Commander Trombone

During a period that included the 1982 World’s Fair, I spent my undergraduate days at the University of Tennessee. Importantly for me, Don Hough was my trombone teacher at UTK. I have plenty of great memories from that time, many of which do not include the World’s Fair Sunsphere. Many of these good memories do, however, include Don Hough, who recently won an ITA Humfeld teaching award. You can see the award announcement, and read about Don’s ongoing musical activities here.

It looks as though my last entry here at Commander Trombone has grown old and crufty. Still, for the new year I’d like to add some potentially valuable information for those traveling with a trombone. (By the way, happy new year.)

The basic issue of the trombone case may be easily solved. After all, most trombones ship with a case. However, these standard-issue cases vary in size, weight, and the amount of protection they provide. For plane travel, bigger trombone cases, including bass trombone cases, may be a problem as a carry-on. On the other hand, a relatively thin tenor trombone case can likely be taken on as a carry-on despite the fact that it will easily exceed most airlines official limitations of about 45 linear inches.

If you’re in the market for a trombone case (find some money somewhere and stimulate the economy, bub), below is a list of trombone case manufacturers. Most of these cases will likely need extra external protection if checked under a plane, with the possible exception of this one. As noted elsewhere, some musicians have further protected trombone cases by putting them inside a golf-club case or bag.

• Pro-Tec
• Marcus Bonna
• SKB
• BAM
• Glenn Cronkite

Here are some good on-line guides to check out:

• Steve’s Helpful Tips For Boarding a Plane With Your Instrument (Horn Guys website)
• How should I travel by plane with a trombone? Doug Yeo’s FAQ, Question No. 22.