R11 Alto Trombone
The long-awaited Rath alto trombone, the R11 was introduced in 2010.
The R11 has been designed to give a player a wide variety of choice in how they setup their instrument. With such a wide potential range of repertoire, every players' ideas about what they want from an alto trombone can vary considerably.
R11 - Features
Whether you're looking for a clear, ringing alto sound for concerto performances, or if you prefer a mixture of clarity with warmth to cover the widest spread of alto repertoire or if you're looking for an alto that's more along the lines of a traditional German alto trombone sound, then the R11 can be setup to cover all of these.
What's common for everyone though is an alto that not only sounds like an alto (rather than a tenor trombone) but equally as important is easy to play, is in tune with itself and doesn't require much adjusting when switching from tenor - in short playability.
The R11's slide has a comfortable seventh position for E and A and also has enough length to adjust the tuning of both of these. The slide tuning system on the alto means that the relative harmonics of the R11 are where you'd expect them to be and the relationship between the harmonics won't change as you adjust the tuning slide, as can be the case with many bell tuning alto trombones.
Anyone who's had the experience of adjusting the tuning slide on a regular bell tuning alto midway through a performance and suddenly finding that slide positions are suddenly in a different place will appreciate this feature!
Like all Rath trombones, the R11's slide action is superb, and the small additional weight of the slide tuning mechanism certainly won't slow you down, even on the most technical of passages.
There are two bore sizes for the R11 - the R11Z (0.481"/0.491") and the R11K (0.481"/0.500") and all of our usual options for bell, slide and bell crook materials are available. The standard bell flare size for the R11 is 6 3/4", but 7" flares are available on request.
Two sets of leadpipes the "Z" and "K" series have been designed specifically for each bore size and can be ordered in brass, nickel, silver and they are also now available in bronze.
| Model | Bore | Bell flare | Common combinations/Notes |
| R11Z R11K |
0.481"/0.491" 0.481"/0.500" |
6 3/4" | The R11K with yellow brass bell, bronze slide and yellow brass bell crook is a very versatile alto trombone. For a more classic German orchestral alto sound, the R11K or R11Z with red brass bell, bronze slide and red brass bell crook is a great setup. |
R11 alto trombone from £1995
R11V alto trombone with Bb or trill rotary valve from £2610
All prices include VAT at 20% and are applicable for UK retail customers only. Final instrument cost may vary due to exact specification required.
O% interest free credit is available to UK customers, subject to terms and conditions. For full details, please contact us.
Non-UK customers should contact their nearest distributor, or us directly for full pricing information.
