Which trombone sounds the best? 

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My favorite is the CONN 10 H Coprion trombone from 1956. Since my earliest youth I have loved the warm, dark sound of a CONN trombone, which in this case is enhanced by a higher proportion of copper.

That Earl Williams model 6 8" bell was amazing. I focused my attention on the clarity of each instrument, more so to the lower register of each and how it resonated. The Earl Williams really filled the air with tasty tone at all registers.

King 3B I've had four of them. Two silversonic, one 3B concert and my newest, the 125 anniv. 3B. I liked the Yamaha and Conn 10H also.

I'm very happy you included the Yamaha YSL 651. A very niche classic Yamaha you don't hear talked about much. One of the best trombones I've ever played.

I’m partial to the King 3B. I have the 3B with F-attachment. Love this horn. I’ve had it since high school and still play whenever I get a chance. Come to think of it, all of my horns have been Kings. This was awesome. You could make a dime store horn sing.

The first Williams ('64) does it for me, outstanding depht of sound paired with such a good clarity of articulations !

Fell in love with a '65 King 2B Liberty 17 years ago, the bond never faded. Got a vintage Conn 3 mouthpiece with it.. Super match!!

Loved the earl Williams trombones, king 3B, silver version, and that copper conn! Absolutely beautiful! So clear and full of color! Very nice horns! ❤️😁👍🏻

Conn 10H, King 2b, King 2b silver , Shires had the best sound as for me

I still play on a Conn 38H Ballroom and I love it.

The first Williams really stood out. The Shires with the nickel silver slide was interesting. The Coprion has that extra strength of a copper/bronze bell. The 651 hits a sweet spot for me with the brightness of the nickel silver slide and strength of the rose brass bell. Although I'd already figured that after I bought a 647 and a Super and realized they were the same metal combo. Reading the other comments it sounds like I'm the odd man out. 10 cents says the 651 is the best horn for the $ and the Silvertone is at the opposite end of the price scale, best horn for a lot of $$$$$. The tone of the silver bell was impressive, the mellowness of yellow brass but with more power.

Of those played, the King 3B. But I wouldn't trade it for my Conn 10H from 1956, I acquired if from a wealthy family that bought "the best trombone" for a son who turned out to be uninterested. When the father inquired whom should they sell it to, I was referred to him as an up-and-coming trombone prodigy. My parents lent me the the $550 to buy it. That was less than half what the former owners had paid for it in 1956. I was a junior in high school and played it up until a few years ago when I got dentures. I gave it to my grandson who was just starting trombone.

I find it difficult to say which is "best", I liked the Silver Sonic 2B and the Conn copper. You sound and play great on them all. 😎

The Kings are... THE Kings, in my opinion. But the beautiful sound is really yours! Thanks for the comparison! :)

The BAC Custom/Williams model 4, dual bore and the 10H Copper really did it for me! All sounded great but those 2 spoke to my ear

I liked the very first one, King Liberty 2B.

Love the Williams 6! I have played a 1946 Silvertone for many years but recently acquired a De Bruycker horn (apparently Joe and Earl worked together at Olds back in the day) and it has absolutely the same amazing characteristics!

The first a king 2b kicked across the board but all great horns and great player too 🎉

First 2B , First Williams , Y651 , 6H

I too would like to have heard a Bach 16m. It would be interesting to compare the 16m with a king 2b.

with your mouthpiece...6 1/2 AL I think??...for me.. the 3B gave you the best sound in all registers...the Williams is a close second...Silvertone 2B third... with a smaller mouthpiece that would all change....great video...THX

Paul, my 1st pass was better with speakers only. Didn’t watch video so I could focus on the audio experience. My 2nd pass I then was searching for the one which felt really good & was in tune with my energy. The King 3B hands down, no question is full, smooth & sweet. But all of them sound amazing. I’ve always said it’s not so much the instrument as much as its the instrumentalist that makes an instrument resonate beyond its original potential. You Paul, are a consummate professional. On many levels. brilliant & bravo 👏🏻- D

Dude, you sound great on any trombone. You could go into sales.. :)

The Conn Silverstone 2b , very arnachic and "dirty" in Sound ...cool

My pick would be the 1964 Burbank Williams 6. My two main jazz horns are a 1957 Conn 10H that I've played for over 40 years and a 1938 King 2B Silvertone that I got about 7 years ago mainly for big band lead playing, and your demo represents what I hear in those two horns accurately. The Conn 6H was also nice--the definition of a classic jazz/swing trombone sound.

I’ve been a king player my whole life. Just always likes the tone. I’d rank them 3B/silver tone/2B. But I REALLY liked the first Williams you played. Also. What mouthpiece did you use for all this? I assume it was the same. Great video.

enjoyed the BAC custom yellow brass bell, from warly 2000's. tone was very clear and nice low values as well, and has a very sweet and full sound

Paul, As subtle as it is to discern the sonorous differences for the listener, I would recommend playing w less vibrato, and more sustained upper, middle and lower register lines

My top 5 1. King 3B 2. King 2B (SilverTone) 3. King 2B (Liberty) 4. Conn 48H Constellation 5. Conn 6H But all trombones here sound great

The sound that comes out doesn't depend so much on the instrument, but very much on the player. To me, the feeling when playing is more important: How smooth and light is the slide, how much resistance is there against blowing, how precise is the trigger, and does the instrument rest well in the left hand?

Shires, Williams 8", 6h.. all are good

that was really interesting. For me nearly all the Conn trombones I liked. I thought I was going to like the King 2B more than I did as it's just such an iconic instrument.

Love this video great compilation of classics!!! My favorites are the 3B, the 6H, the 2B Silvertone, 2B Liberty and the Coprion (I forgot the model number). I’m surprised that the Shires wasn’t one of my favorites-but I guess that’s what so cool about your video because you can listen and compare-nice work!!! PS I have “TBone envy”over that pristine 6H of yours…amazing!!!

First Williams 6, Yamaha 651 really really surprised me , your horn , then shires , then 6h, then original 2b for me , all of those sound great but the shocker for me for price point in market relative to your sound on it was that Yamaha and I’m not a Yamaha guy !

Paul, First off you have a killer tone. Secondly, I'm a sucker for how a King 3B (yellow brass) has that "old school" sound... To me. Coming in 2nd, I also dig the Conn 48H. Comments are going to be interesting for sure, since everybody has their own opinion, and none of them are wrong!

Paul, my friend, you sound great on all! I have a '52 2B, a '72 Sterling 3B-F, a waay cool Olds '47 Standard, a 2010 Yamaha YSL-691, and the '57 6H my parents gave me when I was 12 (it was all dented up when they bought it used from a guy named Frank in Pittsburg, but I've had it repaired). I love them all and after lots of trial and error, they all feel best matched with the mouthpiece that came with them from the factory, except the YSL-691 that gets a Neils Landgren Signature (or Y47) and the 3B-F that sometimes gets a 5G. Your sound is superb and humbling for an amateur like me, but I wonder if you'd like to re-do this video with the stock mp's that came with these horns. For players with the "average" or "typical" mouth anatomy the designers were thinking of, the designers might have known more than we think they did. The best salsa player I know has a bunch of vintage horns (and stratospheric range) and told me to match the mp to the horn and try to adapt my own embouchure. So far it's been good advice. (and I usually end up back on the 6H).

Great video. My son is a trombone player, and wanted to compare the sounds to his new to him Bac. I seem to like the 8” big bore sound.

I liked the Shires #1, the Yamaha #2, and the Conn Connie #3. Just based upon what I heard, I don't know how each felt to you as you played them, or how they sounded to you as you played them. Even if someone may like your sound on one trombone, how it sounds to you can influence how much you want to play it (practice).

Excellent video. Thanks for putting that together.

I have a King 2b that I have had since 1954. Maybe I am just old and losing my hearing but they all sounded very, very close to me.

As a large bore trombonist (King 4b) I love darker sound of trombones. I guess why 4b model is mostly popular among uhop musicians as mr. Kenny Carr. Whay??? Yamaha somehow get my ears this time, I guess by red brass tone... But its true after all, the sound is great when musician sound good. And you have a good sound mr. Paul, no doubt.

Great video Paul. What I would find very interesting if you were to make a video comparing different trombones and teaching us amateurs about the differences. For instance: This trombone has a brighter brassier sound and this has a warmer sound and then switch between the two so we can hear them side by side. Also, explaining playing differences. I hear people talk about slotting and response, but I don’t really understand these things and could use a good explanation and listening examples. I think a video like this would be really popular with your non-professional trombone playing viewers.

Nossa que sonho!! Melhores trombones 👏👏👏👏

I play an Olds Recording, LA era. Tried a 3B and a 606, but neither of those had the character of sound that the Olds has. The Kings were excellent with 'generic' trombone sounds. Probably the Earl Williams (either) sounds interesting to me because of that proximity- Williams and the Olds crew were all swimming in the same (commercial) sea, as it were.

Thx Paul. 3b just love the bark 😀☝️

Paul, what a great small bore resource. I have never hears such a great variety. And it definately taught me a few things. Best first, either 2B. I think both are super good examples. I would buy either of you. A joint third is your 6H And surprisingly the BAC LA. I think these 4 sound the most open to me although the pedals sound as though you had to use your talent to place a few of them. At the other end I was really surprised I didn't like some of the BAC options or the Williams various especially the 7 1/2 bell 6 model. I need to listen again, but right now 2B 2B 6H LA. A big thank you.

Hey Paul, Liked the sound of the Shires best as it compares most favorably with my favorite small bone, the Martin TR 4501 Do you know what make/model horns "Slide" Hampton played during his long career?

My favorit conn 48 mr Paul 👍

Thanks for info about Slide Hampton's equipment Paul!

I am curious; which one(s) did you like playing the best? I liked the first Williams, the Coprion and the 6h, but my favorites are the H. N. Whites.

surprised the 2B silver sonic sounded a little stuffy on the quiet fast bits. Liked the Earl Williams 8" bell overall. Conn Coprion bell had a great sound, too. Better than the 2B SS.

I liked the Williams. Did I notice a smile/ stretch embouchure when hitting the higher notes? (Bb, C) I'm an older returning trombone player trying to regain some chops.

The Copriron Conn has the best sound in teh lower register. The Yamaha seems to have the rest of the range in hand.

Nice video, bro. If you can answer me, what the effects are you using on this video? A big hug from Brazil.

I liked the yamaha

Either of the first two Williams seemed to have the edge over the others. Mind you I was listening on a simple Lenovo tablet so that may have something to do with it. One question I have is regarding the shape of the tuning slide. There is a lot written about the difference between a full round arc and the square arc. I believe the round one is credited with a more focussed sound and the square a warmer tone. However in the end it all comes down to the relationship between the bone and the player. Tommy Dorsey's small bore, small bell bone was sweet as and Urbie played a small bore King. So isn't the bone or the player. Obviously with an A/B comparison one can pick differences but at the end of the day it's the total performance that counts. I mean would Wycliffe give a toss as to which is sweeter or broader? Methinks not. 🤣 Still, the experiment is a worthwhile one. I think I'll stick to both my Olds Studio and Olds Ambassador. For what I do as a strong, somewhat more than competent, amateur I'm fixed quite nicely. Mind you, I'd kill to have a quiver of bones as nice as yours.

Thanks u sound good on all Paul,, but I like the conn constellation good work 👏 my man.

The Conns were my favorites.

Williams 6,8" bell, Conn 10h 8" bell and the last one))

Wow! This was an interesting project...I liked the way you sounded on the Conn 10H and the 1953 King Liberty 2B the best. The brass bell Conn 6H and the first Williams were close seconds. Just MHO. BTW - what mpc were you using? The only reason I ask is because if I did a comparison like this I would probably use a few different pieces. I also noticed you didn't review any Bach trombones; which to me is just wrong. No hating here...love your work. Just saying. I have several 1940s - 1950s Bachs and they are all killer! Regards, cm (total Bach weenie...)

I played a 3b then got a 4b. Love the 4b and still play it.

King 2b silverstone and King 3b then king 2b for me

Personally out of these, I liked the King 3B sound the best. Wishing there was an Edwards t302 in the mix though

I think you like to play the williams burbank model 😉 but i really like your sound on the 2bs....

The Earl Williams

Great vid. Which one did you like playing the most?

King 3B. I didn't find it close.

Have you tried a Rath trombone? BAC all sound great.

You need a Martin Urbie Green in that mix!

Hi im coming back tp trombone aftet 2 years ive been playing for about a week. I think ive recovered 80% on my tone and range but i was looking at what i could do to recover more. Ive been doing long tones and exercising the limits of my range with slurs from alternative positions and its worked so far.

Theyre all your sound. If I were to play them i would have a totally different timbre

Great video as always Paul! 👍 For all of you King lovers, I have an alternative horn for you. If you get your hands on a Selmer Bolero, give it a bid test play next to your favorite 3B. Kevin McAlley

They pretty much sounded the same to me but the question is, how do they play for you? That is a very personal thing as mouthpieces and mouth size, etc, go into the mix. I had a Shires custom built for me in .508 bore and 8 inch bell. Great horn but maybe too great. I cracked notes on it often. I found a new King 3B Silver sonic that played just like the Shire but I didn't crack notes. It was more forgiving to me. The Shires I had made was like a King 3B but as we should all know, Every horn is different. I have 6 old Conn Pan Americans. 5 of them are total dogs. One plays better than my King 2B. I bought a King 3B once that was just god awful bad. High notes were hard to hit around high G and A. Sold it.

Oh my god that is a lot. Do you use all of them?

I liked the 6h, 10h and the 3B. 10h is nice where you played it until it gets loud, then WATCH OUT! I liked the small Shires too. Williams are great of course, but who can get one of those? The BAC LA seemed to be missing the whole middle part of the sound, and the BAC student horn sounded thin. 6H has that classic sound. I'm a big 48h fan, and you sound great on it, but not better than the 6h. 6h ftw! I've got an Olds Recording on my stand right now that's kind of addicting. Right next to it is a 48h for a completely different sound. I do like the Shires Michael Davis Plus, though. If I had to have one small horn, it would probably be that. Oh, and you might like a Courtois 402 just for something really different.

I play a Conn 8H. I have several horns and I liked the King 3B best, followed by the Conn 6H then the King 2B all with brass bells. My 3B is a Silversonic and it doesn't sound as good as the brass 3B you played. I would be interested to know what mouthpiece you used.

King 2b and bac student. The First have free sound e harmonics

'You' sound like 'you' playing 'a' trombone on all of them. No one who was a 'music' lover, one who is interested in 'music' rather than trombone, would care about whatever level of tonal distinction you think 'may' be present in the sound. I recognize your state of play regardless of which instrument you blow on. Urbie, on King or Martin...no difference. JJ, on Conn or King...no difference. Play whatever 'pays' you best...literally and figuratively. That's what instrumental icons did.

Well, I like them all... but I have particular sounds in my head.... so, I'm concerned about what happened to the pedals on the half carbon slide....was that just you, or is it the horn? The 2b Liberty sounds the most like my current small horn, but that's because mine is a 2b Liberty and only a decade younger. I really like the Model 6 Burbank ..... have decided I have to find a 6H to compliment my 8H... but the winner hands down for me is the 10H . I love more copper in my bell. I even was impressed with the Yamaha, which is not a high end horn, but sounds very good never the less. Give me the copper!!! Anytime

Wish you measured how fast the slides were. Some of those trombones have difficult slides where you can't play fast music.

King 2Bs for sure

It’s so funny to me seeing this because I have four trombones but I have a Soprano, Alto, Bass and Contrabass. I don’t own any tenors right now lol. I just never liked tenor after I switched to bass and I have only played absolute crap student tenors and my other horns are really nice so it’s not that I don’t like tenor I just only like professional grade tenors lol.

Great video! I liked 3b, 6h, Burbank. Don't you like Bach trombones? :-)

48H,10H with the Coppertone and the Silvertone2B those 3 would do me just fine for a pea shooter

Definitely the king 3B sounds the best. Could probably be because of the mouthpiece. You’re using the Denis Wick 6BS?

I didn't notice any Bach straight bones. Have you tried those before?

Each trombone player has his own sound. Also each mouthpiece sounds different. So it's the combination of three elements. Than it's the feeling while playing, the resistance etc. By the way I play a few Conn 6H from 1958. This video has little use for the individual trombone player. What's good for you isn't good for me.

The carbon fiber BAC was really responsive

For me, I liked the Shires the most, but the William's was a close 2nd. Did you try a Bach 16? Carl loved that horn.

For me, it was a toss up between the King 3B and the Conn 48H

Why did you not play some Olds trombones?

Conhece o super olds?

You would do better to pick on the basis of how much aesthetic enthusiasm you have for the look of the horn: Speaking as a 'recovered' trombonist, they all sound the same, or rather...they sound so similarly different that it just doesn't matter to the people you play with or who pay you. So distinctive is each individual's playing style, that it just doesn't matter especially in the jazz and commercial world. If you can accept the sound of various instruments and mouthpieces as being valid, why bother having a 'sound' preference for horns yourself? Playing in ensemble, large or small, any distinction is negated, either because it is lost in the mix, or because it is overturned by a twist of the engineer's wrist 'at the board'. Even the type of mic used makes or breaks such subtle oversite and overreach. Outside of the orchestral world, no band leader or producer cares, about tone, which is just a single component of sound. Witness, Urbie, Bill, Frank, JJ... Tonal naval gazing is a waste of time. Only one thing matters: how well a horn interfaces with the mouthpiece you 'insist' on 'driving' it with, by which I mean how easy it is to extend your technical facility and musicianship. Everything else serves only to scratch the ego of your personal experience as you play, which maybe psychologically supportive of your play, but not mechanically. A horn that 'projects', detaching you from intimacy with your own sound, causing you to hear yourself instead as it were 'in the room' where the audience sits, beats a horn that sits beside you immersing you in a flattering fog of your own play that doesn't project, confusing the ego for its lack of effect beyond the footlights. I play a Williams Model 4, that projects so much that I never hear its sound that does not include the room it excites. Play advised, not deluded.

Thank P what is he going to do with all the t-bones now ,, hey a marching band like but with kids umm.

No Bach 6