For a graduation gift, I'm thinking about another horn. I'm looking at a several different companies that I can customize the horn, such as edwards and shires. I was at All-State convention this past weekend and music dealers had horns to try out on, anyways. I've never played on a shires nor a edwards. Both were there. So I played the edwards, the tone wasn't exactly what I was looking for, but the shires. with a bach megatone 5G mouthpieces sounded like everything I've ever wanted in a horn.
The downsides of the two were
Edwards: the tone quality wasn't too good
Shires: the side was so wide that without fingers 3 inches long, couldn't hold the horn right. even that I was in a little discomfront.
So my question is, has anyone ever played both of these instruments and settled on one or the other as their favorite? What do you think of the two? any problems, basically everything you think of the two.
Thanks.

On the Edwards, if the tone wasn't too good, as you described, then it probably wasn't set up correctly for you. A different bell, leadpipe, or slide could have made it sound much better. So don't discount the Edwards based on that fact.

And on the Shires, if the slide was too wide, they make different slide widths, so another one might have fit you better. So don't discount the Shires based on that fact.

The best way to go about choosing a custom horn is to pay a visit to the factory, if at all possible.

Rath makes terrific custom horns too, so try out some of those setups if they are available to you.

I wasn't trying to out rule out the two brands, if that crosses anyones minds. I just want to know more about the two. But that horn was used, and it was not in the best of shape. I think all they did was put different parts on it. The bell was a yellow laquor, the tuning slide has the raw finish on it, the slide was standard. But I don't think I'll be able to travel to the factory, I may eventually. I have a long long time until a graduate. I'm just getting an idea of the two, plus anything else there is.

Are you going to the Eastern Trombone Workshop in March? There will be an opportunity to try a lot of horns there, plus many knowledgeable people to ask questions.

I had a custom fitting at Edwards (Haven't bought the horn yet, but when I get a new horn, it'll be an Edwards), and have played a few of my friends Shires at college. Personally, I like the Edwards better. For one reason, they have options available that Shires doesn't normally do that I found worked best for me (specifically the dual-radius tuning slide, and their nickel playing slide, which they claimed is different than Shires). Also, while the Shire's my friends play are OK, almost all of them either have chronic problems with their horn, or just don't like their horn. And, my professor says his Edwards slide is the best he's ever played.

I also play a Getzen jazz horn, which I like very much.

I vote for Edwards, but you'll probably be happy with a Shires if you settle on that, anyway.

Shires is the only custom manufacturer that makes three different valve types in-house: The rotor valve, the axial-flow valve, and the Tru-bore valve. All of the valves are very nice, but I like the axial-flow valve the best. It's the best Thayer-type valve I've ever tried.

Also, what's nice about the Shires bass trombones is that the bells come in two different flare types. There's a narrow Conn-style bell flare, and there's also a wider Bach-style bell flare. The Conn-style is great for solo/commercial work, while the Bach-style is great for larger ensemble/orchestral type playing. However, it's certainly possible to find one bell that has that one-type-fits-all capability.

I also think that the Shires slides are the best on the planet in terms of construction and action. What's great about the Shires tenor slides is that there are a great variety of options. They have their standard T47 slide, (which is a narrow Conn 88H style slide). They also have a TW47 slide, which is a wider version of the T47 for people who want a slightly bigger sound and more open feel. And then they have a TB47 slide, which has a bass crook (like a Bach), for people who want an even bigger sound and extremely open feel. For the .525 bore slides, they have the narrow T25 slide or the wider TW25 slide. You could have a slide with yellow, gold, or nickel tubes, and you could also choose between a yellow and nickel crook. They also have lightweight and heavyweight slides in addition to the standard weight slides. Finally, they have several different dual bore slides. (.500-.508, .508-.525, .525-.547, .547-.562, .562-.578). I've heard that for the jazz players, they are even making .485 and .490 slides now.

I have a TB47 slide and a TW25-47NLW slide. (The second one is a .525-.547 lightweight slide with a wider crook and nickel tubes. I use this one most often, because it is more versatile than the big TB47, which I find is great primarily for orchestral work.)

Finally, for what it's worth, I find that the Shires players around here have less problems with their horns than the Edwards players. The bottom line is that technical problems with horns happen to both companies, and I'm sure that both companies stand by their horns and will do their best to ensure that the customer remains happy with their trombones. My local repairman told me of a guy who had bought an Edwards, but his slide rotted out within a year, even though he took good care of the horn. Edwards replaced it for free. And I once had a problem with one of my Shires bells after a few months, and the Shires company let me exchange it for a new one.

My private tutor, Dr. Lee from Morehead State, She is an Edwards clinicians. So she plays on Edwards instruments. I really like the tone of her horn, but I feel most of that somes from the individual playing the horn. But I'm really leaning towards the Edwards. But the Shires still has a big thought towards it. But I'll ask her about edwards when the time comes to order one.

can anyone tell me how to start a forum lol

do you really want to start your own forum? or do you just want to start a new topic for discussion?