How to Find the Best F Trigger Trombone

Are you on the market for an F trigger trombone but don’t know where to find one?

 If you’ve never bought a trombone before, chances are you’re feeling a little overwhelmed with all of the different options available to you. And if you’ve never played trombone before, chances are, you’re wondering what exactly an F trigger trombone is.

The word trombone is Italian, and “large trumpet.” If you have prior musical experience, the trombone is very easy to learn. If you don’t have any musical experience, it’ll take a little bit of getting used to, but it’ll still be relatively easy to learn. Plus, the trombone can use many genres of music.

But, how do you find the best F trigger trombone? I’m here to break down everything you need to know before you start your trombone buying journey. Keep reading to learn more!

What is a trigger trombone? 

So, first thing’s first. What is a trigger trombone? First off, a trombone is a type of brass wind instrument. It’s got three sections to it that make it work. To play the trombone, you have to slide the slide to make different notes. 

However, a trigger trombone is different than other types of trombones. With a trigger trombone, there’s a trigger that’s operated by with index, pinky, and thumb. All you have to do to operate the trigger on the trombone is press on it. 

What does a trigger on a trombone do?

Basically, a trombone comes in the Bb (flat) key. Tenor and bass trombones will have a trigger available on them. The trigger on the trombone works to change the instrument into the F key. By changing the trombone to the key of F, it lowers the key of the instrument by a perfect fourth.

And lowering the instrument by a perfect fourth makes it easier for a trombone player to reach lower notes on their instrument. Instead of having to extend their arm to the 6th and 7th position to reach their lower registers to achieve a C and Bb, they can keep their trombone in the 1st and 2nd position.

Having a trigger on a trombone is incredibly useful because it makes playing faster passages a lot easier. Plus, it makes it possible for lower notes that extend beyond low C. 

How to buy a trigger trombone

If you’re dedicated to playing the trombone, great! The trombone is a super versatile instrument and can be played in many different types of bands, with many musical genres. While trombone is well-known for being used in jazz music, a lot of musicians also use it in classical, pop, and even in marching bands!

But, if you’ve never played the trombone before, it can be stressful shopping around for an ew instrument. There are literally thousands of different trombone models on the market. And if you aren’t sure about all of the technical terms like “F trigger,” it can get super overwhelming fast.

That’s why a lot of new musicians tend to purchase a poor-quality instrument that’s not going to get them very far in their playing journey. I’m here to make sure you invest in a quality instrument that’s not going to cause you frustration when you go to play it. Plus, these models won’t need repairs right off the bat, either.

I’m here to make your shopping experience a lot easier, so you don’t have to stress about finding the perfect instrument. 

Think about who you’re shopping for

trigger trombone 1

Before you even begin your journey to buying your trombone, you need to think about who you’re shopping for. While this may seem like an obvious question to ask, you need to think about who you’re shopping around for.

In the back of your head, think about the experience level, motivation level, and age of the person you’re shopping for. All of these are important factors in who you’re shopping for. If you’re shopping around for your child’s first instrument, you’ll want to purchase an inexpensive model. However, if you’ve got years of trombone experience and are looking to take it to a professional level, you should invest more money into your instrument. 

Think about what you’re buying the trombone for

Also, before you buy your trombone, you need to think about what you’re buying the trombone for. There’s a lot of different features, sounds, and add-ons that come with trombones. If you’re shopping around for a solo musician that’ll want to play a lot of jazz solos, you should look around for an F trigger trombone that produces a warmer sound.

Plus, you’ll need to think about the pitch of the instrument you want to shop for. If you want a piccolo trombone, a tenor trombone, also, mini, baritone, or contrabass trombone – these are all options available to you that you’ll need to consider. 

Bell

The build and thickness of the bell on your trombone will drastically impact the sound of your trombone. The size of your bell is impacted by the size of the bore (see below). Different trombones will have different flares of the bell, which plays a huge part in the overall character of your instrument. 

You need to determine what type of sound you are looking to receive from your trombone. If you’re looking to have a brighter tone from your instrument, you will want to look for a trombone that has a smaller taper. On the other hand, if you want a trombone that has a darker sound to it, look for a trombone that has a larger taper.

In addition, the larger your bell is, the more dynamic contrast you’ll get out of your instrument. This is because the wider and larger your bell, the easier it will be for your instrument to project sound.  

Bore

The bore of a trombone will vary dramatically. The size of the bore will determine the projection of the sound from your instrument and the depth of the sound. You should determine the type of bore you want before you make any final purchasing decision. 

Key

Unless you buy an alto trombone, your trombone will likely be in the key of Bb (B flat). An alto trombone will likely come in the key of Eb (E flat). A tenor trombone (also known as a trigger trombone) will come with the F trigger attached to it. If you’ve never shopped around for an F trigger trombone specifically, you may also find 

Care kit

In addition, you should want to purchase a trombone that comes with a care kit (if you can). Care kits come with the bits and pieces you need to practice regular maintenance on your trombone. You’ll find gloves, lube (oil), gloves, tuners, and other bits inside of a care kit. If you buy these pieces individually, they can get pretty expensive quickly. 

Brand Name

In addition to figuring out how you want your instrument to sound, you’ll also want to consider how important brand name is to you. There’s a lot of brands out there, such as Yamaha, Mendini, Bach, and others that are well-known for being high-quality brands that are worth the investment. A lot of big-name brands will have F trigger trombones available, too, so buying with a brand name should make your search a lot easier. 

Selection Criteria

I chose all of the trombones in this guide based on specific criteria. All of the trombones recommended in this guide were tested out by me personally, so you’ll get my personal opinion in the review for each instrument below. 

I chose all of these instruments recommended below based on availability, affordability, ease of use, positive customer reviews and ensured all of the trombones recommended below have an F trigger. 

Best F Trigger Trombones

Now, it’s time for us to discuss the best F trigger trombones on the market. Let’s take a look at my top recommendations: 

Mendini by Cecilio Bb Tenor Brass Trombone

Mendini

The Mendini by Cecilio Bb tenor brass trombone has a .547-inch large bore with an 8.5-inch bell. I loved that this trombone came with a one-year warranty against any manufacturer defects, so you can really have some peace of mind when it comes to making the investment. The total weight for this trombone was 13 pounds, which isn’t too heavy, considering it’s got the trigger attachment on it. But, it was heavier than other trombones I’ve used before. If you do have some trombone experience, you’ll know that sometimes, trigger attachments can make the trombone a lot easier. 

The entire trombone is plated with nickel, including the inner and the outer slide. Also, it comes with a 12C mouthpiece, which was super comfortable to play with. Along with your purchase, you also get a soft padded case, a cleaning cloth, and gloves. 

When I went to play this trombone, I absolutely fell in love with how bright and bold the sound is. This is a wonderful beginner-level trombone, but with the F trigger attachment, it can be a great instrument for intermediate and advanced musicians. 

Pros

  • Balanced weight distribution
  • Super durable
  • Comes with a case
  • Affordable
  • Powerful and bright sound 

Cons

  • A little heavier than other trombones

Con 88HO

Con 88HO

Want an F trigger trombone that’s not only powerful in the sound department but has unique looks too? The Conn 88HO has a rose brass bell, so this trombone will certainly stand out from the rest of the crowd. On top of that, it’s got an incredibly warm sound, largely due to the open wrap F attachment it’s got. 

This trombone has a .547 inch main bore, but when you use the F trigger, it’s got a .562-inch bore. As for the slide, you’ll find the inner slide is plated with chrome and nickel, which makes it super smooth while you’re utilizing your slide. Both the outer slide and the bell are made with rose brass, topped with a lacquered finish. Personally, I’m a bit obsessed with the appearance of this trombone.

The warm sound produced from this instrument stands out so much from other trombones on the market that it makes for a wonderful solo instrument. So, if you’re going to play a lot of jazz solos, this warm sound this trombone produces will resonate wonderfully through smaller concert venues. 

Pros

  • Comes with a hard case that’ll keep your instrument nice and safe
  • Doesn’t have a lot of problems with tuning or intonation
  • Stunning physical appearance

Cons

  • The warm sound this instrument produces really only makes it ideal for solo performances

Bach 42BO

Bach

The Bach 42BO is a beautiful trombone to look at and listen to. Not only does Bach have one of the best reputations on the market, but their trombones are of professional-level quality. While this trombone does come with an F trigger attachment, the large range of sounds this instrument produces an outstanding range of sounds. 

This trombone has an open wrap to it, so there are big bends in the tubing of the trombone. The open wrap to the instrument allows more air to move throughout the trombone, so it makes a fuller sound. 

I love that the slide of this trombone is super lightweight, so it made it easy to play vibrato and at faster tempos. If you’re an advanced musician or a professional player, you’ll find the mouthpiece on this trombone to be near perfection. While it’s a very pricey trombone, but it’s totally worth the investment if you’re looking to invest in an instrument that’ll last throughout your professional career. Personally, my favorite part of this trombone was the one-piece bell that’s been hand-hammered. 

Pros

  • Bell has been hand-hammered
  • The slide isn’t too heavy

Cons

  • Heavy 

Yamaha YSL-8820 Xeno Series

Yahama

Are you not looking for something as professional as the Bach trombone but still want something that’ll provide you with a little more *oomph* in the quality department? The Yamaha YSL-8820 Xeno trombone is a great model for intermediate and advanced trombone players. 

What’s most surprising (and admirable) about this trombone is its sensitivity to touch. If you’re someone who plays a lot of pieces that are super sensitive to your breath control and to your touch, this trombone will pick up on every alteration in how your touch and breath into the instrument. 

The biggest downside to this trombone is that it weighs 17 pounds, so it’s a bit heavy to work with. This isn’t a trombone I would recommend to younger children because it’s large and heavy to work with it. In addition, the crisp and bright sound of this trombone is remarkable. 

Pros

  • Super accurate with dynamic contrast
  • Very sensitive to both breath control and touch 
  • Great to use for complex pieces 

Cons 

  • Heavy

FAQs

Now that you have an idea of the best F trigger trombones on the market, it’s time for you to get your questions answered too! Here’s a close look at some of the most frequently asked questions about F trigger trombones: 

Question: How to clean a trigger trombone?

Answer: To clean a trigger trombone, you’ll want to use hot water, soap, and a snake. You can use soap and hot water to soak your instrument in creating the only thing that you won’t want to soak in hot water and Sophie mixture is your valve. If you have the basic rotary valve, you’ll just have to take it apart and clean it with a cloth. 
As for cleaning the trigger part of your trombone, you’ll want to take off the screw that connects the trigger to the valve. Next, you want to remove the cap and take a small screwdriver, and Hammer the interval part out of the mechanism. After you finish cleaning it, you’ll want to put on a little bit of oil on the inside part of the valve. Next, you can just reassemble the trigger.

Question: Is the trombone easy to learn?

Answer: Yes, the trombone is relatively easy to learn. Even if you don’t have any prior musical experience, it’s a lot easier to learn than other instruments like the saxophone, clarinet, or flute. Low brass instruments don’t have he’s on them, so you only have to become familiar with the different positions on your slide to create a note. However, just because this instrument is easy to learn doesn’t mean that it’s easy to master

Question: Why are trombones so expensive?

Answer: Trombones tend to be pricer because of the materials used to make the instrument. A lot of brass instruments like the trombone are built to last many years (even decades). In addition, the materials they’re made with are very durable, so as long as you stay on top of properly caring for your instrument and cleaning it, your instrument will last you a long, long time!

Deciding on a trombone

With all of the different trombones on the market, there’s a lot you need to consider before you bego your search. However, this list provides insight into the best F trigger trombones on the market. Personally, if you’re really struggling to make a decision on which trombone to invest your money in, I would highly recommend the Mendini by Cecilio trombone. It’s got a lot of wonderful features to it that make it an outstanding instrument for people of all skill levels to consider. Plus, it’s super well built and will be able to withstand a lot of wear and tear!

Looking for more interesting readings? Check out:

Scroll to Top