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[let.the.girl.play]

I've tried Yamaha 882GO and a Conn 88HO. Liked the tone of the Yamaha (it was a lot broader and rounder sounding-more orchestral), but I prefer the hand grip comfort and weight of the Conn.  I'd like to find a horn that sounds closer to the Yamaha but is more comfortable to hold for someone with small hands.  I've also read the specs on the CONN HCL and I like the idea of the short throw for the thumb trigger. Maybe I should consider the Conn HCL with a different bell material that will give me a broader sound? Any thoughts or suggestions would be most appreciated.

[TBigdaddy]

Conn 88H-SGX-CL maybe???  

[Bret Steed]

One of the older traditional wrap 88h's feel much more comfortable than the new ones with the paddle type thumb lever

[Matt K]

I believe to this day that the most comfortable large bore tenor trombone that I have ever held was my YSL-882 Xeno with a Greenhoe thumbrest.  I hope to change that, I'm having a tech make a custom hand rest for me and my 42, we'll see how that turns out shortly.

[Exzaclee]

I've alwats felt the Conns sounded bigger than the yammies... did you use the same mouthpiece on both horns?

[let.the.girl.play]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I don't think I'm going to be happy with the sound of the CONN (I tried two 88HO and both sounded bright compared to the Yamaha).  I used a Stork T1 Heavy mouthpiece to compare the Conn and Yamaha and the Yamaha is the sound I'm looking for.

Just wondering if I should I consider a NEO TECH Trombone GRIP Kit to help me hold the Yamaha more comfortably? Has anybody tried these before?  Also, should I consider a replacement thumb rests (perhaps with a shorter throw) for the trigger to make it easier for me to reach? 

[Matt K]

I've used the neotech, I don't like it as much as the Greenhoe. They're cheap enough. I'd sell you mine if I had any idea what I did with it 

[LizM]

I'd suggest getting a greenhoe or shires rest installed on the horn. At least in my experience, the problem is that my 3rd and 4th fingers can't support the weight of the horn for long periods of time. The rest bar puts the weight onto my hand which translates into the bulk of the weight being supported by my arm. It also means that my thumb can rest on the trigger paddle instead of having to support weight. 

[daveyboy37]

Have you tried a king 2104/4B? that might work.

or, do what one of my friends did back in HS: have a ring attached to the side of the mouthpiece receiver and inner slide brace, like seen on a lot of bass trombones. She has relatively small hands, and it really helped her with playing her Bach 36GO.

[octavposaune]

Hi All,

Most boutique manufacturers have narrow width handslides.  Yamaha had a model Xeno trombone that had a narrow Conn width.  I am pretty sure Edwards and Shires make narrow slides, and believe it or not Bach makes a narrow handslide, it is a special order however, and quite a rare option not easily found.

The King 4B mentioned by a previous poster is a light horn and I believe they even have a finger ring for your first finger.  They have pretty good valves (although they have a smaller valve bore than many other large bore tenors), the tuning slides are very light and dent easily.  The 2 piece leadpipe provides a bit of a tight blow.  This tighter blow is a little odd to people more accustomed to other more traditional large bore tenors, but it doesn't mean that is a bad thing.

The first finger ring on the slide and the possible use of various ergonomic braces have the possibility of curing your issues with playing trombones of any sort.

Good luck with your endeavors!

Benn

[TBigdaddy]

BTW, we don't know what Xeno did you try? 882GO (older model, it has narrower handslide) or 882GOR (newer one, has wider handslide and reversed main tuning slide)?

If you've tried 882GOR - you could try 882GO and it'd by more comfortable for you...

[daveyboy37]

BTW, we don't know what Xeno did you try? 882GO (older model, it has narrower handslide) or 882GOR (newer one, has wider handslide and reversed main tuning slide)?

If you've tried 882GOR - you could try 882GO and it'd by more comfortable for you...

  I was thinking that as well. The 882O should have the same width hand-slide as the 88H.  Another thought is maybe to investigate a yamaha 620.  They are pro level horns based on the previous generation YSL682, which was Yamaha's top level pro horn before the Xeno series came out.

[deanmccarty]

Conn and Courtois have the narrow slides.  If you can try the Courtois you may like it.  It holds together better than the Conn IMHO... Shires and Rath also have a narrow slide option.

[trombone addict]

The getzen 1047 model horns have a narrow slide

[deanmccarty]

Correction... the Getzen 1047 and 3047 have wide "Bach-like" slides... My wife has smaller hands and needs a narrow slide... we searched all over for different makes that give the sound she wanted... she narrowed down to the Courtois 440 and a Shires with a narrow slide... she went with the Shires, but really liked the Courtois as well.  Bach, Yamaha, Getzen, Edwards, King, etc... those were all too wide for her.  Us guys with big hands sometimes forget that the spread on a slide is pretty big for petite hands.

[trombone addict]

My 1047FR definitely has a narrow slide. The 3047, does have a "Bach width" slide, but I'm fairly sure the 1047's have narrow conn width slide. Or, mabey mine is just an oddity.

[John Beers Jr.]

If "small hands" goes hand-in-hand (no pun intended, really) with a small neck, you could try a Shires setup with a Trubore and a T-width slide of some manner (T47 or T2547). The Shires F-trigger tends to be somewhat "lower" with relation to the slide and bracing than are many other horns that I've tried.

I'm surprised to hear that the 1047F has a narrow slide, because I had tried a 1036F and it definitely had a wider than average-for-525 bore slide, one of the reasons I think it got its "Solidity of Sound" that I liked so well.

I've got medium-large hands so maybe I'm not the best person to ask to be entirely honest. All I really have to add is that a Conn can definitely work in an orchestral/audition setting.

[rpd1218]

Hi, have been playing a 1047FR for nearly two years, and yes, it has a narrower slide than the 3047, more comparable to the 88H width. 

No issues with the hand-hold, and a really nice player, easy blow, excellent slotting.  Just WISH it wasn't tuned so sharp ... rarely can I play it without the tuner fully extended.  Believe I've read that about other Getzens too.

Rich

[TBigdaddy]

Conn and Courtois have the narrow slides. 

I'm not sure about Courtois... Courtois' large-bore (420) models (Challenger, Challenger II and Legend) have wide slides...

[MaestroHound]

I'm not sure about Courtois... Courtois' large-bore (420) models (Challenger, Challenger II and Legend) have wide slides...

So does 400B.