Cool Wind CTB-200 Series F-Attachment Trombone Black

Previously I had purchased a Tromba trombone (standard - no F attachment) and was fairly happy with it although the slide was a bit stiff and took a while to break in. This Cool Wind CTB-200 with F attachment is AMAZING. Slide action is free and easy and it plays very well. The F attachment rotor is a bit sluggish due to the packing lubricant but with an application of some valve oil it frees up as well. Needless to say I am thrilled with the horn - and an all black instrument looks cool to boot! With platic instruments you hear the story that you should use a "real" metal mouthpiece rather than the plastic mouthpiece provided - and I found this to be tre on the Tromba - but the Cool Wind mouthpiece actually is really quite good and produces a tone/sound equalto my regular mouthpiece. Bottom line? I am using the included black mouthpiece - which has a non-glossy texture and is very comfortable to play.

I was just so curious about this instrument that I had to purchase one to try. I am a professional trombonist and band director who is always looking for deals on instruments for my students. I was hoping that these plastic trombones might be an option for marching/pep band. However, upon play-testing it myself, I wouldn't give these to my students for actual music-making for 3 main reasons: 1) It feels "stuffy". I felt like I had to put forth a lot more effort to elicit the volume from the instrument that I am used to with a metal instrument. 2) The F-attachment is sluggish and flimsy. The sluggish action causes a break in the sound, and the whole mechanism moves a worrying amount when depressed. 3) There is little to no resonance from the instrument compared with a metal instrument. This is to be expected, but the extent to which the difference is audible makes this unusable for my purposes. This could be a fun novelty, but I could not recommend this instrument to even an intermediate player.

I have several expensive quality trombones and did not need another when I bought the Cool Wind trombone with F-attachment. But I heard one played on a recent YouTube video and could not believe my ears that a plastic trombone could play so well. So I bought one, to find out for myself. It is no match for my Conn 8H and Conn 88H - but it gets a decent sound and is easy to play. I do find the pitch tends to wander, and it takes extra effort to play in tune than a brass trombone. Both the low and high end of instrument's range were fine. No trouble playing an F above high B-flat. I wouldn't hesitate to start out a young beginner on this instrument, if price is the deciding factor. If you can afford a more expensive instrument, I would suggest that as a better alternative, but all-in-all I am impressed. Arrived sooner than I expected from the vendor, well-packed, and in excellent condition.

Works well as a teaching aid for trombone teachers. Gets the job done.

what can I say. It is a good plastic trombone that plays well. Both slide and F-trigger were air-tight. The only issue was a noisy slide, but that is fixable with some slide grease. I recommend on the basis on these factors plus the price

Sounds great! Easy to play. The thumb trigger is a little out of place, but I can remedy that with some padding. Looking forward to getting my chops back!

Good quality for its price. Tone is better if you add a (separate) large-bore metal mouthpiece. The slide is a little bit scratchy and the trigger hinge doesn't feel as solid as I was hoping, but you get what you pay for.

It’s a great practice horn. Like the convenience of the lightweight.