trombone - which to buy?

[brutlix]

A friend of mine is buying a trombone and since he doesn't know anything about them and neither do I, we need some help. When I checked the prices
on ebay, I was surprised to see how cheap they are (compared to saxes), but I have no idea which brands to look for. What is a good choice for a beginning trombonist within 300-400$ range? Any suggestions?

[Al Stevens]

Yamaha's student model is a good beginner's slide trombone. I found one in a thrift shop for $30.

Slide trombones are easy to qualify. If the slide move freely with no hitches and the tuning slide is not frozen, the instrument should be okay.

[Bootman]

Olds are also worth looking into and King.

[Screamin'Trombone]

Well, it depends. If you're looking into getting a jazzy horn, I'd probably go with a conn or a king. However, if you want just a beginner trombone, yamahas are good.

Also, you might want to see if you can get lucky and get a good one cheap. I got a Blessing B-88 which retails for $1900 for $500 buy it now because it didn't meet factory specs. The only thing I had to do to makke it perfect was get the slide aligned(get both rods straight) and the horn was worth the $1900 it goes for.

Edit: Oh, and if you do buy one off ebay, make sure it's a name brand and the brand is spelled right because there are alot of companies in india that sell untunable horns for super cheap. Usually the shippings more than the instrument. Try craigslist.org too.

[Randall]

Let you in on a little secret...look in the thrift shops or pawn shops for an old Conn 4H....absolute screamer and won't cost much at all.

[gworthey]

Let you in on a little secret...look in the thrift shops or pawn shops for an old Conn 4H....absolute screamer and won't cost much at all.

Agree with with Randall on the Conn. Picked one up from a local university student for $50, and my son uses it as a backup for his Bach. Great horn and cheap. (Btw- also picked up a Buescher Alto sax for $50 from the same person):D