This is a brilliant trombone for any amateur to pro player and any band. I play in a ska band and it’s effortless in all the ranges with lots of power. Sound is nice and solid with a good quick slide and evenly weighted, what’s not to love ? Not a lot I guess, but! there is one thing and that’s the cheap Chinese mouthpiece it comes with which lets the package down. It’s identical to a mouthpiece from a cheap trombone my nephew had when he started playing years ago . Well, you might say I all have my own mouthpiece which is fair comment but come on, a trombone of this quality should have a decent mouthpiece don’t you think? So that’s why it gets a 4star and not 5 for me. Better mouthpiece and it would be a 5star package.

I don't regret buying the excellent R400 sight-unseen. It has a great sound quality in the high register that has equipped it well for the demands posed by wind-band and big-band playing, including some scarily high First parts, but it can also supply head-turning power in a Rimmer brass-band march "bass solo" passage. Surprisingly, it also fitted in quite nicely in the more intimate setting of a recent jazz improvisation workshop,
But it stimulated my appetite for real trombone directness, and that search went on until I found myself playing the R100 with the Rath S11 "M.N." model mouthpiece associated with it. That combination of elements seemed to me to have the kind of responsiveness, power and range that players of Old Master string instruments describe. Some lucky brass players will recognise what I mean when I say that the instrument rings in your hands.
On the day, and in the well-stocked showroom of a company closely linked to John Packers' where I tried it, there wasn't another instrument to touch it, irrespective of price. I couldn't stop playing it.
Of course I bought it, despite having the R400! It doesn't have a plug-valve, but it's pure trombone and does everything that it can do all the better for that. Lighter to hold, less air to blow, and the air goes where it needs to.
So it's great for extended playing in a recital, small group or chamber concert, not just for jazz. And the combination of playability and actual medium bore stature does mean that it can also make a real difference for a player in a demanding wind-band, brass-band or big-band setting.
Give it a try - how often do you REALLY need that plug-valve!

I spent (my wife says "wasted") some time in John Packer's shop today-5 minutes drive/10 minutes walk away- trying out the new Rath R100 and R400. WOW!!! How does the man do it?
The R400 was such a joy to play, open throughout the range-pedal F to super F and the response at all dynamics was exceptional. The slide and trigger action felt as if the horn had been played in for a few weeks but it was brand new! I was seriously comparing it to my Gen II 88H and I found it difficult to come to terms with the end results. The slide was much better than my Conn slide and it was better than the prototype Yamaha one I use on the 88H; the valve action was slicker and smoother than the Conn and I feel that it played better all round!
My only criticism was that the yellow brass bell was not to my taste as I prefer the warmer sound of a red brass bell and, strangely, it is supplied without a mouthpiece. The thumb lever has an adjustable or removeable rest bar by the side. It did nothing for me but I can see that there are those out there who would like it.

The R100 was a similarly interesting horn with a clarity of sound I have rarely found before. The way the notes just seemed to be there without the effort and stress normally accompanying the upper range from high Bb upwards. I was the first to try that trombone and once again, the slide was beautifully smooth. It is the perfect lead trombone.
It was interesting to compare it to good used R10 which had just come into stock and is in the same price range. I could not decide which I would buy.

Now I can't wait to try the R900 when it arrives.