FINAL MAG

GEAR REVIEWS
OKURA BASS TROMBONE MUTE
REVIEWED BY SION JONES
The Okura bass trombone practice mute is available on their
website okuramute.com. It’s a compact mute, looks great and
weighs less than a large chicken egg; so far so good.
Firstly I have to admit, I have not found myself using a
compact practice mute for actual practice, as I don’t think they
are good enough. I think that they are handy things to have in
your trombone case for the time you need a warm up or blow
a few notes when you find yourself in a ‘quiet zone’.
However, I do find the current compact practice mutes too
expensive to buy for what they are worth in quality or for
what I would personally use them for.
As the Okura is available on their website for €49.50, so
around the £50 mark with shipping, it is already cheaper than
the more well known brands. Gladly, it’s a good one.
The sound is good for a practice mute, it resonates well and
is quiet enough not to be heard. The intonation is good across
all ranges and that is without an option to change the tuning.
Therefore I do believe that it would work for the quick warm
up scenarios as well as for some longer practice sessions.
The biggest selling point for me is the weight; it really
does feel like there is no mute in the bell, so the large egg
comparison is a serious one!
If this mute was double the asking price, there is no way I
would buy it. If the mute lacked the qualities I’ve mentioned
above but the same price then I still would not buy it.
The difference is, the Okura is better, cheaper and so in my
opinion the better value for money practice mute out there.
Also available on their website is a piccolo trumpet, trumpet,
French horn mutes and a new tenor trombone practice mute all
in the same £50 bracket.
BLAIR BOLLINGER MODEL
SHIRES BASS TROMBONE
REVIEWED BY SAM FREEMAN
I’m not someone who tends to change my set-up around.
I have two bass trombones and one tenor; I tend to use my
Elkhart 62H for orchestral work, and my Conn-Greenhoe
62HG for most other things - shows, sessions, commercial
playing, big bands and so on. As the latter is the only trombone
I’ve ever bought new, I felt it would give me a good reference
point against which to test the Shires.
I turned up at Phil Parker’s - who weren’t expecting me - and
was given a warm welcome and a room to play around with
both instruments.
Starting with gentle slurs inside the bass clef, I found the
trombone to be easy blowing, and this trend continued when
working down the register. I comfortably played down to a
pedal B and found the sound to be open at the very bottom.
Unlike other Thayer
valves I’ve previously
used, I was pleased
to find they weren’t
completely without
resistance, and
therefore they felt
more natural. I did
sometimes struggle
with their speed,
although I’m sure a few different oils could change this,
and admittedly it is rare you’d require this speed in standard
repertoire. The sound in this register is very centred, but didn’t
quite have quite as much ring as my 62HG.
Conversely, I found the sound in the upper register to be a little
woolly and quite hard work. However, I had exactly the same
issue with my 62HG when it was new. Perhaps this is because
so much of the manufacturing focus is about the bottom-end
- I guess the clue is it’s a ‘Bass’ trombone. I did a couple of
recording tests and found I could get roughly the same sound
and phrase shape on both trombones, but it felt completely
different on my chops. I’m sure that after a couple of weeks of
playing, it would feel normal. With more commercial playing,
the trombone felt nimble and zingy where needed and I have to
say that the tuning throughout the entire test was excellent.
I’m a big believer in finding what works for you. I’m happy
with my current set-up, but if I was in the market for a new
trombone to replace my 62HG then the Shires would be a
strong contender and whilst I use different instruments for
different gigs, I’m sure that it would work perfectly in an
orchestral situation too. After all, that’s what Mr. Bollinger
uses it for. This is a seriously good trombone, but if you’re
considering purchasing then go and try it yourself. You are
the best judge of what you like most, and I think when you’re
looking at spending £6295* for a trombone (which is almost a
week’s wages for most of us bass trombonists!), it’s important
for you to be certain it’s the right instrument for you.
*Available now at Phil Parker Ltd.
Test Repertoire: Warm – up slurs/tongued exercises
• Suite V Sarabande (Bach)
• subZERO Concerto (Schnyder)
• Jazz Crimes (Redman)
• Monody for Bass Trombone (D. Freeman)
• My Funny Cello Suite (Nightingale)
• Symphony I movement IV (Mahler)
• Tannhauser Overture (Wagner)
• The Creation (Haydn)
• Dance of the Knights (Prokofiev)
• Uptown Funk – Bass line, and ‘horn’ riff (Mars)
• I’ve Got You Under My Skin (Riddle)
• Soul Bossa Nova (Jones)
• Brass Scene Kid (No BS Brass Band)
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