TromboneChat

Does somebody know this brand? Handcrafted horns from France. It looks interesting, I wonder about the quality.

https://www.trombone-alpha.com/product- ... -alpha-pro

First time hearing of them.
They only do lightweight jazz trombones so far, and they started exactly one year ago.
.508 bore
8" bell
Straight or Hagman valve

The idea of a Hagmann valve on a .508" (12.9 mm) bore instrument is intriguing. Not that I have €4,900 (roughly $5,700 US) rattling around loose, of course.

I would love to try it, but it's a 5 and a half hours drive one way and I have nothing else to do there.

That slide/bell angle looks gnarly

The "offset" variable radius of the main bell bow (and that of the attachment) is the opposite of that on the Kühnl & Hoyer "Slokar" model (designed by Klaus Wogram) that provides a truly beautiful and perfectly in-tune tenth harmonic. And clarity in the range above that, as well. I wonder what the story behind that is, and if it's patented? Is the offset also in the slide bow?





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Sesquitone wrote: Sun Jan 11, 2026 6:32 am The "offset" variable radius of the main bell bow (and that of the attachment) is the opposite of that on the Kühnl & Hoyer "Slokar" model (designed by Klaus Wogram) that provides a truly beautiful and perfectly in-tune tenth harmonic. And clarity in the range above that, as well. I wonder what the story behind that is, and if it's patented? Is the offset also in the slide bow?

From that first picture, where the view is perpendicular to the bell, it seems like the slide crook also is offset; with a sharper radius towards the lower tube.

The offset is also in the slide crook. Up close I personally don’t like how they look…it’s almost like an inch of straight tubing then a sudden bend. Maybe it works! Taylor Trumpets makes square horns and they seem to work though I’ve never tried it. As long as the energy reflects in a way that you enjoy I guess!

My experience with a hagmann on a small horn (Inderbinen)…not the most comfortable. Really asks for a wide slide. Nose heavy bell weight makes the balance worse. Probably easier on a lightweight horn.

I do appreciate the idea of using other materials for braces. This could be a future direction as the cost of metals and alloys used in trombone manufacturing become untenably high…still this horn is quite expensive (all boutique horns are this expensive now…)

Maybe it's just me, but the images (both here and on the website) look fake, computer-generated. Is this even a real company?

AtomicClock wrote: Sun Jan 11, 2026 10:05 am Maybe it's just me, but the images (both here and on the website) look fake, computer-generated. Is this even a real company?

A lot of the images border on "too good", but there's a few images on the website that look more real. There's also a video that looks genuine. Looks like a one-man shop, with Cédric Sourdouyre being that man. He's got some social media presence. If it's a fake, it's a well-backstopped fake.

RJMason wrote: Sun Jan 11, 2026 9:43 am I do appreciate the idea of using other materials for braces.

Wouldn't a tech need to be able to break and rejoin all those metal-to-plastic or metal-to-wood joints? For slide alignments and repairs? If not soldered, then glue, I guess. I wonder if that's practical.

AtomicClock wrote: Sun Jan 11, 2026 10:05 am Maybe it's just me, but the images (both here and on the website) look fake, computer-generated. Is this even a real company?

The Hotmail contact does not fill me with confidence.

JohnL wrote: Sun Jan 11, 2026 10:41 am A lot of the images border on "too good", but there's a few images on the website that look more real. There's also a video that looks genuine.

Every photo, plus the video, trigger my "uncanny valley" Spidey sense.

AtomicClock wrote: Sun Jan 11, 2026 1:57 pmEvery photo, plus the video, trigger my "uncanny valley" Spidey sense.

Agreed that all of the images with black background look a little off, but my impression is that someone got a little too enthusiastic with Photoshop. The Hagmann looks like a Hagmann, the Amado water key looks like an Amado water key. I'm looking at one pic that shows the slide end crook; it looks like whoever took the pic didn't realize that their camera was focusing on the K&M trombone stand rather than the trombone. I see pics like that on eBay all the time, though in this case, someone has compounded the problem by using some sort of tool to black out the background.

JohnL wrote: Sun Jan 11, 2026 3:18 pm someone got a little too enthusiastic with Photoshop.

Agree.

But why does the slide deviate from the neck pipe at 20⁰? Every horn I've tried like that not only is too small for my neck, but now only the right side of the mouthpiece connects with my face. I'm exaggerating a bit, but they should be aligned.

This is obviously not the first time seeing such a design choice, but I'm wondering what the reasoning is behind the choice.

*Edit sp.

The physical address is for a company called CS Musique. Here is their website: https://www.csmusiquealpha.com/

This is their FB page: https://www.facebook.com/csmusiquebiscarrosse/

There is at least one video of a guy playing one (that you can hear). Looks like they do a lot of restoration on various instruments, seeming to favor the brushed or media blast finishes.