pBone Review

Finally! The long awaited review of the pBone has arrived! Once again, a huge thank you to Andrew's Music for providing me with a yellow pBone for review!

The pBone has been around quite awhile now. It was originally developed and sold in Europe and was essentially off limits in the USA. The company did not want to ship to the US because of the extra costs as well as the fact that they would sell out of stock in literally less than a day.

However, in the summer of 2011, it was announced that Conn-Selmer would be the exclusive, worldwide distributer of the pBone. A couple months ago, the US got our first shipment of pBones and they have been much anticipated and thus been selling extremely well.

However, what is the performance value of the instrument? Sure, it's a novel idea to have a plastic, colored trombone, but is it functional? Does it sound good? Will one be able to use it? I'll address all of that in this review.

What you get:

• pBone (two parts, as per the norm of trombones)
• Plastic, matching color mouthpiece
• Gigbag
• pBone Care Card

Shipping:

I really had no concerns about shipping with this horn. I mean it won't get dented and should hold up to a lot more abuse than a normal horn. It came in the box pictured below and considering the horn I am very confident in the fact that the horn will not be damaged upon receiving it. On behalf of Andrew's Music, their shipping was very quick and I was extremely pleased in the time it took for the horn to get to me from Texas.

Specs:

• Plastic bell
• Fiberglass slide with brass stockings
• 8.25" bell
• .500" bore
• 800g weight.

Lets set this straight, this horn does NOT have a carbon fiber slide.  Any website claiming that it does is simply wrong. Just thinking about it, there is no way they could use a carbon fiber slide at this price point. (Though carbon fiber slides do exist, just look up Spurling).

Appearance - Well there is nothing like this anywhere else. Sure, you can get colored mouthpieces elsewhere but the pBone is the only colored plastic trombone on the market. You will definitely draw some looks with this horn in your hands. Not suitable for all situations but definitely a fun horn and a great way to get people interested in your playing. Overall, in most non-formal performance situations, I think the pBone could be cool.

How does it play? - This is the single most important factor of an instrument. If a horn doesn't sound good, I'm not going to play it in front of people or risk developing bad habits by using it because it looks cool. That being said, this horn sounds so much better than I thought it would! I was very impressed with the horn's playability and sound. I will admit, it doesn't sound like my 42BO, but it does sounds on par or better than almost every student model I've played. And quite honestly, for good players, student models don't sound too shabby at all. The horn gets a bit airy in the lower register I found but it only took a practice session or two to get my embouchure used to that and automatically adjust. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised with the sound of this horn and the way it works. Should I ever have a fun performance in front of a child audience or something, I would definitely consider using this horn.

Slide - The slide is the hardest part of the trombone to get right. The reason is very simple, you have a set of two long tubes which need to be fit two another set of two long tubes and need to have a tight enough fit to not allow extraneous air to escape while not so tight as to restrict the ease of movement. Factor in the length of the tubes and that requires a lot of precision. When you first get the horn, the pBone's slide is very scratchy and tight. However, with use, the brass stockings essentially shave off material on the inside of the outer slides and as such they become fit to that individual inner slide. You can definitely hear the slide at first but it has gotten marginally better over the past week or so. Therefore, I'm hoping that continues. You also do not need to use slide lubricant on this slide. I tried using my trombotine on it and honestly it didn't make much of a difference. Maybe it will have more of an effect once the slide is worn in. 

Mouthpeice - Okay, I'll be honest here. Do not use the included mouthpiece. I found it to be essentially crap. It makes the horn sound much more airy and it's simply not a good mouthpiece in my opinion. Get a good, quality metal mouthpiece for this horn. It makes the sound much better and makes it play much more easily. The included mouthpiece is usually labelled as 12C-ish. However, it felt much more similar to a 6.5 for me. The quarter test (shown below) also puts the rim size as more similar to a 6.5 than to a 12C.

Also, this is not a mouthpiece made by Kelly. The material feels completely different, the sound is much less focused, and is just much less quality than that of Kelly mouthpieces.

6.5 AL small shank on left, pBone mouthpiece center, and Bach 12C on right.

Gigbag - This case is spectacular for the instrument. It is very simple, light, and easy to use. It's two main compartments with an inside pocket for the mouthpiece. However, I typically just carry my metal mouthpiece in my pocket when transporting this horn. Just in case. The bag really doesn't provide any protection as the horn doesn't dent and a bit of extra padding isn't going to do much if there is enough pressure to make it crack. This case is the perfect example of less is more. It's easy to use, light, and exactly what's needed for this instrument. Bravo.

Uses - So, essentially this is a plastic horn that plays just as well, if not a bit better than a student model brass horn. So why should you want one? Honestly, I would highly encourage serious trombonists who have the money to buy one, to buy one. It makes the perfect "beater horn." You can travel with this horn with absolutely no fear of getting any dents in it or anything. It's light enough and small enough in the bag that you don't have to worry about lugging around a huge case or being weighed down by a bunch of stuff. I can honestly say that whenever I travel from here on out and want to practice while on the trip, the pBone will be my go to horn. The pBone also makes a good horn for private lesson teachers for when their students have a horn in the shop or they want to demonstrate a concept on a small bore horn. This is also a great option for those schools that teach band in elementary school. I have experienced teaching third graders that could not do well because they could not hold their horn. Using the pBone will definitely eliminate that problem. Also, this horn is much more durable than a brass horn. That means that the school could even buy a set of these and use them as school-owned horns for a very long time. On top of all that, these horns are much cheaper than their brass counterparts and as such it's a great way to expose a child to trombone playing on a good horn without putting down a fortune.

Pros:

• Durability
• Price
• Quality for money
• Weight
• Draws attention
• Easy to transport/travel with

Cons:

• Is not appropriate for all performance venues
• no tip at the bottom of the slide can be annoying
• Mouthpiece

Price - $149 Please use Andrew's Music for buying one online if you choose to. They have made this review possible. Red, green, yellow, and blue are available. Andrew's Music also mixes colors which I have not seen from anyone else.

Overall - This is an incredible horn. Don't put this out of your mind just because it's plastic. It is not suitable for all situations but I would bet that every trombonist could find their own uses for it to make it worth it. This horn is so much cheaper than anything else  (besides foreign crap which doesn't last). If nothing else, it's worth it for the durability and travel. I never have to worry about picking up dents on my brass horn through traveling. Besides all that... this horn is fun to play. There's no other way to say it. And if you can make playing fun, you'll practice longer and get better quicker. I highly suggest trying and buying this horn, I've been extremely pleased with it.

*I would like to once again thank Andrew's Music for supplying this horn for review. Please use them for buying online as without them this review would not have happened. I am very grateful for their support of my blog.

Tips For Buying Your First Trombone

Chances are that if you've opened this article, you (or your child) are someone who is interested in learning to play trombone. If so, congratulations! You have chosen an amazing instrument, capable of playing everything from jazz to ska. You have also probably entered into the unknown territory of purchasing an instrument. Fear not, I will do everything I can to steer you in the right direction!

First of all, you've probably seen brands such as Tristar and Cecilio on eBay. These prices have insanely low prices. My advice is stay away! You may get a decent horn from these guys, but you also may get a horn that is unplayable. The truth is that there is no concept of quality control with these brands and the instrument wont last. You're better off with going for brands which I'll go more in-depth into later in the article.

Terminology

You have probably been exposed to many different terms which you are unfamiliar with in your search for a beginner trombone. I'll try to explain what each one is and what it does.

Bore Size - The bore size of a trombone is the diameter of the tubing of the instrument, measured in the handslide. Basically larger bores will produce a darker, warmer tone. However, they also require much more air to play. In general, your first trombone should be a small bore (.500" or.509"). If you are an adult beginner, you may want to look into a medium bore (.525") however, I would still recommend a small bore instrument for your first trombone.

Bell Size - Bell size is usually directly related to bore size. It is is exactly what the name implies, how wide the bell's diameter is. A beginner horn should have a bell size of 8" unless you are using a medium bore where it may have a size of 8.5"

Shank - Shank refers to the size of the opening of the leadpipe. This determines whether the instrument will take large shank or small shank mouthpieces. Your first trombone should have a small shank as all small and medium bore horns have a small shank receiver.

Material - Trombones generally are made of two materials: Yellow brass and Red brass. Yellow brass is the material used in many trombones, including almost all student trombones. Yellow brass produces a strong fundamental sound which keeps its tone well at all dynamic levels. Red brass produces a warmer sound and is more flexible in the colors of every dynamic. Generally, yellow brass is what you'd want for your first trombone.

Key - Tenor trombones should be in the key of Bb. This means that the fundamental note, in first position is a Bb. If you get a trombone with a rotary valve, it should be in the key of Bb/F. Trombone is a non-transposing instrument even though its fundamental pitch is a Bb. This means that when a trombonist plays a written C, a C is sounded.

F - Attachment - This is the part of a trombone which is most easily identified as "the extra tubing around the tuning slide." With this option, you have a trigger which essentially turns first position into sixth and second into seventh. I would recommend not getting an F - Attachment on your first trombone. A straight trombone is much more free blowing, plus you truly learn the last two positions with a straight trombone.

Which Trombone is Right for Me?

Assuming you are a beginner I would recommend a straight, small shank, yellow brass,.500" bore, 8" bell trombone. This trombone will be the most durable and will be the easiest to produce a good sound on. Here are some models I would suggest.

These are new trombones, price is something to be noted. Generally with instruments you get what you pay for.

YSL-354 - This is the Yamaha student model. This was my first trombone. It is very durable, has good build quality, good tone, and great reliability. In my opinion Yamaha makes the best student model on the market, however it is more expensive than other models.

YSL-350C - This is an interesting Yamaha model. This is nicknamed "The Short Bone" in the trombone community. It has a trigger which puts the instrument into C eliminating the need for sixth and seventh positions. This is ideal for a young musician who can't reach or someone who needs a smaller instrument to travel with.

Getzen 351 - This is a great option for a student model instrument. Very nice student horn, and cheaper than the Yamaha.

Blessing BTB-1280 - This is another great model. Not quite as good as the previous options but still a very viable option and cheaper than the other three.

Giardinelli GTB 512 - I have not heard much about this horn. However, everything I've heard is that it's a great horn for the price. The cheapest option of all my recommendations.

Used horns

Used horns are a great option for beginners. They are much cheaper than new horns and often play just as well. Also, they will hold their value well unless you do major damage to them.

Any of the above are good used. Also, you can probably find pretty good deals on older instruments such as: Conns, Olds (any straight horn), and Kings.

If you'd like to talk to me about your trombone purchase, please feel free to contact me through the website below. I'll be glad to help you with anything trombone related!

Good luck in your first trombone purchase and in your pursuit of playing this great instrument!