King 3B: the ULTIMATE Jazz Trombone. | Instrument Review & Comparison
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- Опубліковано 10 лют 2025
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~EQUIPMENT~
King 3B trombone made by H.N. White Co. circa 1965
King 3BF "Silversonic" trombone circa late 1960s
Vincent Bach 3, 4C, 5GS Corporation-era mouthpieces
~CHAPTERS~
0:00 Opening remarks
2:12 History & overview of King trombones
4:36 Introducing today's trombones!
5:36 Specs & features (standard 3B)
8:16 Specs & features (3BF variant)
10:03 Specs & features (Silversonic variant)
12:05 Playing demos: 3B vs. 3BFSS
14:52 My impressions: playability
18:50 My impressions: sound & tone
22:46 Should you buy a 3B?
25:13 Closing remarks & outro
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Do you enjoy content relating to all things music and brass instruments? Sam has got you covered! On this channel we have been devoted to bringing you brass covers, play-alongs, multitracks, gear reviews and discussions, tips and tricks, collaborations, and even vlogs about the music world since 2016! Sam is a hobbyist brass multi-instrumentalist majoring in mechanical engineering. He is an active local performer and has played countless personal arrangements and compositions in small ensemble settings. If you like to nerd out over brass instruments, mouthpieces, music theory, and more, then make sure to subscribe and stay tuned! Thanks for watching.
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Hope you enjoyed this video! Keep an eye out for King 3Bs online… sometimes they show up for pretty dang cheap!
Not anymore. You might be surprised how much one or two online reviews jams up the short term costs of brass instruments.
Typically a used straight King 3B A thousands of $1,500 and the one Samuel has typically retails for between 2000 to 3,000. It's very rare silver Sonic.
Can you recommend any resources for used trombones? There are so many fake sites out there.
In 1978, I bought a brand new King 3B Bb/F Trombone. I still have and play it now. It is still the greatest trombone for me. I tried many other horns over the years. But none of them come close to the 3B.
@@danielnewman134 Exactly.
I got lucky and just found and bought a King 3BF Silversonic today. Been looking for that horn for YEARS and finally found one. Wife isn't too pleased but she'll get over it. :)
@@Old_Man_Flux Wow, congratulations!! Hope you got a decent deal and hope she comes around soon :)
@@SamuelPlaysBrass Well, I certainly didn't get your deal. Mine was about $2550 more, but it's in great condition for a '75 -'80 era horn. :)
@@SamuelPlaysBrass Not sure if you'll see this comment, but I thought I would share a strange characteristic of my 3BFS. You mentioned how your D in the 4th partial was perfectly in tune as opposed to normally being naturally sharp. Well, in my case, the D is also in tune, but Bb in the 3rd partial is sharp and I have to pull out a bit to stay in tune. Every horn is different, but I've never had this particular..."trait" in any other trombone I've owned. :)
@@Old_Man_Flux I tell you what - I've had the same thing happen to me on another King trombone. Since posting this 3B video I've also picked up an old Tempo 1305 (basically a budget Jiggs Whigham 2B) and noticed the same oddity where the Bb just atop the bass staff rides oddly high compared to either of its neighboring partials. Who knows? It could be a "King oddity." There is a similar "Conn oddity," prevalent on SEVERAL Conn trombones of varying sizes that I've tried, is that the F in the staff is bizarrely sharp and any note on that partial has to be played a quarter position farther out than others in that harmonic series.
Great overview and nice playing demonstrations.
The sterling silver bell brought out the dynamics more. Your sound is incredible on both horns. Yellow brass bell seems to spread the sound more.
Thank you Tom! I agree with your assessments and personally prefer the greater color options of the sterling.
….Some great playing! I love how both models of the 3B can go from edgy and then so mellow and smooth with great control in both styles. I love my 3BF.
So true! Thank you for the kind words. Glad you like yours too!
Very excellent points.....I will share your vid with a private student that want to be a music performance major. Keep up the good work.!
@@ericrichmond8730 Thank you for the kind words, Eric! All the best to you and said student.
Thank you for the nice answer. I never aware of the difference. In high school I was able to win 1st chair and play in dance band. As an adult playing band groups. But always wanted to know what a $4k trombone sounded like.
Just an FYI: Jimmy Pankow of Chicago used both the King 2B and 3B trombones for a long time. Recently, I saw an interview with him and he was playing his King 3B Silver Sonic. Each time I saw Chicago in the 1970s and 80s, Jimmy was playing a 3B Silver Sonic. He made the King 3B popularity sky rocket.
@@danielnewman134 Good to know! I wasn’t aware of Pankow’s role in popularizing the 3B. I have to say for a group like that, a 3BSS would be the absolute ultimate pick. Such a tight, focused, overtone-rich sound.
MAN you have gotten good!! I used to waych you in high school, what a transformation. Also, man yoi really make that thing scream!!
I'm about to buy a Jiggs Whigham 2B, hearing how bright the 3B can get (on an SM57) actually makes me slightly worried the 2B with be too small. I typically play a Yamaha 354 with a .500 bore
Thank you so much Dax! That really means a lot! To tell you the truth, there’s less natural difference in sound between the differing bell and bores of the JW2B and 3B than there is between mouthpieces available on a small shank. Both the 2B and 3B are real screamers, but if you get something like a Bach no-letter, AL, or G cup, you’re unlikely to sound “too bright.” The Jiggs is definitely well worth trying if you get the chance.
Awesome! That's a great honk on the low range!
@@MrSwinginjoe Yessir!
@SamuelPlaysBrass I'm going to be getting an King 7B or King 3B + next year hopefully
Great video
I am a 3B Silversonic player myself and will definitely play it till the casket drops...😂
@@sidneylutara9786 always glad to meet another fellow 3BSS enjoyer!
Awesome video!
I love the sound of a good King 3B (and even more if it has a silver bell), that's why a King 3BFSS is one of my dream trombones along with the Conn 88HSGXCL. Regarding my experience with silver bells, I feel that the color of the sound doesn't change much, but it makes it a bit more resonant. I've tried 3 Conn 88H trombones: a standard 88H open wrap, a Lindberg 88H with a silver bell (but without the gold plating), and a Lindberg 88H with a silver bell and gold plating (the same configuration that Christian Lindberg uses), and I felt that the ones with the silver bell vibrate more. But going back to the 3B, I'd dare say that it's the most used trombone in popular music and possibly the best-selling small bore pro level trombone in history.
I may be wrong in what I say, but this is what I have seen, heard and experienced.
@@Juan_Bone09 Thanks Juan! I think you’re largely correct. I perceive a slight color change in the tone of a SS bell, but admittedly the resonance and projection are the biggest difference. I’d love to try a Lindberg-style 88H. Seems like a great horn.
The 3BF is by far the most overpowered trombone ever made. I even have a 2166 3B valve section I can also throw on it to make it even more versatile and knick some Oktoberfest gigs
@@PosauneundPapier Yes!! I used my 3BFSS for Oktoberfest as well this year and it did an incredible job! Much better than trying to get a really bright tone out of my Conn 88H.
Ĥad a conn since 4th grade. Always wanted know what ìs the difference. I'm 75 now still play ìt
@@kenhorne5650 Any idea what the model number is? “It’s a Conn” is about as useful as “I drive a minivan.” Both Conn and King made everything from the most dime-a-dozen student trombones to some of the finest ones money could (and arguably still can) buy.
It's a director
@@kenhorne5650 Got it, classic student horn that tends to play above its paygrade. I’ve owned or taken delivery of three or four different ones now and never been let down. I still prefer how my 3B plays, but the Director is basically the only trombone (aside from maybe the Olds Ambassador) that you can still occasionally fetch for within $100 that is really enjoyable to play.
Sam, was hoping we would have another installation of scholastic brass months. You've been kind of quiet this summer and I've missed seeing your videos regularly.
Not sure where you ever saw a 3B for $750. A good condition vintage 3B is usually anywhere from $2,000-$3,000+ depending on quality. And they’re appreciating. Little bit misleading to tell people they can get the best jazz horn ever made for seven hundred bucks.
I think we’re not looking at things the same way. I’ve spent a lot of time on Facebook Marketplace, and I’ve seen a few 3Bs in the $750-1000 range. Nothing fancy-typically yellow bell, peashooter, dings here and there, lacquer peeling or gone, etc., but for someone on a budget who really wants the 3B sound but can’t afford a nice one, that will be sufficient. Looking again on eBay I mostly see things in the $1000-1750 range, admittedly, but $3000?? Are you only looking at absolute time capsules? Silver Sonic bells?
@ I was specifically referring to H.N. White-era 3Bs (pre-1967) in good condition. The ones you’re seeing in the $750-1000 range are almost certainly post-1970, which are significantly cheaper due to the decline in craftsmanship after King changed ownership. The pre-1967 3Bs, made under H.N. White, are much more sought after and consistently sell for as much as a brand-new King 3B today. If you check listings for early 3Bs in good shape, you’ll see they regularly fetch prices in the $2500-3000 range.
I got a lead on a vintage King 4B.
Any interest in doing a shootout for those old, classic jazz bones?
Olds Recording, Conn 6h, King 3b, the relavant Holton, Martin, Reynolds. Etc.
Or maybe even a "budget" shootout with the old step-up horns? Conn 77H, King tempo, olds special, etc. there are too many ways to riff on this one. Vintage horns are just a rabbithole and a half.
Interest? Yes. Ability? No. I don’t have access to the majority of those instruments unfortunately.
Dang. Really going to have keep and eye out for these. A selling point, for the 3bf, is the f attachment/trigger and it being a small bore trombone. I’m a lead trombone and I play a straight tenor, YSL 354, and I’m pretty short, 5’3, so trying to get to the dreaded “7th” position is a pain, even though I might not be playing lower notes a lot, I’m in a small ‘pep’ band and I also just like to be able to play lower notes(and they’re fun to play). In combination of it being a small bore trombone with an f attachment, it’ll still have that small bore trombone sound for jazz/pep band. I wasn’t really looking at trombones this in depth but watching more videos, along with this video, I’ve kinda of narrowed down my choices and know what to look for my person use.
@@fearful6202 By the sound of things the 3BF would indeed be a great fit for you! The utility of a small bore F attachment should not be underestimated. You might also consider the King 605F or Yamaha 356R if cost is a significant concern as those might pop up for a little cheaper. They’re not the same specs as the 3B, but still are small bores with F.
@@SamuelPlaysBrass thanks for the recommendations! I’ll take a look into them as well.
I'm probably going to add a standard King 3B Tenor, especially now that I've found a brand my chops prefer.
Would you ever consider using the 3B or another small bore horn in orchestral playing?
@@agogobell28 It’s been done before, but I don’t particularly like doing so. Just like how there’s something clearly “missing” if I try to play jazz on a Bach 42, there is something similarly lacking if I try to use my Silversonic for classical.
@@SamuelPlaysBrass I play in two orchestras and have used a straight 3B for some lead tenor solos and also will be using a 3BF tomorrow for Schumann 4th Symphony tenor part. Both are brass horns, not silver. They work just fine, and in fact the 3BF is probably the most versatile trombone ever made......you can play anything on it, even 3rd parts in smaller ensembles. Of course, i also have a large bore symphony horn I play most of the time. For jazz, nothing beats a plain 3B in my opinion. The reason? Sound and tuning......it is more accurate than anything else.
69! 🤪
But seriously, how is a king better than a NEW Yamaha, or a Conn of the same era as the King?
I think TD used the 2B
I think he played a liberty model (basically the same minus the inner slide). It was that or a 2B but he may have played a 3B at some point.
@@psychedelicpucho Shoot, you’re right. I got mixed up.
The only thing I'd change about your channel is your shirts. I would literally never wear a NIKE shirt on film and probably no Apple shirt. You've established yourself as both expert and buying adviser. Your image should be no clothing brands. Solid colors or dress shirts.
Interesting point. I don’t know that I have enough plain shirts to always ensure that I can wear one on a day of filming, and moreover with the amount of backlogged footage we’ve got it’ll be ages until we never see a brand logo again, but duly noted.
@@directcurrent5751 He’s not reviewing shirts, what your saying is totally irrelevant
Idc as long as there are no politics. I visited one of my favorite Etsy shops recently, and the shop banner was plastered with MAGA even though that really isn’t relevant and very polarizing. I don’t know if I’ll buy from there again, which is disappointing. I messaged the owner and said I wish I didn’t know their political preferences but they forced it on me.
@@domepiece11 ohhh that’s so hard to deal with , let just shut to freedom of speech and expression because you don’t like it , I hope you find a safe space so you don’t go insane .
@@domepiece11 feel ya. Sorrow