It's been at least 10 years since I picked up the trombone. But, lo and behold, a higher calling is telling me to start up again. My sites are set on playing upbeat, dark, ska music - perhaps I should go for the bass trombone? Nonetheless, my question is, what type of trombone should I look into getting for music such as that? I don't necessarily want to purchase a beginners, because I intend on playing for a while. Any thoughts?
That's a matter of the player. The horn choice is whatever you prefer. I play on a King 2B but I play jazz, r&b, and hip-hop. I have done some rock but I love this horn. A bigger horn can give you a more robust sound; however, don't use this as a cop-out. You still need great air control to control the sound.
Make sure you get your ambochure a little fit before you play as loud as you are supposed to do in a ska band.. If not, you may hurt your ambochure forever..
A good mouthpiece for that kind of music is one with a little thick rim. Helps with the endurance..