Buying a trombone for a young student. In our community, every spring, the local public schools begin recruiting future band members from the 4th and 5th grade. As a father of two kids in school band programs I am very familiar with the process. The band teachers visit the elementary schools, sometimes with upper classmen, and give a talk about playing in school band. In our district, beginning students can choose one of the following wind instruments; Trombone, trumpet, clarinet, or flute- that's it. They do a great job recruiting and the kids get excited. What next? So your son or daughter has decided to play the trombone- great! No problem, we have plenty of time to find a trombone. Usually the school will provide guidance on where to look for an instrument. Many parents choose to rent the first instrument for their kid, not knowing if they are going to stick with it or not. Renting a trombone is one way to go- usually around $20-30 month + a few extras like service plans and accessories. The other option is to buy your first trombone. If you have no prior experience buying a trombone, there is a lot to learn. For example: How much does a used trombone cost? Should I buy one on ebay, facebook marketplace? If I do buy a used trombone, what if it needs repair?
The following is a quick guide to buying a used trombone. Start looking early if you are going to buy a used one. Here's why: If you wait until school starts, all of the good ones will be gone, and, your local music stores will be swamped. We recommend that you take your time and make the best possible choice for your situation. What to look for in a used trombone: We reccomend the following brands for used student trombones: King, Yamaha, Conn, Bach, Olds. There are many other brands offered online and also at brick and mortar retail stores. But, often times non-familiar brands are made under private labels by overseas companies. The most critical question regardless of where the instrument is made, is how do they play. Second, is the alloy quality good? Will it last? We like American Made Instuments. They are made better and will be more reliable.
Best Reccomended Size Trombone for beginners: If a student has never played the trombone, it is important to pick the right size instrument. In general, a brass bell diamater in the range of 7.75-8" is ideal. The bore size refers to the inner diameter of the inner handslide tubes. Somewhere between .500 - to .508 bore works great for younger players.
What to look for in a used student model trombone: Is it clean? Does it smell? Any visible dents are a sign of abuse, avoid it, and especially if the seller is telling you that it will not affect the way it plays. We see this one on ebay all the time with Private party sellers. The slide must fall freely when unlocked- this is probably the single most important thing. If it does not- don't buy it! Would you buy your kid a bicycle if it was hard to pedal? Probably not, he won't be able to ride it. If the slide doesn't glide easily, it's really hard to play it. Check the inner slide tubes. They are chrome plated and must not have any corrosion or evidence of wear, otherwise the slide will drag and that is really a drag. Water Key or "spit valve" must not leak air and the pad & spring must function. It is easy to test by blowing air into the slide and blocking the air flow on the opposite tube. Does it have a mouthpiece? If so what size is it and is it clean? Look for dents on end of the shank. Make sure it is round. Check with a teacher on what size mouthpiece you need. I start younger kids on a 12C and then eventually to a 7C.
Does the Trombone case look ok? Is it clean and does it smell good. Does it look like it's falling apart? Are the latches easy to operate for a child? Can you picture your kid carrying the case around school and to the bus? Kids want to fit in with everyone else- does it look good or will it embarrass them? These are our children. When kids like their instrument, they will play it more frequently, yes and practice.
If you have any questions about how to buy a trombone give us a call or send an email. We will be glad to help. We have a large selection of pre-owned, used trombones, in-stock at all times. Each used trombone for sale can be found on our website under the Shop tab. https://www.thebrass-exchange.com/trombones
The Brass Exchange is also a dealer for several professional level instument makers, Including S.E. Shires Holliston, MA, Greenhoe Trombones, Schilke Music Products, Herb Bruce Custom Trombones.
