Recommendations for a single valve bass

[johntarr]

I’m getting more calls for bass in big bands, so probably will try to get a single valve bass. I’ve been playing on a Boosey and Hawkes from the school where I teach, which has terrible wear on the slide and is quite heavy.

So far, it seems that there Conn 70H’s are available, one Yamaha 421G and an Olds Super S-20. Would any of those horns be worth buying and does anyone have any other recommendations?

Thanks in advance, John

[BGuttman]

You may be pleasantly surprised by the Yamaha. It's listed as a "step up" but punches well above its weight. And Yamaha slides are generally excellent. Only negative is that the attachment wrap will not pull to E.

A Conn 70H is TIS if I recall. You need to check for damage to the ends of the outer tubes under the TIS oversleeve. That can be a fatal flaw. Also, Conn TIS slides tend to be somewhat heavy. A 72H is Tuning in Bell and may feel easier to play.

A large bore Olds may be a bit heavy, although they are generally excellent instruments.

[hyperbolica]

The 70h can be a great horn with a great sound, but it depends a lot on condition and your tastes. Because these are all pretty old, they can be very worn out. Also, if you are finicky about slide weight, you might not like these. Also 60h I think are similar.

Conn 72h and 71h are often old school horns, and condition can sometimes be an issue. If you find one in good shape, they are nice single valve horns.

I own an S-20. The slide again is very heavy, but these have a brighter, more trombony sound. It will blend better with tenors. You should be able to get these comparatively cheap.

Holton tr159 is one of my favorites on the smaller side, the tr183 is also nice. Some of the nicest single valve basses are older Holtons that can get kind of rare and/or pricy.

Bach 50b can be a good choice, as always, it's best if you or someone you trust can test one before you buy it. There are generally several of these available at a given time.

Yamahas are everywhere, I'm sure someone else will say something glowing about them. I usually find other brands sound/feel better, but everyone has their own taste.

[Rusty]

The Yamaha single valve basses are real easy to play and make a great sound. The valve is very good and they are very consistent with nice slides. I’d look for one of those personally, they’re not overly expensive either.

[tbonesullivan]

What about an olds P-22 with a 9 inch bell? Dillon Music has one right now, and it looks to be in great shape. Probably refurbed at some point, unless they kept it in a vacuum.

[StevenC]

I've loved playing my Holton tr183 in big bands. If you find one, the price should be good.

[walldaja]

Can't say enough about the Yamaha. Has a beautiful sound and nice slide. It's lighter than my tenor but has a solid core of sound.

[MrHCinDE]

Another shout for a Yamaha here. I’ve got a YBL-321 which, I think, is the predecessor to the 421. It’s really very easy blowing and although in the end I decided two valves were better suited to the range of music I wanted to play, if I’d stuck with a single valve bass I’d be using it more regularly. I may come back to it actually as I’m not playing much bass at the moment and find the transition much easier than from my double trigger bass. The ergonomics of playing a nice light single trigger bass are quite attractive.

For the vast majority of what I play including big band, that Yamaha 321 would be a great option. Solid and rich sound, effortless mid to upper range, usable if slightly stuffy trigger range. Personally I think not going too large with the mouthpiece helps.

[sirisobhakya]

Yet another shout for YBL-421G. Light, dark sound but can be manipulated easily, good slide, and cheap(er) too!

[greenbean]

You might check out the Holton TR183 I have for sale in the Classified.

[johntarr]

You might check out the Holton TR183 I have for sale in the Classified.

I couldn’t find your ad, do you have a link?

[bigbandbone]

Be sure to buy a horn that you can e-pull the f slide. You don't encounter too many sustained low C's & B's, but when you do it's nice to be able to play them in the correct octave. I just had to make an e-pull last night with my 72H in a big band.

[greenbean]

I couldn’t find your ad, do you have a link?

Hmm... I can't find it either! I will repost it now.

[sf105]

A friend has a Rath-Packer single valve for travelling and really likes it. Excellent build.

[walldaja]

One plus you may not have considered for the Yamaha is it is a closed wrap.

When you find yourself in a tight space (up against the wall or trumpet stands) not having an open wrap hanging back over your shoulder is a real plus.

This month I'm playing in a Christmas program and I'm really appreciating the short amount of horn over my shoulder. All three trombones are playing bass trombones (I'm the only single / closed) and it gives us a nice sound to balance over the rest of the orchestra and 200+ choir members.

[biggiesmalls]

FWIW I just posted a custom Yamaha 621 for sale yesterday: viewtopic.php?f=22&t=12555