Courtois 501R Bb/F Bass Trombone

[Merv66]

Recently I bought a Courtois 501R Bb/F bass trombone. I got in touch with Courtois/Buffet Crampon and they were able to tell me it was made in September 1998 in the Amboise factory in France and prepared for export.
Has anyone heard of this model or had any experience of it? It’s solidly made and quite heavy and I as a novice am impressed with the sound. Buffet C tell me the model was never marketed seriously, I wonder why?
Any opinions would be greatly appreciated

[BGuttman]

Forum Member Timbone is associated with Courtois and would probably be able to give the best information.

I have heard only good things about Courtois trombones although I have never had one to play myself.

[Merv66]

Thanks Bruce

[timbone]

Thank you Bruce. The 501R is a single valve rose bell, closed wrap, very similar to a Bach 50B wrap. It's a fun instrument, reminds me of a Holton single valve I had. I have played one and it definitely sits amongst the good single valve basses.

[timbone]

I will also say, single valve basses are never marketed. The French instruments are great in that they are not afraid to use weight in the advantage of core sound. I will tell you that the German horns are very good, but slides are usually 50gms lighter than the French instruments. For those of you that may be interested, there will be a new tenor model in the Creation" series that will be called Florida, based on a star valve design by Joel Vaisse, principal in Tampa. And Joel is a beast of a player!

[tbonesullivan]

The only time recently I can recall a single valve bass that was actively marketed in the U.S. was the Kanstul George Roberts model 1670, which had a full E pull along with a stop to help with it, as well as Tuning-In-Slide. I never got to try one, but I heard its a great horn. Having played in several community orchestras for over 15 years now, I have had many concerts where the only time I touched the paddle was during my warmups. The parts never go low enough to need both valves at the same time, and there really weren't any spots where the second valve really made things that much easier.

Sometimes it's just nice to have a horn that is relatively lightweight. I have also been considering picking up a straight .547 or .525 bore horn for a while, but that has never materialized.

[timbone]

Exactly. And every time I see a marching band guy with a double valve I gotta say either that is the only horn you have or you are just too stupid to not play a single valve. There are no marching band parts that require a double valve bass!

[Poquelin]

Thank you Bruce. The 501R is a single valve rose bell, closed wrap, very similar to a Bach 50B wrap. It's a fun instrument, reminds me of a Holton single valve I had. I have played one and it definitely sits amongst the good single valve basses.

Actually, my AC 501R has an open wrap. I'm not sure if they made two versions.

[Digidog]

If I remember correctly, the open wrap was a very rare variant of the 501 which only was sold on direct order, for a short period of time and in very limited numbers.

I briefly played one I borrowed from a Finnish trombonist in Germany around the turn of the millennium, and he said his was one of just a dozen or so made. It was a great horn, and as I'm a fan of single valve basses I have been on the lookout for one since then.

Congrats to a great find and a great horn! I hope you'll get many hours of playing and much joy from it!

[DougHulme]

I play in a good standard, Salvation Army Band, in fact 3 bands if you count the youth band I help manage, I use the second valve about once every 3 weeks!! I just did the biggest Armistice day parade outside of London, marching - I keep my old YBL321 Yamaha single plug for just such ocassions and for playing carols around the kettle. No need for a second valve at all, even playing the tuba parts. Courtois have made great bass trombones for many years - this one will be a gem I am sure... Doug

[MrHCinDE]

I noticed one of these the other day at Prozone music for what seemed like a reasonable price. Showing as sold out now unfortunately.

[timbone]

You may notice the wrap above that is popular with tenors today. Courtois was doing this in the 90's when Courtois was managed by triumpth-adler, a German conglomerate, and Enrique Cresbo was influencing design then. I have never seen a bass like this. This went into the early 2000's until s French conglomerate took over - Argosolistic I think. Someone will correct me

[timbone]

Sorry, Enrique Crespo!

[Poquelin]

I noticed one of these the other day at Prozone music for what seemed like a reasonable price. Showing as sold out now unfortunately.

Yes, that's the one I bought.

[MrHCinDE]

Nice! And how does it play?

[Poquelin]

Nice! And how does it play?

For context, I don't have much experience playing bass. I ususally play tenor on a Courtois Legend AC440BR, which I love. The 501R seems just as responsive. The low register is full sounding to my ear and the pedal notes speak easily. Because I'm doubling and not a full time bass player, I thought the single valve Courtois would be ideal for my needs. I'm using a vintage Bach 2G which also suits my situation and the instrument perfectly. Once upon a time, I had a Conn Elkhart 73H, which I never really felt comfortable with. In comparison, the 501R is a dream to play.

[Poquelin]

If I remember correctly, the open wrap was a very rare variant of the 501 which only was sold on direct order, for a short period of time and in very limited numbers.

I briefly played one I borrowed from a Finnish trombonist in Germany around the turn of the millennium, and he said his was one of just a dozen or so made. It was a great horn, and as I'm a fan of single valve basses I have been on the lookout for one since then.

Congrats to a great find and a great horn! I hope you'll get many hours of playing and much joy from it!

Thank you for this insight. I've played a few Courtois trombones over the years but it does feel like I have found something special with this trombone.

[MrHCinDE]

Nice! And how does it play?

For context, I don't have much experience playing bass. I ususally play tenor on a Courtois Legend AC440BR, which I love. The 501R seems just as responsive. The low register is full sounding to my ear and the pedal notes speak easily. Because I'm doubling and not a full time bass player, I thought the single valve Courtois would be ideal for my needs. I'm using a vintage Bach 2G which also suits my situation and the instrument perfectly. Once upon a time, I had a Conn Elkhart 73H, which I never really felt comfortable with. In comparison, the 501R is a dream to play.