similar configuration.
User avatar
elmsandr
Posts: 957
Joined: Fri Mar 23, 2018 2:43 pm
Location: S.E. Michigan
Contact:

Re: M&W custom trombones - any reviews available?

Post by elmsandr »

I haven’t played any of their complete horns, so I cannot give you a review of the horns, but I can give a review of the makers and people you would be dealing with.

In short, they are some of the finest brass craftsmen on the planet.

For a longer explanation, I sent them the slide from an ancient Conn Fuchs to see if we could resurrect it. Not really, it is pretty much destroyed and had some bad repairs in the past. So I asked them to make a replacement based on their TIS bass slide. Well, they made me a slide. It was not simply their standard bass slide, they made a faithful reproduction of the Fuchs slide that included some custom tooling. I still have work to do on the bell section (and I need to call M&W and see if I can just talk them into it), but this slide is amazing. It fits my Bach tapers, so I’ve been using it on my old Bach 50 single. Perfect sound and feel for a bass. It is open and full, but not nearly as spread as some of my other slides. And it is absolutely stunning. If you are on Facebook, there was a recent thread in the Bass Trombone Appreciation group about a twin slide they made for another Fuchs.

For me, I do not need another horn. I would happily buy one from M&W just so that I could see what they come up with for me.

Cheers,
Andy
User avatar
Burgerbob
Posts: 4526
Joined: Mon Apr 23, 2018 8:10 pm
Location: LA
Contact:

Re: M&W custom trombones - any reviews available?

Post by Burgerbob »

I played their horns at ITF. Really amazing instruments.
Aidan Ritchie, LA area player and teacher
User avatar
DakoJack
Posts: 131
Joined: Tue Apr 17, 2018 9:22 pm
Location: New Orleans

Re: M&W custom trombones - any reviews available?

Post by DakoJack »

Michael McLemore is on this website hes one of the cofounders of M and W he could probably help you out but Im not sure if he wants to just be outed on this thread with reviews of his stuff. If you want to talk to him Im sure with a little research you could find him on here. Never played his stuff but havent heard any negative reviews so thats a plus.
User avatar
Neo Bri
Posts: 1313
Joined: Wed Mar 21, 2018 10:30 am
Location: Netherwhere
Contact:

Re: M&W custom trombones - any reviews available?

Post by Neo Bri »

No reviews here. I'm pretty sure they'd be amazing instruments, and I trust the people who've chimed in about them.

That being said, I wish they were modular.
ZacharyThornton
Posts: 477
Joined: Fri Mar 23, 2018 7:51 am

Re: M&W custom trombones - any reviews available?

Post by ZacharyThornton »

I have played them and they have the best feedback of anyhorn I have every played. If I ever thought my horn wasn’t cutting it... I would go M&W.
Kbiggs
Posts: 1125
Joined: Sat Mar 24, 2018 11:46 am
Location: Vancouver WA

Re: M&W custom trombones - any reviews available?

Post by Kbiggs »

I believe they both worked for Greenhoe at one time... hence the “Greenhoe-ish” appearance. I’ve been told that appearances can be deceptive... ;)
Kenneth Biggs
I have known a great many troubles, but most of them have never happened.
—Mark Twain (attributed)
hornbuilder
Posts: 854
Joined: Wed May 02, 2018 9:20 pm

Re: M&W custom trombones - any reviews available?

Post by hornbuilder »

To respond to a couple of comments so far. M&W will make either hard soldered (ie not removable) bells, as well as detachable (ie modular) bells. Customer choice.

Regarding the similarity to the product if our previous employer, these are brand new designs, with "many" differences to the previous product. Both Michael and myself are active players, and we designed these instruments to encapsulate features that we knew would go beyond what we had done before.

We would love for anyone interested in our horns to give them a try!
Matthew
Matthew Walker
Owner/Craftsman, M&W Custom Trombones, LLC, Jackson, Wisconsin.
Former Bass Trombonist, Opera Australia, 1991-2006
User avatar
Neo Bri
Posts: 1313
Joined: Wed Mar 21, 2018 10:30 am
Location: Netherwhere
Contact:

Re: M&W custom trombones - any reviews available?

Post by Neo Bri »

hornbuilder wrote: Tue May 15, 2018 8:44 am To respond to a couple of comments so far. M&W will make either hard soldered (ie not removable) bells, as well as detachable (ie modular) bells. Customer choice.

Regarding the similarity to the product if our previous employer, these are brand new designs, with "many" differences to the previous product. Both Michael and myself are active players, and we designed these instruments to encapsulate features that we knew would go beyond what we had done before.

We would love for anyone interested in our horns to give them a try!
Matthew
Excellent. I love to hear that. Thank you.
User avatar
FeelMyRath
Posts: 81
Joined: Thu Apr 12, 2018 4:55 am

Re: M&W custom trombones - any reviews available?

Post by FeelMyRath »

Are there any plans to expand to the UK/European market some day?
Making the world better, one note at a time

Yorkshire, United Kingdom
marccromme
Posts: 325
Joined: Fri Mar 30, 2018 7:03 am
Location: Copenhagen, Denmark
Contact:

Re: M&W custom trombones - any reviews available?

Post by marccromme »

I would love to test your instruments in Europa ...
hornbuilder
Posts: 854
Joined: Wed May 02, 2018 9:20 pm

Re: M&W custom trombones - any reviews available?

Post by hornbuilder »

We have a relationship with Bertram Musik in Freiburg, Germany (actually working on a project for them right now) We are in discussion with a couple of other dealers, in England and Portugal, so hopefully we will have more of a presence in Europe soon.
M
Matthew Walker
Owner/Craftsman, M&W Custom Trombones, LLC, Jackson, Wisconsin.
Former Bass Trombonist, Opera Australia, 1991-2006
ZacharyThornton
Posts: 477
Joined: Fri Mar 23, 2018 7:51 am

Re: M&W custom trombones - any reviews available?

Post by ZacharyThornton »

I personally prefer non modular horns. I think something is lost in the build of the horn because of the breaks needed to make the bell removable. I could be completely wrong though...
User avatar
Inspector71
Posts: 39
Joined: Fri Mar 23, 2018 4:03 am
Location: West Bend, WI

Re: M&W custom trombones - any reviews available?

Post by Inspector71 »

ZacharyThornton wrote: Tue May 15, 2018 7:41 pm I personally prefer non modular horns. I think something is lost in the build of the horn because of the breaks needed to make the bell removable. I could be completely wrong though...
:good: Right On!
Michael D. McLemore
Former Owner/Craftsman
M&W Custom Trombones
User avatar
FeelMyRath
Posts: 81
Joined: Thu Apr 12, 2018 4:55 am

Re: M&W custom trombones - any reviews available?

Post by FeelMyRath »

Is there any tangible evidence to support that? I'm not suggesting that you're wrong in any way, I'd just like to know if it's a definite fact because of x, y, z...
Making the world better, one note at a time

Yorkshire, United Kingdom
hornbuilder
Posts: 854
Joined: Wed May 02, 2018 9:20 pm

Re: M&W custom trombones - any reviews available?

Post by hornbuilder »

Re the hard soldered/detachable question. Personally, I prefer permanently mounted bells. It may be psychological, but I feel there is a better "connection" within the instrument as a whole. There are some benefits from a construction point of view with both options, but that all generally comes out as a wash.

Of course it depends to some extent too, if you're talking about "modular" versus "interchangeable". While we will do modular instruments, we do not do interchangeable, since, in our opinion, there are too many compromises associated with doing that, from a "fit/tolerance" perspective. But that's another conversation...

M
Matthew Walker
Owner/Craftsman, M&W Custom Trombones, LLC, Jackson, Wisconsin.
Former Bass Trombonist, Opera Australia, 1991-2006
User avatar
Neo Bri
Posts: 1313
Joined: Wed Mar 21, 2018 10:30 am
Location: Netherwhere
Contact:

Re: M&W custom trombones - any reviews available?

Post by Neo Bri »

hornbuilder wrote: Wed May 16, 2018 8:12 am Re the hard soldered/detachable question. Personally, I prefer permanently mounted bells. It may be psychological, but I feel there is a better "connection" within the instrument as a whole. There are some benefits from a construction point of view with both options, but that all generally comes out as a wash.

Of course it depends to some extent too, if you're talking about "modular" versus "interchangeable". While we will do modular instruments, we do not do interchangeable, since, in our opinion, there are too many compromises associated with doing that, from a "fit/tolerance" perspective. But that's another conversation...

M
Can you elaborate more on the difference between the two? If I were to buy a "modular" tenor with a yellow bell from M&W, and then later buy a red bell here on TC, does that mean they might not fit?

I'm probably misunderstanding the fundamental difference.
User avatar
PhilipEdCarlson
Posts: 106
Joined: Thu Mar 22, 2018 10:59 pm

Re: M&W custom trombones - any reviews available?

Post by PhilipEdCarlson »

:ugeek:
Neo Bri wrote: Wed May 16, 2018 8:59 am I'm probably misunderstanding the fundamental difference.
Me too!
:?: and I'm curious :?:
Philip Carlson
TR-181, 72H, 88HCL, 32H, 30H, 4H, 50's Super, 40's Super, Buescher True-Tone 410 & The Buescher, Constellation Euph, Getzen Severenson
hornbuilder
Posts: 854
Joined: Wed May 02, 2018 9:20 pm

Re: M&W custom trombones - any reviews available?

Post by hornbuilder »

Yes, you have the idea. Every manufacturer makes a choice as to how "tight" or "loose" any given tolerance needs to be. We feel that to make every component that comes out of our shop "interchangeable" with another one that may have been made days, months or years before, requires too much of a compromise on what we consider to be a "correct fit" of things like the tuning slide tubes and the cross braces.

We hand fit the tuning slide tubes as pairs, for example, as opposed to machining them to a given size. (Even with CNC machining, there is variance in the dimension of the final part) We build a bell section as a complete unit, with the tuning slide and valve section that goes with that instrument, as opposed to building those components separate to each other and then combining them, with the fit being acceptable "however it comes". This attention to fit actually reduces he difference between a modular and hard soldered instrument to a minimum, IMO.

M
Matthew Walker
Owner/Craftsman, M&W Custom Trombones, LLC, Jackson, Wisconsin.
Former Bass Trombonist, Opera Australia, 1991-2006
ZacharyThornton
Posts: 477
Joined: Fri Mar 23, 2018 7:51 am

Re: M&W custom trombones - any reviews available?

Post by ZacharyThornton »

^ and this is why they are the best.
drbucher
Posts: 35
Joined: Wed Feb 16, 2022 8:03 am

Re: M&W custom trombones - any reviews available?

Post by drbucher »

I originally wanted him to rework an old f attachment that was not done well (by someone else). He declined, but tried to sell me a premade f attachment for $2750; I declined. I eventually asked him to remove it and restore my Holton TR-156 Jay Friedman model to its original condition, which he did, doing a great job. Superlative craftsmanship.
Last edited by drbucher on Tue Apr 12, 2022 5:08 am, edited 1 time in total.
Elow
Posts: 1791
Joined: Mon Mar 02, 2020 6:18 am

Re: M&W custom trombones - any reviews available?

Post by Elow »

I don’t think it’s about the player, more about wanting the horn to be as perfect as possible. If you’re a perfectionist, then the only way to ensure the valve section is built perfectly, is to build it by scratch.
JoeAumann
Posts: 71
Joined: Mon Sep 10, 2018 12:51 am

Re: M&W custom trombones - any reviews available?

Post by JoeAumann »

drbucher wrote: Wed Feb 16, 2022 8:28 am I originally wanted him to rework an old f attachment that was not done well (by someone else). He declined, but tried to sell me a premade f attachment for $2750; I declined. I eventually asked him to remove it and restore my Holton TR-156 Jay Friedman model to its original condition, which he did, doing a great job.
Overall, I got the impression that he doesn't respect amateurs, which is all I care to say on that subject.
Knowing Matthew personally, this is not true and it's unfair. Of course I don't know the details of your situation, but I strongly suspect he gave you specific reasoning for declining your original request (which you conveniently left off of your post). I'm sure the reasoning is along the lines of Elow's post below yours. Matthew "is" a perfectionist, and thank God! The lion's share of manufacturers out there today, simply can't compare when it comes to quality control and accepted tolerances.

Anyone reading this thread that is unfamiliar with M&W instruments, RUN, don't walk to try one. You won't regret it. They are among the very best trombones ever made in the world. I'm proud to play on their products every day.
WGWTR180
Posts: 1211
Joined: Wed Sep 04, 2019 2:32 pm

Re: M&W custom trombones - any reviews available?

Post by WGWTR180 »

drbucher wrote: Wed Feb 16, 2022 8:28 am I originally wanted him to rework an old f attachment that was not done well (by someone else). He declined, but tried to sell me a premade f attachment for $2750; I declined. I eventually asked him to remove it and restore my Holton TR-156 Jay Friedman model to its original condition, which he did, doing a great job.
Overall, I got the impression that he doesn't respect amateurs, which is all I care to say on that subject.
Reviving a 4 year old thread!! You would be foolish to think he doesn't respect amateurs. Matthew does work for whoever wants to purchase his instrument or have work done on their present one.
User avatar
DougHulme
Posts: 482
Joined: Fri Apr 27, 2018 12:54 am
Location: Portsmouth UK
Contact:

Re: M&W custom trombones - any reviews available?

Post by DougHulme »

When I first met Matt he was (and had been for several years) The Bass Trombonist of The Sydney Opera House. If you live in Australia theres not really anywhere else to go from there, yet we met on equal terms and were able to exchange views on playing and instruments and he was quite prepared to listen and to entertain my views and was interested in anything I had learned. He has been kind enough over the years to ask my opinion on some of his work and how a model or two he had built played. The only reason I dont play one of his horns now is one of finance.
He is a professional, he is a perfectionist, he builds remarkably good horns. I am an amatuer, I would like to be a perfectionist but fall short, I dont build remarkably good horns but Matt Walker has always treated me with utmost respect and I am always pleased to meet him, which is all I care to say on that subject... Doug
Post Reply

Return to “Instruments”