Thomann SL 5 Soprano Trombone

Okay, so leaving aside the soprano trombone vs slide trumpet debate, what you've got here is a cheap 'mini trombone' that is... er... what it is - a cheap soprano trombone. Its small, shiny, makes the right sounds, is light and comes with a decent case.

Until you get into the more specialist trombones, they are about as basic as a brass instrument can get: a bell, a brass tube, the slide section and the mouthpiece. There's still a lot that can go wrong with that but any more basic and you'll be buying a kazoo!

The bell and tubing are all solid but, like any instrument, don't sit on it. The welds are secure throughout, the spit-key does what it should and the slides are smooth. Overall, it's well-crafted. No frills and bows, but if there was anything fancy, you'd have to wonder where they were cutting costs to keep the price down.

The only 'fault' I've found is more about taking care with maintence - the slide lock (stops the slide falling off when not playing) will jam if you don't keep it clean and oil around it. It says more about me than it does the instrument.

The mouthpiece is your basic bog-standard mouthpiece that comes with any new instrument. Not brilliant, but not as god-awful as some other cheap instruments on the market.

In terms of playability, you've got the soprano range, which puts you in the trumpet zone, which when combined with the short slide length makes it a useful tool for introducing kids to the trombone. However, if you're playing one as an adult, you need to make a few adjustments. Just make sure to move the bell section around a few more degrees to help it sit more comfortably and don't hold the slide grip with the whole finger as you would on a standard trombone - you'll be scraping your knuckles on the bell if you do.

This does pretty much what a trombone should, just in a higher range. Yes, it will take time getting used to the short spacing of each position and the tone will be different from a tenor when you're at the lower end of the range but that's why you shouldn't see it as a novelty instrument. Saxophonists will switch between upper and lower range instruments just because the tonality gives them a totally different sound. If you're a trombonist looking at getting something new into your music, this makes for a bargain way to experiment with the range of sound you can achieve.

As an experienced trumpet player and casual tenor trombonist, I bought this amazingly priced instrument for fun. I am surprised at the quality and performance of this instrument which cost only circa £100 delivered new.
The instrument is all brass with a fine gold laquer finish. When assembled, the slide on mine moved freely and smoothly. The accompanying mouthpiece is standard trumpet - unmarked but similar to a 5c. I have tried different trumpet mouthpieces satisfactorily. Sound from the instrument is fine but it requires technique to produce really good tone
The instrument is very light in weight and I get the feeling that it must be handled protectively to avoid damage from knocks or bumps.
Overall I am delighted with the looks, the sound and the functioning of this instrument. It is at the very low end of the price range but I rate it as excellent value for money and I expect to get loads of fun out of playing it.

After just a couple months the plating on the inner slide started to come off, and the slide became harder to move, and making more scratch-noises. I didn't expect this bad quality, and i do not recommend it to others unless Thomann resolve this issue with the slide.
Apart from the slide, the trombone is fun to play, yet a little difficult (this might just be me, as a not that experienced tenor-trombone player). Definitely fun exept for the poor plating!

Edit:
I've contacted Thomann and they have resolved the problem. I give the service at Thomann at least 6 stars!

My wife has been desperate for one of these for years and when I saw that the price was perfect for a Christmas present I bought one right away.

It represents great value and the build quality is outstanding in it's price bracket. The fact that it comes with slide grease, a polishing cloth and some natty white gloves serves to underline the attention to detail Thomann gives to its products.

The slide was, initially, a little rough, but I expected that from a brand new tombone and was fine after a good lubing. The mouthpiece (a trumpet one) is also of good quality for the price bracket and fits nicely.

The only downside for me is that the vinyl covering on the (still sturdy) hard case has started to peel after only three months and it has never left the house. This is extremely minor and I think it's pure bad luck and I would've expected a gig bag in this price bracket.

If you fancy a teeny-weeny trombone you could do far, far worse than trying out this wee beauty.