Several students ask me about the equipment I use. I believe equipment is a highly personal choice based on your physiology, experience, and performance needs – so the items on the list below are not necessarily recommendations, but simply an answer to the question, “What equipment do you play?”
Trombones
Tenor
S.E. Shires Custom Trombones – I currently play custom horns created by the S.E. Shires Company. I use two different tenor trombones on a regular basis:
A .547″ bore horn, which I use for most orchestral and chamber music:
- SSY bell
- Gold brass tuning slide
- Axial flow valve
- TW47 slide
- #2L leadpipe
A .508″ bore horn, which is primarily used in commercial or jazz settings, but also works well in some lighter orchestral music:
- S1YM 8″ bell
- SY 1.5 tuning slide
- T08 slide
- #2 leadpipe
Bass
I use a King 7B with an independent (“in-line”) rotary valve setup (Bb/F/Gb/D). Since being purchased by Conn-Selmer, the King line of instruments now includes only tenor trombones, with an emphasis on small-bore instruments.
Alto
I use a copy of a Slokar 125 that was pieced together by The Horn Guys in California.
Mouthpieces
Griego Mouthpieces – For my .547″ bore trombone, I use the Griego-Alessi 4C.
Doug Elliot Mouthpieces – I currently use a one of Doug’s modular systems anytime I play a small tenor or alto trombone. I highly recommend contacting Doug directly to set up a meeting in person or via Skype prior to buying his mouthpieces – Nobody I’ve met understands the embouchure better than Doug!
Accessories
To see some of the accessories that I recommend for all trombone players, head over to the Practice Aids page.
Looking to buy a new instrument?
Head over to my blog post called Trombone Shopping for a few pieces of advice to get you on the right track.