Prototype Christopher Bill Model Trombone - Play Tests! 

These comments are immensely helpful please keep them coming!!!!!!!!

Number 1 for section playing, 3 lead, 2 sounds like you were working harder for less.

Trombone 1: Very rich sound, very symphonic-tenor-esque. Articulation and flexibility sound good, like you are one with the horn. Trombone 2: Somewhat more dull sound, darker than horn 1. Articulation and flexibility sounds like the horn is fighting against you somewhat. Trombone 3: Very bright sound, characteristic of most small bore tenors... but warms up when you back off, like a cornet. Probably the most colorful tone palette of the 3. Articulation and flexibility sound like they are working with you. I personally like #3 the most.

I prefer the resonance of #1 #3 definitely too bright/edgy for my taste

Trombone #1 or #3... #2 sounds airy and #3 sounds bright

You have the cleanest articulation with 1, brightest with 3, and 2 is thin and airy.

1) Love the sound! Very smooth, warm, and and has a lot of depth. 2) Similar tone to #1, except is seems pretty stuffy/airy. 3) Very bright and snappy sound!

1 sounded the strongest 2 sounded a bit airy 3 sounded in the middle

Trombone #1 followed only by Trombone #3, leave Trombone #2 by the road.

Number 1 sounded awesome!

Very good man

Trombone 1 had such an enjoyable tone, by far my favorite.

I went to Kansas City this last weekend. I saw them working on one of your new horns. I had them build me something special. I'm really excited to get it when it's finished.

#1 darkest and most mello sound to my ear. #2 sits tone wise between 1 & 3. #3. Sounded the brightest and had nice sharp articulations There where times in the playing tests where each of the trombones shined but #2 sounded to be the most flexible.

Stick with the King Liberty 2b. The sound can not be matched, by far better quality. Do some bar curls to help with the slide being heavy. Your a master trombonist so I know you too can hear the difference. I also own a King Liberty 2b and no other can match the tone or sound from their patient bell flare and curve... Just keep sounding so good with "The King" of all trombones.

1 really suited your style your style and approach of playing best

Right off the bat I notice #3 is very bright and happy sounding. #2 sometimes sounds like your forcing the air or it's just not going through right. #1 has a dark and mellow sound.

King 2B Brass & Silversonic owner here...I can't seem to choose between them either. One suggestion might be to find a lightweight 2B slide-- both mine came with nickel silver outer slides. Of the three blind tests: #1 sounded the richest in terms of tone balance and sound complexity. #2 sounded like you were working a lot harder in the faster stuff and fighting the horn a bit, but with my favorite tone in the more melodic stuff when you weren't going full gas. Didn't sound airy to me, just sounded like a heavier bell that needed a bit more energy to wake up relative to input. Got some great Fontana/Martin fuzz on the Emily transcription though....would be great to hear that at tempo!. #3 sounded very laser-y when you were giving it the gas, but backed off a bit it sounds like a great lead horn. Thinnest and least complex sound to my ear. Pingy articulations though, but my least favorite sound. Non-blind tests: The 2B just has a great rich complex tone. I can hear you struggling with the slide and you're less precise with the natural slurs, as in it has wider slots and you have to steer more. Brass BAC: very pingy, the most space between notes, almost like it's steering you into where it wants the slot to be, rather than letting you put the note in the slot. Silver BAC: more resonant, richer, less pingy, more fluid sounding.

#1: I think this trombone has a very rich, warm sound. Sounds like it would be good as a Trombone 2 with support harmony, or a lead instrument as it stands out more than the other two. #2: This sounds crisp, but on the airy side, sounds like it takes more effort to play it than the other two. #3: This trombone has a brighter sound, and sounds more in the middle than #1 and #2. This trombone sounds really good with the growl and sluring and sounds like it would be great for a jazz band.

#1 is the 2B (i think) #2 has a bigger sound but just as warm as the 2b but sounds more crisp (B.A.C gold brass bell silver slide I think) #3 is the crispest of them all and sounds even bigger but doesn't sound as dark to me. (#1 and #2 have about the same darkness but 3 is in another league) (B.A.C silver bell and slide I think) I definitely like 3 the most.

No 3 Had the best dynamics, very bright in a good way, it wasn't harsh at all.

Definitely #1 much warmer sound and not too bright. #3 was considerably brighter than the other two. #2 was a middle ground for the other two. It had a nice mix of brightness but still has a warm sound.

I absolutely love the yellow brass bell, something about it just sounds right

There seems to be a consensus: 1 is mellow, 3 is brassy and crisper than 1, 2 is somewhere between them, tonally.

Number One for sure, two and three same brashness! Dude, you trill!

#3 sounds like more work than it's worth to play, #1 definitely sounds the best. Also I love that Andy Martin solo, I bought that transcription from Rob Egerton.

#1 Better for 1st Trombone And solo. Clearer and more Articulate #2 Better for 3rd Trombone and backup. Sound not as clear and blends more easily #3 Better for a mix of 2nd trombone and lead It would be interesting to try a gold wash on the bell like some of the silver-tones/silver-sonic refurbishments Also try detachable bells

#3 has very little low end, #2 sounds somewhat unfocused and stuffy, #1 I liked the best. #3 is probably good for funk or something.

2 sounds the darkest, 3 sounds the jazziest, 1 sounds like you could use it for anything like an all-around kind of trombone

Trombone 3 was a little sharp in the upper register at the beginning of Blue Bells. I personally like the warm sound that comes out of trombone 2. Trombone 1 was pretty good!

I agree re. the smaller bore. I played in a contemporary band with my 42 as well and someone commented that I always had a nice sound. I didn't want a nice sound, I needed to get a bit 'dirty' at times! So I went smaller, an Olds Special. Had a lovely rasp.

Ooooh czardas!

Number 1 sounded clear and had a symphonic sound to it: quite possible, the silver trombone. Number 2 had a more stifled or muffled sound. The 3rd trombone sounded more like a jazz trombone. You appeared to be more comfortable playing that one. It had great intonation or accuracy of pitch in playing; and, it had a smooth sound. Is there a chance you played with some bias???

I'm late to the party, but here goes. 1. Possibly the most versatile. It had edge when you pushed, warm tone when you didn't, and had clear articulation. 2. Darkest/warmest tone of them. SOME muddy articulation, most notably in the lower range. 3. VERY bright and edgy. Thin tone. Clear, and many times harsh, articulation.

2B and the Silver bell are my favourites of the two for different reasons. The king is mellower and warmer, silver is much brighter. Depends on the musical context which is better.

Oh. You are so good.

Number 1 for it’s nice smooth rich tone and also very consistent variety

1 for section, 2 has an airy sound maybe more for solo playing and 3 is really bright and has more of a like Ben Patterson or Kai Winding sound

The silver sounds great. It’s a shame silver has gone up so much. 😨

1. The most mellow and smooth. I'm guessing that the original King. 2. The Clearest Sound that can get very bright and very dark - Sterling Silver 3. Super Bright and Brassy - Yellow Brass Bell

When I hear you play, all I end up thinking is what a great instrument the King trombone is! It sounds great. I suspect asking people what they think is a waste of time. I'm sure you are more interested is how they feel. We can't tell you that!

#1 has nice tone and #3 is nice bright good for jazz

The silver articulation sounds so good

I have an original 1938 King Liberty(the predecessor horn of the 2B) which has a single .481 bore. Then I bought a Buescher Grand 425 which had a shocking.436/.481 dual bore. The most bizarre spec I’ve ever seen on a trombone and it does play like a trumpet... I’ll put it this way: as a piano/flute doubler, I can pop a high B flat on that thing easily.

Number one for sure, love pure imagination on it

I love it that these new horns make a 2b sound muddy

1 best sound by far imo

Without question #1

As a sax player, I don't notice a huge difference in sound

Number one sounds great!

Also also, how much would they cost if I tried to buy one??

I think trombone 1 has a soft gentle tone where trombone 2 has deep masculint tone and trombone 3 has a lighter tone and a higher pitch.

1 is very bright, 2 sounds like the complete opposite of 1, and 3 is a perfect mix of both

I say trombone 1

#2 it sounds so nice

1 for Jazz 2 for symphony 3 for open space Overall the sounds are very good

#1 is very nice and mellow, quite pleasing to me

...commenting before learning which is which, so that my ears not my eyes are the judge...#1 is my favorite. That said, in many cases today's professional trombonists have to be more versatile that they once did. IF you're the only bone player in the group, play what YOU want. If you're playing lead in a big band you get to set the tone more than the other players, so play what you want but consider the whole group in making your decision. The more elite the group is the more everyone needs to have the same sound, so you made need to bend to the group rather than just playing whatever you want.

I personally enjoy 3 better but 1 is a close second. 3 sounds more clear to me and overall sounds louder and bright while 1 is a bit softer but still has a good tone.

Number 1 by far sounded the best

#1 has a wonderful, rounded sound. #2 sounds darker and a little less responsive. #3 is bright AF, though honestly I really like it. Would certainly be great for Lead Jazz/Funk/Latin and some solo repertoire with that shiny sound. I'm guessing #1 is Yellow Brass BAC, #2 is King, and #3 is the SS BAC.

1-st is the best softly sound! more brilliantly

1 silver bac. 2 yellow bac. 3 the king. I like 1. It is pretty at low volumes and bright when you play high and loud.

#1 sounds more concert like and seems to be a decent all arounder #2 my least favorite. Seems to just be missing something #3 very bright and sounds great. Probably my favorite. Sounds like a lead jazz horn

And number 1 sounds kinda like a valve trombone and has the range of a trumpet. Definitely my fav.

What was the first song you played?

Color of 1 (1 sounds too stuffy to me), Articulation of 2 (too bright to me), Clarity/solidness in upper register of 3 (could use bit more beef to me).

No 1 is the warmest and put simply they get brighter as they go along. My preference is No 1. It seems to have more character.

Trombone 2 sounds a little bit crisper than trombone 3, but trombone 3 is a little bit more brassy than the other two. Trombone 1 sounds like the middle man, though probably more of lead-type trombone

1 is in the middle good articulation good sound 2 is airy ok articulation dark sound 3 very loud and edgy great articulation bright

The Silver Horn is great. Really bright and has more of a piercing sound than the king. The Yellow Brass has more of a darker sound.

What’s the first song he played

I think #3 is very bright, more bright than I would ever play with- but it seems to be a sound that you sometimes go for in your playing. #2 sounds much more mellow than the other two and #1 seems to be able to do both, but not to the extent of the other two

I think #1 slotted better and sounded cleaner and slightly fuller. #3 had more brassy sound that was more pronounced when you got loud. #2 seemed in between the others for articulation and sounded more breathy. I would probably go with #1.

Something I noticed is that when the Christopher bill model got into the lower range (Bb down). It didn’t have as warm of a tone as the Bach

#1 sounded a little muddled to me. I liked #2 and #3 best, but I think #2 is good for all around playing, with #3 for lead. #3 seemed to have a nice clean high to my ear.

Trombone 1 has a nice sound for a large group to play together. Trombone 2 has a really dark sound. Trombone 3 has a very bright and almost edgy sound

I heard the brightest #3. Especially heard the change in higher ranges.

1 slots well and has a good balance between core and brightness 2 has the densest tone, but doesn’t slot as well as 1 3 is a great lead horn, crisp & accurate, but it definitely belongs on top of the section

Y'all should make a pure copper bell version too! ;-) PURE Silver is between $12-$14/toz. My entire bell assembly with return tube and crossbracing weighs just over a pound (15 troy ounces). 15^2 = $225. Assuming that brass is FREE, it still makes no sense to charge $1000 more for a silver bell, but this is typical of metal objects. sigh FWIW, 99.999 silver sells for $415/kg. if you prefer to calculate in metrics. ;-)

I’d say 1 sounds better in the lower middle registers but 2 sounds better in the high and 3 sounds just a tad bit bright at the top and tad at the bottom but fine in the middle

I like 2 the best, had the biggest time change from loud to soft and still had power and ease in the high range, 3 was the best for just lead and playing loud and sticking out, 1 was in between the two in my opinion

OK, so I actually preferred #2. I seem to be an outlier! #1 seemed way too muffled and fluffy (more orchestral, could probably handle big volume... my type of bone!), #3 was a bit too bright for me. #2 seemed to sit in between the two.

#1 smooth #2 clear #3 sharp

They all sound excellent to me! ;) 😃😃😃

In my opinion 2 is the best sounding one. It has a really sound to it

Definitely 1.

#3 has the most focused sound and clearest articulation, my first choice. #1 is brightest, maybe ok for a lead in jazz ensemble. Reminded me of Dick Shearer. # 2, I agree with others is a bit stuffy or airy sounding.

1. I think sounds like the silver bell 2. My guess is the yellow brass bell 3. This one sounds a lot like a rose brass bell to me, it reminds me of an old rose brass horn I used to play that was incredible and had the best sound ever, I really miss it :(

I definitely prefer the third trombone, I find it sounding a bit more sharp having more of a core in the sound. The first one is my second favorite, since its sound is a bit more smooth. My least favorite is the second one. I don’t really know why but I don’t llike the sound very much. It sounds kind of nasal maybe, but I’m not really sure

1 is for sure a jazz horn, lead in a big band or solo, and I think probably the best of the group. 2 darker, but quieter. Seems like you’re in some way fighting it to be loud and confident. Little mor symphonic of the group. 3 loud and the most blatty of the group, excellent for playing loud and for some styles of jazz. Play outside, but keep control.

@christopher bill I was wondering if you could possibly do a review video, or give your thoughts in the comments here, on the large bore that you have been playing for a while in place of your 42?

1 had the most consistent wow factor

I think #1 is the better. Thank you for playing czardas :)

The stirling silver sound is amazing. I play a getzen 300 series and the sound is soo much sharper than mine as it is a full silver bell. Keep up the good work I wish some day to play those horns but where in my country BAC is not available. I make due with my getzen 300 series and my besson sovreing f attachment from 1991.

I feel the 1st is a lot clearer than the others, but then again there are a lot of variables that go into sound especially when playing into a mic. The 2nd and 3rd sounded a little forced.

#1 was my personal favorite

You should make a double slided and double belled trombone with one mouthpiece

Definitely could hear you breathing with #2, not quite as loud or pronounced as 1&3. #1 is more of what I associate with the sound of a run of the mill trombone. #3 had a very interesting sound, very rich in my opinion.

1. More mellow 2. Less mellow 3. More bright