Soprano Trombone

[ttf_RBBERN01]

Hello everyone, I’m looking into getting a soprano trombone, or a slide trumpet, so that I can do an SATB trombone choir. I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions on a solid brand to look into. Thanks in advance!

[ttf_BGuttman]

Jupiter and Mirafone.

Avoid the Getzen with the very narrow slide.

Don't know which of the Chinese brands is good.

[ttf_crazytrombonist505]

Quote from: BGuttman on Jan 23, 2018, 09:13AMJupiter and Mirafone.

Avoid the Getzen with the very narrow slide.

Don't know which of the Chinese brands is good.

+1 for the Jupiter. I used to have one and it was pretty good as far as those horns go. There is one for sale on eBay now currently but the seller seems to want quite a bit of money for it. Not sure what the reserve price is.

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F183030137355

I’m not associated with the seller or sale.

[ttf_RBBERN01]

It looks like the Jupiter is no longer for sale unless it’s used, and the miraphone looks like it’s out of my price range. Does anyone have any experience with any of the Chinese horns like Wessex, JP, or any others?

[ttf_Full Pedal Trombonist]

Based solely on their reputation as a whole I would say going with a Wessex is very low risk. Affordable and very likely to last you as long as you need it. As good as a Mirafone? Maybe not, but I don’t know how good the Mirafone is anyway!

I’ve played a Jupiter. It makes the sounds and the slide wasn’t bad at all. A little funky on intonation, but I’m not so solid on a trumpet mouthpiece. If the Wessex is as good as that then I’d say it’s worth it.

[ttf_watermailonman]

I have a Jupiter and a Kanstul. I say the Jupiter is good enough. Neither has a full seven position slide (when I play them) but the Kanstul is almost in tune on seventh. On a soprano you do not like that seventh position anyway.

The problem with a soprano is to find a mouthpiece that helps to produce a trombone sound AND is possible to play in tune. Most mouthpieces make it sound like a trumpet. I experimented with this in the beginning of the mid 90-ies and found a Flugelhorn mouthpiece to be the best match, but it is hard work to play high on such a big mouthpiece. I remember I found out I could only play as high as    but I also found that to be high enough.
I have a couple of recordings on my Web page in my signature where I use my soprano trombones.

/Tom
 

[ttf_RBBERN01]

I was thinking the best mouthpiece to get would be one of the chansons Wycliffe Gordon mouthpieces. It’s a trombone rim with a trumpet cup, so it would probably help me out for times I’d have to switch back and forth between tenor and soprano.

[ttf_Cubes]

I have a custom made Soprano Trombone if you want to buy it, it takes trombone mouthpieces but can also do pretty well with a trumpet one in there

[ttf_RBBERN01]

Quote from: Cubes on Jan 23, 2018, 09:06PMI have a custom made Soprano Trombone if you want to buy it, it takes trombone mouthpieces but can also do pretty well with a trumpet one in there
How much would you like for it, and what brand is it?

[ttf_Carl Enger]

You can also buy a Thomann SL-5 for $120. It may not seem like much, but it plays great.

https://www.thomann.de/de/thomann_sl5zugtrompete.htm?ref=search_prv_8

[ttf_watermailonman]

Quote from: RBBERN01 on Jan 23, 2018, 03:50PMI was thinking the best mouthpiece to get would be one of the chansons Wycliffe Gordon mouthpieces. It’s a trombone rim with a trumpet cup, so it would probably help me out for times I’d have to switch back and forth between tenor and soprano.

I have his mouthpiece. It sounds like a trumpet when I use it with a soprano and it is very heavy to play in the upper register. It is because of the big trombone rim. How long can you play in your highest register on the trombone with your ordinary mouthpiece? I can not play for 30-40 minutes on my tenor exclusicely in the high register  -    I would need to rest a lot. The Wycliffe mourhpiece has a very shallow cup but still you play it like a trombone mouthpiece. My lips sometimes hit the bottom of that mouthpiece. It can be used, but I prefer the Flugelhorn piece because it gives better sound and is not as exhausting. On my recordings in my page I play the flugelhorn mouthpiece. I think the Wycliffe mouthpiece could work on 4th trumpet parts.

/Tom

[ttf_itisunknown]

Quote from: BGuttman on Jan 23, 2018, 09:13AM
Avoid the Getzen with the very narrow slide.



...normally agree with you Bruce, but not about the Getzen. 
Hear it here at the 6:30 mark: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ffvo8dtj9H8

[ttf_Driving Park]

There is a guy on the Jam of the Week Facebook page who sometimes posts mulltitracked recordings of a handful of trombones and maybe a trumpet part. The first time he played trumpet in a video I was shocked - it sounded like a real soprano trombone. I asked him about it and he told me he uses a Bach contralto trumpet mouthpiece in his trumpet to achieve that sound. I'd imagine it would work very well in an actual soprano trombone (even a cheap one with trumpet specs) - it seems like a logical progression given that alto trombones use mouthpieces that are still in the small tenor mouthpiece size range. It's definitely what I'm going to try when I get a soprano. Flugelhorn mouthpiece is the wrong direction IMO - it's like putting a deep euphonium mouthpiece in a tenor to try to sound like a bass trombone.

[ttf_davdud101]

Quote from: Full Pedal Trombonist on Jan 23, 2018, 12:36PMI’ve played a Jupiter. It makes the sounds and the slide wasn’t bad at all. A little funky on intonation, but I’m not so solid on a trumpet mouthpiece. If the Wessex is as good as that then I’d say it’s worth it.

One of the strange things I noted when picking up a soprano for the first time, at least for myself, was that I couldn't approach the instrument with the airflow or embouchure I'd've been inclined to use on trumpet (which I had been practicing on for 6 or 7 months when I got the chance to play soprano).
Hard to explain, it for me is just a bit of a different beast than trombone or trumpet.

[ttf_RBBERN01]

Quote from: Carl Enger on Jan 23, 2018, 10:11PMYou can also buy a Thomann SL-5 for $120. It may not seem like much, but it plays great.

https://www.thomann.de/de/thomann_sl5zugtrompete.htm?ref=search_prv_8
Would you say that these do a decent job of playing in tune?

[ttf_watermailonman]

Quote from: Driving Park on Jan 24, 2018, 06:57AMThere is a guy on the Jam of the Week Facebook page who sometimes posts mulltitracked recordings of a handful of trombones and maybe a trumpet part. The first time he played trumpet in a video I was shocked - it sounded like a real soprano trombone. I asked him about it and he told me he uses a Bach contralto trumpet mouthpiece in his trumpet to achieve that sound.

Interesting!  I did not know a contralto mouthpiece exists.

/Tom

[ttf_SilverBone]

Quote from: RBBERN01 on Jan 23, 2018, 03:50PMI was thinking the best mouthpiece to get would be one of the chansons Wycliffe Gordon mouthpieces. It’s a trombone rim with a trumpet cup, so it would probably help me out for times I’d have to switch back and forth between tenor and soprano.

I have one. It's not magic - it will take a lot of work to play well with it.

[ttf_davdud101]

I HAVE to ask:

Is the flare on soprano trombone closer to, perhaps, flugel or cornet? Cuz it seems it has a sound a pretty far cry away from that of trumpet, leaning much more toward flugel.

no intention to hijack the thread ofc

[ttf_watermailonman]

Quote from: davdud101 on Jan 25, 2018, 09:16AMI HAVE to ask:

Is the flare on soprano trombone closer to, perhaps, flugel or cornet? Cuz it seems it has a sound a pretty far cry away from that of trumpet, leaning much more toward flugel.

no intention to hijack the thread ofc

The Kanstul is more like a slide cornet if I remember correctly. They make a slide trumpet as well. It comes with two leadpipes. One for cornet mouthpiece and one for trumpet. Mine is very early, one of the first they made and at that time only the trumpet leadpipe was included, but removable. The bell is yellow brass but the ones they sell now are in red brass or copper. Not sure about the material. The slide trumpet has another model number and is still in yellow brass. It is made in collaboration with Chuck Findley. My horn came with a Bach 7C mouthpiece if I remember correctly but they had not decided what mouthpiece to recommend and were still experimenting. I don't know if they ever made a recommendation. I think it still is the biggest issue with the soprano.

/Tom

[ttf_dershem]

Quote from: watermailonman on Jan 23, 2018, 02:53PMI have a Jupiter and a Kanstul. I say the Jupiter is good enough. Neither has a full seven position slide (when I play them) but the Kanstul is almost in tune on seventh. On a soprano you do not like that seventh position anyway.

The problem with a soprano is to find a mouthpiece that helps to produce a trombone sound AND is possible to play in tune. Most mouthpieces make it sound like a trumpet. I experimented with this in the beginning of the mid 90-ies and found a Flugelhorn mouthpiece to be the best match, but it is hard work to play high on such a big mouthpiece. I remember I found out I could only play as high as    but I also found that to be high enough.
I have a couple of recordings on my Web page in my signature where I use my soprano trombones.

/Tom
 

I have found a Curry TF mouthpieces to be a good balance.  Deep enough to get a decent sound, but not horrible for range.

[ttf_Driving Park]

Quote from: davdud101 on Jan 25, 2018, 09:16AMI HAVE to ask:

Is the flare on soprano trombone closer to, perhaps, flugel or cornet? Cuz it seems it has a sound a pretty far cry away from that of trumpet, leaning much more toward flugel.

Depends on the instrument. The really cheap Chinese ones (and probably the Jupiter as well) seem to be just trumpet bells bent to shape. They certainly sound like it.

Interestingly, manufacturers used to sell "slide trumpets" AND "slide cornets", the difference being the mouthpiece shank. Kanstul markets the 140 as a slide trumpet and the 150 as a soprano trombone, and the 150 has a larger bell throat (and copper bell).

[ttf_Driving Park]

Quote from: davdud101 on Jan 25, 2018, 09:16AMI HAVE to ask:

Is the flare on soprano trombone closer to, perhaps, flugel or cornet? Cuz it seems it has a sound a pretty far cry away from that of trumpet, leaning much more toward flugel.

Depends on the instrument. The really cheap Chinese ones (and probably the Jupiter as well) seem to be just trumpet bells bent to shape. They certainly sound like it.

Interestingly, manufacturers used to sell "slide trumpets" AND "slide cornets", the difference being the mouthpiece shank. Kanstul markets the 140 as a slide trumpet and the 150 as a soprano trombone, and the 150 has a larger bell throat (and copper bell).