Rath R10

[Lester the Nightfly]

I need to take my 1950 Williams 6 from daily driver status to weekend only.
I have a Rath R9 bass trombone with a nickel bell, bronze slide, yellow tuning slide and love it.  Great in everything.

I would like to replace it with a Rath R10, but am unsure of what combination to purchase.  I was considering just getting the same combination that I use for my bass, but thought I might just put it to the forum and see what you guys think.  I love the sound of my Williams, and want to get close to that, but maybe with a bit more brilliance and better slotting in the upper partials. 


Any experience/suggestions? 

LTN

[sabutin]

I need to take my 1950 Williams 6 from daily driver status to weekend only.
I have a Rath R9 bass trombone with a nickel bell, bronze slide, yellow tuning slide and love it.  Great in everything.

I would like to replace it with a Rath R10, but am unsure of what combination to purchase.  I was considering just getting the same combination that I use for my bass, but thought I might just put it to the forum and see what you guys think.  I love the sound of my Williams, and want to get close to that, but maybe with a bit more brilliance and better slotting in the upper partials. 


Any experience/suggestions? 

LTN

I really like the equipment that Mark Nightingale is using. A Rath R1. It plays exactly as you are describing... better slotting and more brilliance in the upper register than a good Williams. I am not sure of the details of Mark's horn...get in touch with Mick Rath. We'll know. It's a .500/.508 dual bore with I believe a 7.5" yellow brass bell and a lightweight slide, but I could be misremembering.

Also, the newer Shires bells...the  Type 7s (w/ .500 bore and also .485-.495 and straight .485 slides) are very similar to the Raths, only a little deeper sounding. More overtones, just as fast and easy to play. You can't really go wrong either way.

S.

[Fidsbone]

Mark plays a yellow brass R10 straight .500 bore with a nickel slide.
It plays nothing like a Williams!!!
I suggest you try a yellow brass 8 inch bell R10 but with a yellow brass slide and nickel slide crook to get anywhere near a Rath/Williams styleD horn. 

[sabutin]

Mark plays a yellow brass R10 straight .500 bore with a nickel slide.
It plays nothing like a Williams!!!
I suggest you try a yellow brass 8 inch bell R10 but with a yellow brass slide and nickel slide crook to get anywhere near a Rath/Williams styleD horn. 

Oh. I guess I tried too many horns at the ITA Convention last summer. The dual bore .500/.508 Rath that I played was very Williams-like to me, though. That's why I liked it.

How come when I search I keep getting results saying that Mark helped in the design of the R1?

R1-.500/.510-7.5   Jazz model designed with input from leading jazz trombonist Mark Nightingale, introduced 1996. Dual bore, nickel-silver outer slide.

S.

[Fidsbone]

Mark plays a yellow brass R10 straight .500 bore with a nickel slide.
It plays nothing like a Williams!!!
I suggest you try a yellow brass 8 inch bell R10 but with a yellow brass slide and nickel slide crook to get anywhere near a Rath/Williams styleD horn. 

Oh. I guess I tried too many horns at the ITA Convention last summer. The dual bore .500/.508 Rath that I played was very Williams-like to me, though. That's why I liked it.

How come when I search I keep getting results saying that Mark helped in the design of the R1?

R1-.500/.510-7.5   Jazz model designed with input from leading jazz trombonist Mark Nightingale, introduced 1996. Dual bore, nickel-silver outer slide.

S.

Yup, he helped develop and started on an R1 which is actually a .500/.510 dual bore and had a rose/red brass bell!!!
He changed quite a while ago actually to the R10.
He still has the R1 which is the prototype but prefers to play the R10.

(Info provided by me, a good friend of Mark's  )

[Lester the Nightfly]

Thanks for the responses...

My Williams was built in the L.A. days, it was made in 1950 so it has a 7 1/2" bell.  It has a big open sound, really works well, but a bit hard to slot up high, say above the 8th partial. 

I did talk with Jose at Dillon's who said I should start with a R10, 7 1/2" yellow bell and tuning slide, nickel handslide and see what I think.  They didn't have anything like that currently so I am going to wait until March...

I will probably just start there....

All the best.....

LTN

[BobM]

I've just got an R10, which I can't praise enough for many reasons..

I answer to the question, which combination to go for, I had the full sales treatment which was very useful, and settled on an all brass bell/tuning slide set and a nickel slide. Plus at the time as I wasn't able to try the brass "middle" lead pipe I'm I'm currently playing the nickel version (on trial, awaiting a brass one) which I like a lot. I think that nickel does have a signature which I didn't like so much on the tuning slide.

It seems to play bigger than my 3B and all the comments about "slotting" are true, it seems to grab the note, handy because I'm more of a "fretter" than a "doodler".

In a band setting it has a solid clear warm middle sound, which focuses at higher volume with a little edge.

I've had a lot of positive comments about the sound of this horn and of being modular offers options for changes in the future.

I with I had got one years ago!..

Bob M.

[MHubel]

How come when I search I keep getting results saying that Mark helped in the design of the R1?

S.

As good as Yuen Li's list is, he left Greenhoe off the list. He does mention Gary Greenhoe in the Edwards section...