Best
Trombone for Beginners
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Overall: Designed to help you progress as fast as possible
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Best Feature: Highly effective weight distribution that makes it easy to hold
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TedScore: 10/10
Best
Trombone for Intermediate Players
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Overall: Exceptional build quality
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Best Feature: New bell engraving adds a luxurious feel
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TedScore: 10/10
Best
Trombone for Advanced Players
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Overall: Seamless transitions with outstanding responses
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Best Feature: New bell engraving adds a luxurious feel
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TedScore: 10/10
Finding a trombone is no easy mission. In addition to the dozens of brands available nowadays, there are also several types, designs, and materials of Trombones to choose from.
In today’s guide, I’ll be walking you through the process of selecting a trombone, reviewing the best trombone brands, and sharing tips on buying the right model for your musical needs.
Table of Contents
What are the Types of Trombones?
To kick off this comprehensive guide, you need to be familiar with the different types of trombones. Featured across multiple genres, this versatile musical instrument comes in many types depending on the key, design, and even material. Here are the most common ones:
Tenor
The tenor trombone, also known as the straight tenor trombone, is the most popular type of trombone and probably what comes to mind for the majority of people when they think of the instrument.
A huge contributing factor to the widespread use of tenor trombones is their basic design and ease of use, which makes them ideal for beginner learners. The interior of its main section has no tubing on the inside of the main section. It has one central slide and one tuning slide.
Since they possess two bends only across their tubing, tenor trombones are very free blowing. They’re lightweight and play in the Bb key. As you change the tuning from Bb to F, the horn extends to let you pull the slide in and out.
Most tenor trombones play in bass-clef music, but some can support treble-clef notes too. This type of trombone is usually present in jazz bands, brass bands, wind ensembles, military bands, and symphony orchestras.
Some expensive models of tenor trombones, also known as trigger-type trombones, are equipped with an F attachment. This enables them to play additional notes (the key F or lower), effectively extending the horn’s range.
The F-attachment also gives musicians room to play certain passages in alternative ways that may be easier. These attachments are available in two general types: a standard/traditional wrap or an open wrap.
Bass
The bass trombone is similar to the tenor trombone in the fundamental key it plays; the Bb. The length of the two types is also the same, but the bass trombone features a wider bore and a larger bell. This design allows for the production of a fuller sound and the extension of the trombone’s low range a lot further than tenor trombones — to the F and D keys.
Other than that, the bass trombone features 2 valves along with 2 triggers (can be independent or dependent) that let you adjust the pitch easily. The wider range of bass trombones makes them suitable for solo performances.
Unlike tenor trombones, bass trombones are more for the experienced player. This type of large-bore tenor trombone is typically present in symphony orchestras, jazz bands, brass choirs, wind ensembles, and military bands. However, it’s usually just one or two bass trombones.
Alto and Soprano
Alto trombones are characterized by a higher pitch compared to tenor trombones. While alto trombones do sound brighter than their tenor counterparts (4th or 5th higher), the latter can cover most of the alto’s range in practice.
The alto trombone specializes in playing the highest passages. It’s usually tuned to produce sound in the key of Eb or F, but it can also exist in the key of Bb or D if you use a rotary valve attachment.
More often than not, it’s the go-to type for soloists in orchestras. That said, alto trombones aren’t as common nowadays as they once were in brass bands and choirs. Instead, you’ll find that the tenor trombone takes its place in many of the parts intended for the alto version.
The popularity of alto trombones reached its peak between the 1500s and the 1700s in orchestral, operatic, and choral compositions. Their star started to fade, however, since the beginning of the 19th century due to the invention of other types of trombones and the integration of valves in the trumpet that made other instruments capable of playing alto-intended passages.
As for the soprano trombone, this type is no more common these days than the alto trombone. The soprano trombones are also known as slide trumpets because they look like trombones with very small slides.
Not to mention, their mouthpiece is pretty much identical to that of a trumpet. They even sound more like a trumpet than a trombone.
Hailing from Germany, soprano trombones play in the key of Bb but they’re higher than tenor trombones by an octave. The most familiar use of sopranos is in jazz ensembles, although trumpets and other woodwind instruments are heavily taking over their parts.
Another reason soprano trombones are dropping in the ranks is how hard they can be to play in tune.
Dual-Bore
The bore of a trombone is the diameter of its tube. Trombones come in various bore sizes, including large, medium, and small. The size of the bore controls the amount of breath you need to play the instrument and the resistance of the trombone.
The larger the bore, the more breath the trombone requires, which results in a louder volume and a rich, extravagant timbre. The smaller the bore, the less breath the trombone needs and the easier you can play, which produces a lower volume and a gentle, mellow timbre.
Dual-bore trombones are instruments that possess inner slides of two different sizes. Typically, the upper slide is slightly smaller than the bottom slide. This combination generates a timbre of a warmer and wider sound.
Valve trombones
This type of trombone is more of a hybrid. While it shares many similarities with regular trombones, it features three valves as you’d find on a trumpet or a euphonium. The presence of valves enables musicians to play faster music much easier on the trombone, which simplifies performing complicated music pieces.
Valve trombones are available in multiple sizes and types. The most common one is -you guessed it- the tenor valve trombone.
Unless you’re an experienced trumpet player, it won’t be easy to transition into playing the valve trombone. Again, this type isn’t very common; it’s more of a fancy change when you’re looking for one.
Plastic
Trombones in the plastic category are made out of plastic — ABS plastic to be more accurate. Compared to traditional brass trombones, plastic models have some advantages and disadvantages.
One of the main pros of plastic construction in trombones is their higher durability. Unlike brass instruments that can easily dent, scratch, crack, or get damaged if you bang them against a hard surface or drop them, plastic trombones are pretty much invincible.
With plastic, you don’t need to worry about the smallest hit affecting your trombone’s sound. Not to mention, keeping your plastic trombone looking sleek is much easier thanks to the simple cleanup demands and scratch-resistant nature of the material.
Unlike a brass instrument, plastic doesn’t require polishing every couple of weeks or regularly maintaining valves. It’s just less of a hassle, plus you can wipe it down with an antibacterial spray for better hygiene.
What’s more, plastic trombones are a lot more affordable than brass models. This is worth thinking about as an adult with learning costs that can easily add up or as a parent who’s not sure their child will commit to the instrument.
A cheaper trombone can be a good way to test the waters or save up until your skill has improved enough to get an intermediate trombone.
That said, a major downside to plastic trombones is that they sound inferior to brass trombones. While some plastic models can be of great quality and deliver crisp, pleasant sounds, it’s very rare for a plastic trombone to live up to the tonal quality of other brass instruments.
Of course, the difference in tone should be fine for a child or an adult who’s learning. But for more advanced players and professionals, there’s just no replacing brass with plastic.
What are the Best Trombone Brands?
Now that you’re familiar with the common types of trombones, it’s time for you to meet the industry’s top manufacturers. The following are brief overviews of the best trombone brands, along with a notable model from each one.
King
The very first King trombone became available on the market in 1894. The founder of HN White, Henderson White, developed it with the help of a local trombone player called Thomas King.
The King trombone became an instant sensation on the market as players loved the revolutionary design of its mouthpiece, bore, and bell, as well as the lighter and smoother slide compared to any other trombone. Professional players such as Al Pinard were also fans of the King trombone.
The popularity of King trombones only grew over the years, especially rising in the 40s and 50s thanks to their association with names like Tommy Dorsey, Ziggy Elman, and Harry James. In 1951, the company introduced the King 3B trombone. To this day, it’s the best-selling jazz trombone in the world. Currently, the American company Conn-Selmer owns King.
