Contrabass questions

[dershem]

Finally ordered a contra, and I have couple of questions:
1) What would be a good stand for one? I have a regular Hamilton for each of my regular bones, but... taller, and bigger bell, which might mean higher chance of getting the top of the stand stuck or of falling over.
2) Practice mute? The one I have for my tenors won't even fit my 3062. Any recommends?
3) I have a Marcinkiewicz 107 for it, which should serve well, but any of you who already have a contra - what surprises should I expect?
Thanks!

[Kevbach33]

I assume this is a contra in F, yes?

1. Only a handful of stands will work with F contrabasses. Off the top of my head, Woodwind Design ($$$) and the Horn Guys ($$) make one. There may be some others I don't know about.
If it's in BBb, the K&M 14990 and the heavy 14910 will likely work the best.

2. Not sure here... Maybe a mute for a British baritone? (Think Denis Wick.) Could be a bit too big though.

I can't help on 3. Others who have actually played contrabass trombone can offer more guidance.

[Burgerbob]

1. I use a Sheridan stand, very beefy. I wouldn't use a normal K&M, even the 14990.

2. I don't have anything that fits mine. Contra is one of the last instruments I would want to play with practice mute, though. FWIW, my contra straight mute is a british baritone mute.

3. It might be fine, I like a little more weight in my contra mouthpiece, though- and the 107 is pretty small contra wise. There's lots out there that will work, a DE setup might be the ticket. I personally use a Greg Black CB with a DE rim.

[MStarke]

3. Josef Klier/JK offer some relatively affordable contra mouthpieces. They are good and widely played, at least in Europe. You might want to make sure you get the correct shank size - contras are not all the same from my knowledge. (my JK contra mouthpiece fits just barely into a normal bass receiver)

[Johnstad]

Congratulations! Which brand?

Replies below…

1) What would be a good stand for one? I have a regular Hamilton for each of my regular bones, but... taller, and bigger bell, which might mean higher chance of getting the top of the stand stuck or of falling over.

Sheridan Brass makes a very sturdy and stable stand. Horn Guys also sells a collapsible lightweight carbon fiber stand.


2) Practice mute? The one I have for my tenors won't even fit my 3062. Any recommends?

Rejano Mutes makes a contrabass trombone practice mute.

3) I have a Marcinkiewicz 107 for it, which should serve well, but any of you who already have a contra - what surprises should I expect?

I have use the 107 they make great mouthpieces. I prefer my Greg Black CB, Medium weight, Futuro.

[EdwardSolomon]

Denis Wick Products Baritone Travel Practice Mute is my go-to for the contra. Fits in the bell and stored in the case.

[Matthias]

1) What would be a good stand for one?

I used the K&M 14985 for tenor and bass trombone for a long time. However, it is not high enough for contra.
For the contra I then bought the K&M 149/1 Bass Trombone Stand, but was not so happy with that either

After some research I finally bought the stand from Kolberg . It is by far the most stable stand I've ever had. For all, bass, tenor and contra.
If it wasn't so expensive, I would replace all my stationary stands with it.

For on the road, I'm still waiting for the stand from WoodWindDesign, otherwise there is also a foldable version from Kollberg.

2) Practice mute? The one I have for my tenors won't even fit my 3062. Any recommends?

I use my Best Brass practice mute, it also fits my contrabass trombone.

[ithinknot]

I'm sure they're fine, but those Kolbergs are insanely expensive for something you could easily make yourself from a cymbal stand and some common sense (as per Sheridan and Hornguys).