[Dixielandjazz] The PBone

[John McClernan]

Sorry if this is so much inside baseball to many of you. If you have no interest in plastic trombone vs brass, you can delete now.

Thanks for the feedback, Allan.
I'm wondering what one does if the plastic instrument is dropped and it cracks or breaks. You can't solder plastic, but I guess glue would fix some things (yeah, yeah, I know fellas,.....just duct tape it). 

I take my brass repairs to 4 craftsmen in the eastern PA/NJ area. None of them will work on the cheap brass horns that come out of China, Korea, etc.  As soon as you put a torch to them, they fall apart or the inferior (or recycled) metal disintegrates. Breakthrough? On purchase price, perhaps. But good luck if you need to get it repaired.

During my 25 years teaching brass in schools, only once was I unsuccessful in convincing a parent not to buy an inferior quality instrument. That trumpet, bought from a place like BJs or Sears, had chronic problems with the valves sticking and the valve guides slipping out of place.  Valve guides keep the holes in the valves aligned with the tubing. If they don't align, the horn is stuffy or won't play at all because the air cannot pass through. The tone was also inferior and there were multiple intonation problems.

When the parent insisted on buying it ("It's good enough for him to try learning to play. I'll get him a better one if he continues."), I made it clear to them they were on their own to find a repairman. I didn't know of any.  The frustrating part was that the cost of buying the inferior trumpet was MORE than the cost to rent a quality instrument for the school year, and the rental would be applied to the purchase if the student continued playing.

When it comes to intonation, trombone is the only brass that is built in tune, i.e. the player has the means in his right hand to adjust intonation on the fly. So, I suppose it isn't that much of an issue with plastic horns. But, tone? Blend? Timbre? Resonance? I think the jury is still out.  Durability/maintenance/repair/longevity are big questions in my mind.  Caveat emptor. You get what you pay for.  Your mileage may vary.

As for those 2 videos, I would expect a pro to be able to get a good sound out of any horn they pick up, no matter how hard they had to work at it. That's what a pro does. (Notice the guy in the second clip is "pulling a Watrous" and nearly swallowing the mic.) Realistically, those who would likely take advantage of the cheap price of plastic trombones would be beginner students. So, how easy is it for them to get a good sound? Would they have to struggle more?  Is it stuffy? How's the slide action? There's nothing more discouraging to a young student practicing than a sticking slide. Trombone is no fun if you have to fight the slide.

Well, that's my 2-cent soapbox. Sorry to be verbose.
Cheers,
John