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Thread: King 5b: Is it a good horn?

  1. #1

    King 5b: Is it a good horn?

    Hello gents, I'm here for some input. I know this is something to ask on the trombone forum but I'm too lazy to register and feel more comfortable asking yall. I want to know about the King 5b. Is it a decent horn and is it good enough to be used professionally in todays modern world of music? I also want to know if it is considered a tenor or a bass? We have a 5b Silversonic at my school (it is absolutely beautiful) that I play on occasionally and I really like it. I also like its ability to pop out low notes. I just wanna know what any of the seasoned trombone players here on the forum think of it if they've had any experience with this particular model. My director my let me buy the horn so it would be nice to here some professional opinions.
    Jacob A. Casas
    TLU Sophomore
    Yamaha 642 Neo(School Owned), Denis Wick SM$
    Miraphone 186(School Owned), Giddings and W4bster Williwaw
    Besson New Standard 3v Comp, Yamaha 51D
    King 1140, Conn Helleberg
    King 607F Tempo II, Bach 5g
    King 605F, Conn 12c
    Conn 15a cornet, Bach 7c

  2. #2
    I played the King 4B Sonorous .If it is the .547 bore with the F-attachment it is a highly underrated horn. Mine was a great player. I played first parts, bass parts, jazz, and classical as a music major. I still miss that horn. Play it and enjoy it. The difference between the 4B and the 5B I think is bell size. There are older 5B's that are .536 bore. I do not know about them.
    Cerveny BBb Kaiser Tuba
    __________________________
    “Don’t only practice your art, but force your way into its secrets, for it and knowledge can raise men to the divine.”
    ― Ludwig van Beethoven

  3. Especially with the sterling silver bell. Great horn.

    And don't be lazy. You won't master the horn. Go ahead and register on the trombone forum and benefit from their collective wisdom as well.

  4. #4
    I think with the eclectic nature of the instrument collection in your signature, the King 5B would be a fine horn. For me, and I speak as trombonist with a nearly monogamous relationship with instruments, who has only played Yamaha and Edwards for 30 years, Kings have never been of particular interest. However, there are many, many folks, professional and otherwise, who use all variety of 2B, 3B, etc. as go-to horns, and most lust after a silversonic. The most important thing is that you like it, and you can get what you want out of it.

  5. #5
    Are they nice instruments? Yes, they can be. Are they all that useful? Not really. It's a lightweight tenor with an extra large bell. The extra large bell tends to rob you of focus so it's not super useful for solo work. The extra light slide means it isn't a good orchestra blaster for loud works either. And the sterling bell means you're not going to blend well with a section. It's probably most useful as a small bass for things like Haydn's Creation or Mozart's requiem in cases which the rest of the section has also downsized. I've also seen them used very successfully in New Orleans style brass bands or "shout bands".
    Last edited by bbocaner; 10-11-2016 at 10:02 AM.
    --
    Barry

  6. This is what I mean by availing one's self of the collective wisdom on the trombone forum: a thread that talks about all the variants of 4B and 5B in detail:
    http://tromboneforum.org/index.php?topic=57338.0

  7. The 5B is a great horn if you find a good use for it. For me, that would be in a scaled down orchestra section, 3rd or even bass parts in a big band, or possibly in show band (playing for the show choir) or even commercial stuff. Either way, just have fun with it, it's a quality instrument and King's silversonic bells have a totally unique sound (though you can totally blend with a section if you know what you're doing).
    1905 Boosey Class A Euphonium-Wick SM4M
    Yamaha 301M Marching Baritone-Schilke 52
    1960 Conn 11J-Conn Helleberg
    1961 Conn 14J-Vincent DFL
    2015 King 2341-Bach Corp. 24AW
    Olds O95 Sousaphone-King 26

  8. #8
    Thanks for the input everyone. I intend to find great use for the horn. I'm gonna try to find a mouthpiece that would really make the horn sing. I currently use a Yamaha 58L for lower range stuff and a Schilke 51 for upper range stuff but I feel there might be better out there. And there is also a 4b our school has that is also a really good horn. Only problem is that its in worse condition (crook on the slide is dented in with some really small holes in it, which is wrapped with electric tape) but aside from that it is an amazing player. The 5b just has a dent in the slide that needs to be fixed. If it were possible to get both, I'd get em in a heartbeat.
    Jacob A. Casas
    TLU Sophomore
    Yamaha 642 Neo(School Owned), Denis Wick SM$
    Miraphone 186(School Owned), Giddings and W4bster Williwaw
    Besson New Standard 3v Comp, Yamaha 51D
    King 1140, Conn Helleberg
    King 607F Tempo II, Bach 5g
    King 605F, Conn 12c
    Conn 15a cornet, Bach 7c

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