Holton TR181 Tuning System

[tdwmaxwell]

I'm in college and looking to buy my own bass trombone instead of renting from my university. I've been looking at getting a Holton TR181 because it seems to fit in my price range and has the specs that I'm loosely looking for. One listing that I've seen says that the horn's tuning is Bb/F/Gb/D or G/Eb. Do these horns typically have this tuning arrangement? I know a lot of horns do use G/Eb but I don't recall seeing Holtons with that set up.

[stewbones43]

Holton Tr-181 is/was supplied with a removable extension slide so you could have it in Bb/F/G/Eb or Bb/F/Gb/D. If you are buying a used example, make sure that you have the extension slide and that it is removable.
Mine is usually in Bb/F/Gb/D tuning but it sometimes works better to have it in Bb/F/G/Eb, depending on what you are playing.

Cheers

Stewbones43

[Kevbach33]

I'll add that I found the G attachment on the TR-181 to be quite open; the initial sensation was that it was more open than the open horn, even if that wasn't exactly true. This is a heavily braced bass trombone, and I think some of the stuffiness/resistance/impedance in the valve registers is a result of the bracing. The Gb extension has a lot of mass; by removing it, two braces are eliminated, making that valve blow more freely.

Even with the above, it's still a very good instrument that makes a great sound.

[stewbones43]

I agree with Kev about the bracing on the TR-181. I sent mine to Mick Rath some years ago and asked him to do an open-wrap conversion. Amazing difference- super, unique horn!

Cheers

Stewbones43