I KNOW I'll draw fire for this but I'll say it anyway - not all Chinese built trombones are junk and I speak from experience. That doesn't mean they are all good either! MY experiences may be quite different from yours and I've heard a LOT of horror stories. I have been playing trombone for some 30 odd years or so. Buying ANY instrument online - well, it's not the "ideal" solution. Like buying a car, you want to kick the tires and test drive it. Most of us rarely enter an musical instrument store with a WIDE variety of brands because so many dealership agreements that insist on exclusivity - you can't sell our brand if you also sell brand "B" - or - you can do it but, it's going to cost you chief!  So, you buy one online and hope for the best, right? Perhaps...

Preparation is the Key

1). Read the fine print in the item description, especially the "return" terms and conditions. 2). Note the details; number of positives/negatives in feedback percentage - ESPECIALLY how RECENT they are. Because, people do make mistakes in the beginning and learn from them. 3). Note WHERE it's SHIPPED from because some instruments you can buy for 99 cents but pay $200-$300 for shipping direct from China or India! 4) Be realistic - what ARE you expecting to get for the money? How well does it have to work for you to be satisfied that you got what you paid for? 5). DOUBLE CHECK that you got the instrument that was advertised!! I get out a set of calipers and check the bore sizes at the ends of the inner slides, at one of the trigger tuning slides through the bell, if so equipped - it should be bigger. Also, the width of bell, good cork in spit valve, does it have the nickel-silver handslide, if advertised? - and - does the slide move reasonably before cleaning it? I have caught some unintentional mistakes from not always knowledgeable sellers and returned the intruments - without a problem so far. And finally, 6). BE POLITE to the seller if you aren't satisfied. Give them the benefit of the doubt and never antagonize them with rude e-mails or calls. You DO know that as a communication medium, e-mail is the MOST MISINTERPRETED MESSAGE FORMAT in the world as far as relating to "tone"? So, be extra polite because you could be so easily misinterpreted as rude!

The Bath

I had purchased a Maestro Bb/F/G/D silver-plated, bass trombone. It had fit and finish issues - some plating was pitted in spots under the bell where one would rarely see, the internal valve end caps/bearings well assembled "off index", the entire horn need a BATH to get the initial grime out of the tubing and slides. We take this for granted but, most showroom brand names are well-prepared for immediate playing before being shipped to the customer. Don't "assume" your instrument will be clean, internally. Is that really too much to ask of ourselves? Just clean the slides and run water through the bell in the bathtub - this isn't "rocket science". YOU WILL BE SURPRISED AT HOW WELL THE SLIDES WORK AFTER CLEANING! Every repair technician will tell you that they mostly CLEAN instruments in addition to repairs.

The Valves

The valves were easy for me to set back into place on their primary indices - that mark that lines up the edge of the internal valve cap with the one on the valve cover cap threads - and then carefully tap it around the edge into place. If you aren't comfortable doing this, find someone who is, otherwise the valve will "seize" until it's in the correct alignment. I can adjust the neoprene valve "bumpers" so that the central index markings (located near the center of the internal valve cap/bearing around the spindle end) are lined up - once the outer indices are lined up, the spindle indices should be also. If they aren't, shim and trim till the are - and - always look through the slide receiver to double check after removing the bell tuning crook - do the valves look right with "daylight" coming through? I'm comfortable doing these things but not everybody is. Clean, clean, clean and lots of valve oil run through. Finally, apply the "gooey" tuning slide grease to all tuning crooks. Most new instruments have a surprising lack of grease on them.

Why did I buy this instrument? My Expectations

Now the "why" of buying a Chinese bass trombone and what I was expecting. I'm known primarily as a tenor trombonist in the area so I wanted a "reasonable" instrument for doubling on bass trombone. Why not? I gave an honors recital in bass trombone in college so I knew I could pick it up again easily and I know how to work it. I wanted an instrument that I could use when needed for doubling, or as a back-up. For most people, these Chinese instruments could be purchased with "emergency back-up" in mind. As your FIRST instrument however, you might be happier buying a used well-known, "pro" model first because some Chinese instuments could be hit or miss, even among "good" makes. If you know what a "Good" slide should feel like, then you'll find it easier to accept or return a Chinese instrument! As an aside, I don't advocate buying MOST "student" level instruments - I hate that term! The "Student" level instrument should be stripped from manufacturer's vocabularies because it gives them a reason to make an inferior instrument! Regarding my specific purchase, the Maestro silver-plated  bass trombone, has a huge, dark and, gorgeous tone as well as being especially responsive - I can feel it vibrating in my hands! The mouthpiece was "advertised" as a "5G" - I presume he meant a Bach 5G but the calipers don't lie. The actual mouthpiece shipped had the same diameter, cup and throat measurements of a Bach 1.25G - considerably larger and much more bassy trombony than the tenor-sized Bach 5G! I consider that an unintentional mistake so he's forgiven.

The Slide

I like to give a test of any slide as follows; even without lubrication, will it start to slide easily at about 15-20 degrees (or so) tilted down from horizontal? If you put TOO MUCH lube on it, it could make it WORSE. Learn how to do it correctly! Lubes like creams and "Trombotine" are usually applied to CLEAN slide. Take a little dab on each stocking - 1/4 to 1/2 inch blob - and work it entirely up and down the inner slides. This next step is counter-intuitive but DO IT anyways - take a paper towel and wipe it all off! What? Yep, you heard me, wipe it off. There will STILL be a thin film on the slide and it will do it's job - making sprayed-on water bead-up and act like ball bearings. Others, like Reka and Superslick, you apply the pre-mixed liquid directly. My favorite lube is using an expensive slide prep called Heyday's, Reka and water - see Steve Ferguson's site, "The Horn Guys" for more of an explanation. The slide works well on my bass trombone. Much heavier than the lighter, smooth-as-glass slides on my Conn 88H and 18H but I was looking for "reasonable" slide. I am quite satisfied with it. Any trombone that I didn't like the slide, I returned - without problem so far - so check the return terms. If you aren't happy with the slide, chances are that you'll NEVER grow into liking it later - return it. Some repair shops like "the Slide Doctor" won't even work on Chinese slides. Generally, a major overhaul or alignment of the slide means that it MUST be completely disassembled - that is, all the parts must be completely UNsoldered with each part adjusted and then REsoldered back together again. Some solder joints on some Chinese slides aren't that strong and come apart in a repairman's hands - not a HUGE problem for really good shops who take the time to do it right by disassembly and resoldering anyway! Incidentally, some slides, like the Wilson 411TA (made in Switzerland) have titanium nitride coated slides (looks gold in color) which CAN'T be soldered anyway and are aligned with setscrews! But I digress. Just be aware of a lot of distrust of Chinese slides among the more intimidated shops.

The serial number

A lot of repair shops and negative reviews state that any instrument without a serial number MUST be a bad one. That depends.. On my Maestro, it appears not to have a serial number but pull any tuning crook and look for one on the end of the inside crook slide - they all correspond to the number of the first valve. Valves MUST be numbered so the various machined pieces can be put back together if separated - they're THAT close in tolerance. Does that mean any trombone WITH a serial number is better than one without one? I know of a LOT of "student" level trombones that have all sorts of serial numbers but play like "ca-ca"! Why do you need serial numbers? To keep custom parts assemblies together such as valves, casings, and bearings, complicated bass trombone bell sections. Does the slide need a serial number? Once made, it shouldn't need to be taken apart - but it would be a good idea in case of polishing the inside of the outer slides, if the parts were separated inadvertently. Much ado over nothing?

Test and see

Play the trombone. Check the things I've said above. DON'T BE AFRAID TO RETURN IT. You may ask if you could try ANOTHER instrument in exchange and the vendor might be agreeable. Yes, you'd be paying SHIPPING but... considering the cost of a good, "pro" level instrument at $1900 with the handmade ones going upwards of $4000 - The Haag comes to mind - a beautiful, artfully-made instrument but I digress again. At these prices, the shipping is almost negligible toward what you are saving.

You really can't say it's junk if you haven't tried one.

So THERE!  Happy?

Kimster