In short, all the brands you come to expect in music seem to be missing out on the bell cover craze. Though, it seems KYT Music and Protec have you covered. That said, don’t overlook what other brands like Carbinahome, Bestim Incuk, and ArtJ4U have to offer. Ultimately, whatever choice you make, you won’t be breaking the bank.

Review Criteria

If I’m going to be honest with you, my local community band has been on hiatus since the start of the pandemic. As a result, I’ve had no need for a bell cover. That said, I know other folks do, so I figured I’d simplify the search process for you all.

When I research the best products, I like to leverage the various filtering features of Amazon to limit my search. For instance, I used the following settings to generate this list of the best tenor trombone bell covers:

• Search Terms: Trombone Bell Cover
• Department: Musical Instruments
• Average Customer Review: 4+ Stars

As always, I make sure to sort the products by average customer review, so I know I’m getting the best product first.

5 Best Bell Covers

In this list, we’ll take a look at the five best tenor trombone bell covers that I could find on Amazon. Feel free to share your favorites as well.

#1. KYT Music Instrument Bell Cover – $

Coming in at number one on the list is a very affordable bell cover by KYT Music. According to their product page, this bell cover is 8 inches in diameter, so it should fit snuggly on most tenor trombones. In addition, it’s washable, so you can use it again and again.

Like most bell covers, this one is made of an elastic material, so it should form to the shape of your bell. As an added bonus, the material is double layered and includes a pocket for removable air filters.

All-in-all, this looks like a pretty good bell cover that even promises to limit effects on tone. Likewise, folks seem to be quite pleased with it. Though, there were a few complaints of it not meeting the strictest of safety requirements. As a result, it may be a good idea to use this bell cover in addition to a musicians mask.

#2. Protec Instrument Bell Cover – $

If you’re not a fan of the KYT Music bell cover for whatever reason, Protec makes one that is almost identical. Much like the other bell cover, this one features two layers of fabric which is washable. Likewise, it’s also elastic, so it should fit over a variety of bell sizes.

As far as I can tell, the only difference between Protec’s bell cover and KYT Music’s bell cover is the lack of a pocket for a filter. To me, that seems like a major downgrade. That said, if you don’t need the pocket, then this bell cover will work just fine.

Overall, folks seem to really like Protec’s bell cover. The only complaint I could find was the effect the bell cover has on pitch. In my experience, just about everything from mutes to ambient temperature effects the pitch of a trombone, so I see this as less of a con than a fact about the reality of being a musician. I’d recommend tuning your horn with the cover on.

#3. Carbinahome Instrument Bell Cover – $

Yet another cover in the long list of bell covers comes from Carbinhome. I’ve personally never heard of this brand, but the bell cover seems to be fairly popular.

Of course, like the previous bell covers, this one seems to have all the same features. Specifically, it’s made of an elastic felt, so it’ll stretch over a variety of bell sizes. Likewise, it’s also double layered like the previous two bell covers. In addition, it’s washable, so you can reuse it.

Like Protec’s bell cover, this one seems to lack a pocket for a filter. Again, this would be a major con for me, but you may not care. Given how affordable all of these bell covers are, you wouldn’t be losing any money by going for filter support. That said, it’s totally up to you!

Unlike the previous bell covers, I couldn’t find any negative comments about this one. Though, this manufacturer does sell several variants, so you have to make sure you get the right size (~7-9″ for a tenor trombone). I will say that this cover looks a bit more soft than some of the previous covers, so I would probably pick this one to avoid the possibility of scratches on the bell. That said, I haven’t seen anyway complain about that, but it’s definitely worth considering.

#4. Bestim Incuk Reusable Music Instrument Bell Cover – $$

Up next, we have another brand that I’ve never heard of: Bestim Incuk. My first impressions of this bell cover just from the pictures is that it’s sort of ugly. Unlike the previous bell covers that seem to be completely elastic, this looks like a pair of sweatpants on your bell.

That said, I won’t knock this bell cover as it appears to hit all the same boxes as the other bell covers. It’s washable and reusable and doesn’t effect tone according to the manufacturer.

Like the previous bell cover, you can run into some trouble if you’re not careful. It seems these manufacturers group all of the bell covers under one listing, so it’s easy to buy the wrong size. Also, it seems to be lacking a pocket for a filter, but that seems to be expected at this point.

Overall, there isn’t much to say. This bell cover is definitely the most expensive of the bell covers in this list, but it’s still very affordable. If you’re looking for something a bit uglier, this definitely the way to go.

#5. ArtJ4U Music Instrument Bell Cover – $

Last but not least, we have the Bell Cover from ArtJ4U. Up to this point, just about every bell cover has been the same. This one, however, is a bit different.

First, it’s silver! Or at the very least, they offer both silver and black. In addition, it’s the first bell cover we’ve seen in this list that’s not elastic. Instead, the mechanism they use for wrapping the fabric around the bell is a drawstring. I’m not sure why it includes a drawstring given that the entire thing is supposedly elastic, but I guess that gives you more peace of mind as it loses elasticity over time. That said, if there are any dangling plastic parts, I worry they might damage the horn.

Overall, folks seem pleased with this bell cover, and one person even said they used it in conjunction with a foam ball to make their own mute. I don’t know much about making mutes, but you can find all the information you might want to know about trombone mutes here.

Summary

As it turns out, it seems bell covers are all more or less the same. If you’re particularly picky about them, you can keep an eye out for filter pockets and drawstrings. That said, I don’t think you can go wrong with any of the bell covers in this list.

As always, if you find a bell cover you really like and would like me to recommend, feel free to reach out. Otherwise, take care, and remember to always respect the brass.

The post 5 Best Tenor Trombone Bell Covers for Combatting a Pandemic appeared first on Trill Trombone.

As it turns out, you can get a quite a bit of value for your money. For instance, $500 will buy you a nice pBone, various F Trigger trombones, and even some solid beginner horns with loads of accessories like tuners, gloves, and cleaning kits. It’s just a matter of finding the right tenor trombone for you.

Review Criteria

One of the best ways to find out if a budget horn is right for you is to try a few out. Unfortunately, I don’t know of any places that’ll let you actually go in and try a trombone. After all, it’s kind of gross, right? Unlike with a guitar or a drum set, you have to spit into a horn to play it.

Fortunately, there’s loads of data from consumers across the internet which we can collect to make an objective decision. In particular, I used Amazon to limit my search as follows:

• Department: Trombones
• Average Customer Review: 4+ Stars
• Price Range: < $500
• Instrument Key: B♭
• Instrument Range: Tenor

From there, I sorted the trombones by average review which are listed in the following section in order.

5 Best Budget Tenor Trombones

In this section, we’ll take a look at the 5 best tenor trombones under $500. To avoid duplicates, I skipped over models that were similar—like different colored pBones.

#1. Jiggs Plastic Trombone, Blue – $

Unlike all the other trombones in this list, this one is made of plastic. As a result, it weighs just under 2 Lbs. Other than that, this horn comes with two mouthpieces, 6.5AL and 11C, and a carrying case.

In terms of verified reviews, thoughts are mixed. On one hand, some folks really like the way it looks. On the other hand, other folks didn’t care for the sound quality. Of course, a lot of people gave it a positive review just because they knew what they were getting.

All-in-all, I’d say this a pretty solid horn if you’re looking to start out. After all, it’s not a huge investment. And hey, you might just catch the music bug.

#2. Mendini MTB-31 Intermediate B♭ Tenor Slide Trombone with F Attachment – $$

For about three times the cost of a pBone, you can get a brass intermediate horn and much more. In particular, you’ll get all of the following:

• F Trigger
• Tuner (Cecilio 92-D)
• Case
• Mouthpiece (12C)
• Gloves
• Cleaning Cloth

And it’s all covered under a 1 year warranty against manufacturer’s defects.

Even better, most of the reviews are raving. For example, a lot of people were really impressed with the quality. Of course, there are always faults. For instance, one verified customer claimed the slide oil that it came with wasn’t great. All that said, most customers seemed to be quite content with the horn. Even a band director signed off on it.

Overall, if plastic isn’t your thing, this might be the horn for you.

#3. Eastar ETB-330 B♭ Tenor Trombone – $

If you’re still tight on cash but you don’t want a pBone, you can always forego the F trigger and pick up an Eastar ETB-330. In addition to the horn, you’ll get all of the following:

• Case
• Mouthpiece (7C)
• Cleaning Kit
  • White gloves
  • Short and long brushes
  • Oil
  • Joint grease

In terms of reviews, a lot of beginners were really happy: Apparently, the price was a big selling point for this horn. Despite all the praise, a few customers were concerned that the horns weren’t new.

All that said, I think this is the best horn in the list by value. If you’re a beginner looking for an affordable horn, this might be the way to go.

#4. Costzon B♭ Tenor Slide Trombone – $

Like many of the other trombones in this list, this one is targeted at beginners. As a result, it comes with plenty of accessories like:

• White gloves
• Mouth piece
• Case

In terms of reviews, many of the customers were very happy with the low barrier to entry. Of course, there were a few reviews that weren’t as nice. In particular, there appears to be some rust concerns.

That said, I think most customers would agree that the price makes up for all those issues. In other words, if you know someone just starting out, this might be the horn for them.

#5. Cecilio 3Series TB-381 Intermediate Bb Tenor Slide Trombone with F Attachment – $$$

Last but not least—and pardon the lack of a picture—we have the Cecilio 3Series TB-381 trombone. Of all the B♭ tenor trombones in this list, this one is by far the most expensive. So, what do you get? Well, here’s the breakdown:

• F attachment
• Mouthpiece (12C)
• White gloves
• Cleaning cloth
• 1 year warranty against manufacturer’s defects

All that said, what do the customers think? Unfortunately, there aren’t a ton of reviews. However, the ones that exist are four stars and up. For example, on the high end, there are several customers that bought this horn as a gift and were very happy with their purchase.

As a matter of fact, the only negative review I could find was in regards to how the product was shipped. That said, with this horn being on the high end of the budget, I think some folks felt this horn could pass off as intermediate. If you have the money, maybe this is the right horn for you.

Summary

As you can see, when you’re looking for a trombone on a budget, you can find a few diamonds in the rough. In particular, we found five solid budget B♭ tenor trombones. Up next, we’ll take a look at some intermediate horns with price points between $500 and $2000.

While your here, are you looking for a laugh? If so, check out this list of trombone jokes. They’re sure to make you laugh! And, don’t forget to respect the brass!

The post 5 Best Tenor Trombones for Musicians on a Budget appeared first on Trill Trombone.