TromboneChat

Is Dillon no longer a Rath dealer? They don’t have any new Rath horns on their website. Lots of used stuff, but nothing new. I was thinking of getting an R4 slide.

Noticed the same thing, Greg Black & Hornguys seem to be Rath dealers now?

Yeh Dillon has moved away from that.

J. Landress can order for you in NYC. Bandwagon Repair in Nashville actually has most of the US inventory for Rath, can give them a call and see what they have left, Linden is a great guy. I’m sure they will restock US inventory for NAMM end of January.

I've noticed that most of what these dealers are offering are the 400 and 900 series. Dillon Music had 2 very nice used R9s some months ago that have sold.

Bear in mind that one of my students waited 10 months for his Rath R3 and he only lives 45 minutes from the workshop

Josh Landres Brass has some new and used horns on their website.

I was also able to order a R4 tuning slide à la carte. I’m still waiting for the tuning slide but I can say Josh was very pleasant to purchase with!

Now that Rath is owned by John Packer, some of the business structure will change. I think it was always Mick's least favourite part of the business. He liked building trombones.

RJMason wrote: Tue Dec 23, 2025 9:21 am J. Landress can order for you in NYC. Bandwagon Repair in Nashville actually has most of the US inventory for Rath, can give them a call and see what they have left, Linden is a great guy. I’m sure they will restock US inventory for NAMM end of January.

Too bad that Bandwagon shows nothing on their website regarding Rath inventory or even instrument sales at all. ??

WGWTR180 wrote: Thu Jan 01, 2026 12:55 pm

RJMason wrote: Tue Dec 23, 2025 9:21 am J. Landress can order for you in NYC. Bandwagon Repair in Nashville actually has most of the US inventory for Rath, can give them a call and see what they have left, Linden is a great guy. I’m sure they will restock US inventory for NAMM end of January.

Too bad that Bandwagon shows nothing on their website regarding Rath inventory or even instrument sales at all. ??

Yes you have to call and speak to a person, Tennessee vibes

RJMason wrote: Thu Jan 01, 2026 1:39 pm

WGWTR180 wrote: Thu Jan 01, 2026 12:55 pm

Too bad that Bandwagon shows nothing on their website regarding Rath inventory or even instrument sales at all. ??

Yes you have to call and speak to a person, Tennessee vibes

Ok thanks. As someone who's from TN I'll keep that in mind.

Fidbone wrote: Wed Dec 24, 2025 9:28 am Bear in mind that one of my students waited 10 months for his Rath R3 and he only lives 45 minutes from the workshop

Making high quality instruments takes time. Just because the client lived 45 minutes away doesn't mean they can make his horn any quicker.

hornbuilder wrote: Wed Jan 14, 2026 6:59 pm

Fidbone wrote: Wed Dec 24, 2025 9:28 am Bear in mind that one of my students waited 10 months for his Rath R3 and he only lives 45 minutes from the workshop

Making high quality instruments takes time. Just because the client lived 45 minutes away doesn't mean they can make his horn any quicker.

I know, I worked there for a while.

It looks like Greg Black is now a dealer for Rath and his shop is only about an hour from me.

Mikebmiller wrote: Thu Jan 15, 2026 12:36 pm It looks like Greg Black is now a dealer for Rath and his shop is only about an hour from me.

True but I'm wondering what, if anything, he will have in stock to sell right on the spot or if instruments will need to be ordered. The same with parts.

Even when Dillion was the only Rath dealer in the US they hardly had “everything”. I had several frustrating trips there in the 2010s in which they never had a nickel silver bell. Most of their stock was dusty…Probably just bad luck and the fact that those bells sell quick.

In fact the only way I, as an American, was able to put a truly bespoke Rath R3F together was by taking a side quest via train to the factory when I was in London for work. This was 11 years ago mind you, but worth the trip (though I ended up just buying an old Bach oops).

Rath will be back at NAMM next week. I will inquire the best way to get a hold of instruments and components in the US this year!

It might seem counterintuitive buying through a European dealer. But I offer a 30 day trial period now. I ship DDP now so no taxes on your side and your return shipping is free.

Mind you... this is a testing period to see if this works out financially for me but you guys could take advantage of it.

A very nice nickel silver R3F will go online soon.

RJMason wrote: Fri Jan 16, 2026 4:59 pm Even when Dillion was the only Rath dealer in the US they hardly had “everything”. I had several frustrating trips there in the 2010s in which they never had a nickel silver bell. Most of their stock was dusty…Probably just bad luck and the fact that those bells sell quick.

In fact the only way I, as an American, was able to put a truly bespoke Rath R3F together was by taking a side quest via train to the factory when I was in London for work. This was 11 years ago mind you, but worth the trip (though I ended up just buying an old Bach oops).

Rath will be back at NAMM next week. I will inquire the best way to get a hold of instruments and components in the US this year!

It's true that Dillon didn't carry everything as that would be virtually impossible but they had quite a bit there for quite some time. They had drawers full of parts and lead pipes that one could try as well as multiple R9 bells and slides.
I'll be curious to see what you find out from them next week at NAMM.

I just wanted to confirm that I have received a R4 tuning slide I special ordered through Josh Landres Brass. Took about 6 months to show up. Im very pleased with the purchase and Josh and his team were great to work with.

That said I ordered before tariffs were a thing for the UK. Who knows what it’d be like now. I’m sure it’s going to be near impossible to find or get Rath stuff in the states for the foreseeable future.

WGWTR180 wrote: Sat Jan 17, 2026 9:26 am

RJMason wrote: Fri Jan 16, 2026 4:59 pm Even when Dillion was the only Rath dealer in the US they hardly had “everything”. I had several frustrating trips there in the 2010s in which they never had a nickel silver bell. Most of their stock was dusty…Probably just bad luck and the fact that those bells sell quick.

In fact the only way I, as an American, was able to put a truly bespoke Rath R3F together was by taking a side quest via train to the factory when I was in London for work. This was 11 years ago mind you, but worth the trip (though I ended up just buying an old Bach oops).

Rath will be back at NAMM next week. I will inquire the best way to get a hold of instruments and components in the US this year!

It's true that Dillon didn't carry everything as that would be virtually impossible but they had quite a bit there for quite some time. They had drawers full of parts and lead pipes that one could try as well as multiple R9 bells and slides.
I'll be curious to see what you find out from them next week at NAMM.

I got mine at the ATW in DC about 9-10 years ago. They had all the options there. What's funny is that Mick was in the booth and I didn't know who he was. I thought he was one of the Dillon guys. I had played another brand of horn at their booth which i really liked and I asked him if he knew the price on that horn. He didn't say anything about his horns being better - he just checked the price for me. Dillon gave me a nice trade in on my Edwards which enabled me to get the Rath for a little over 2 grand at the time. A buddy of mine worked as a tech for a nearby music store and he managed to score a great demo price on an R6 with a brushed finish bell recently. That is a beautiful horn.

Houghton Horns is a dealer.

You should find it much easier to get Rath instruments and parts in the states going forward because of the distribution heft of John Packer. That said, when I last spoke to them, there was still pretty much a six month backorder situation. The instruments are selling as fast as they can build them…

Who sells Rath mouthpieces??? I doubt Greg Black does. LOL

AndyBaker wrote: Tue Mar 31, 2026 4:46 pm You should find it much easier to get Rath instruments and parts in the states going forward because of the distribution heft of John Packer. That said, when I last spoke to them, there was still pretty much a six month backorder situation. The instruments are selling as fast as they can build them…

haha... six months! I'm at a year and some change waiting for my R6 order.