Good value in a really pretty horn

By CHRISTOPHER BURNETT from Mariposa, CA on 9/21/2009 10:58:56 AM

My silver Dynasty marching trombone is beautiful! That is the first things people notice. Really pretty! The finish is first rate. The case is built for serious band trips and burly bus drivers who throw rather than stack and is large enough to pack my Tom Crown straight with the horn. Mouthpiece box is spacious. I had two issues with the horn. 1) It played sharp even with the slides out. I bought a Bach mouthpiece receiver extender that corrected that and got me in tune. 2)The valve pistons are open above the guides, a design which allows the plastic guides to move or float as the valve is depressed. You MUST lube the guides as well as the piston or they tend to bind. Well lubed they are fine and the piston design probably makes for a lighter horn. The horn plays very well with good volume and resonance. Try a Bach 12E or comparable shallow cup MP for a sound that will cut through the band. A 12C as normally supplied sounds good but is too mellow to really project in all but an intimate setting. At least try a shallow cup with the horn before settling on something else. Plays better than my old King flugabone. 4 1/2 stars because you have to remove the third valve slide to get all the water out.