Holton TR180 Bass Trombone Slide

[LeeDise]

Hi, folks! Last week, I acquired a long-sought vintage Holton TR180, made in 1976, in remarkably good condition. It does have that silly Glantz bar, which is on death row (my technician will change it to a conventional F & D double-trigger when he has the time),. Only other thing I don't like is the nickel slide. It sounds fine with the rest of the horn, but there's lots of friction, and no amount of lubricant has been able to change it. For all I know, it might be an easy fix for a good techie, but assuming it isn't, I may be needing a new or a good used slide.

Can anyone tell me whether a newer Holton bass bone slide (i.e., TR181, TR183) will fit the TR180? And whether the slide is compatible with any other manufacturers? My Bach 50B slide doesn't fit the receiver on the bell, that's all I know.

The TR180 sounds unbelievably good. It has a core that won't quit and lots of beautiful high overtones, a most interesting sound. I can see why great players like Lew van Haney, Ray Premru, and David Wampler chose Holtons.

Thanks!

[OneTon]

I realize this is not your request. Have you considered sending the horn to Mike Corrigan at BAC in KC, MO? If anyone can resurrect that slide they can. If not, they may come up with a tube or tubes to replace the damaged one(s), with minimal change to your Holton’s factory configuration. They can accomplish the removal of the actuator mechanism mod as well.

[chromebone]

Holtons are notoriously inconsistent. It’s entirely possible the lead pipe, threads or even the taper from another model won’t match. Even parts within the same model often don’t match up exactly. Make every effort to get the existing slide to work if possible.

[LeeDise]

Thanks, Richard. BTW, I graduated from Wichita State in 1976, Do you know John LeValley?

[LeeDise]

Holtons are notoriously inconsistent. It’s entirely possible the lead pipe, threads or even the taper from another model won’t match. Even parts within the same model often don’t match up exactly. Make every effort to get the existing slide to work if possible.

Was unaware of this. Thanks! My instincts already were, "Fix it if possible," but now I know for certain finding replacement parts is a crapshoot.

[dbwhitaker]

The slides from my mid-70s TR-180 and mid-70s TR-183 are essentially identical. I have trouble telling them apart.

[WGWTR180]

The slides from my mid-70s TR-180 and mid-70s TR-183 are essentially identical. I have trouble telling them apart.

But as pointed out earlier, and I can confirm, the parts were so inconsistently made they are rarely interchangeable. I have multiple 180s and the slides are not interchangeable without swapping the slide receiver.

[MrHCinDE]

I had two TR180 for a while, one slide fit ok on its non-paired bell, the other way round did not.

[tbonesullivan]

Is the plating on the inner slide still good? If it is it should be possible to make that slide great, unless it was severely abused in the past.

[LeeDise]

Is the plating on the inner slide still good? If it is it should be possible to make that slide great, unless it was severely abused in the past.

I see some milky-looking stain on parts of the slide pipes. I think I either need new ones, or the ones I have need replating.

[Blabberbucket]

I would only be concerned if the plating is worn through on the stockings. If you can post some pictures of the stockings and areas you are concerned with, I'm sure the techs on this forum can provide insight into what your best choice might be.

I would expect that, with some good repair work, the slide you have should be able to be brought to good playing condition.

[tbonesullivan]

I see some milky-looking stain on parts of the slide pipes. I think I either need new ones, or the ones I have need replating.

Unless the trombone was recently chemically cleaned, worn plating through to the nickel / silver should be green and / or orange. It's very possible that it is mineral deposits on the inner and outer slide, if it hasn't been chemically cleaned in a while.

I live in a region with hard water, and have seen people use tap water in their spray bottles, with the end results being less than ideal as lime deposits slowed their slides to a crawl.