King 606

About the King 606

The 606 pairs a .500" bore with a seamless 8-inch bell designed for easy projection and control. Its handslide uses nickel silver outer tubes with a single-radius crook and chrome-plated nickel silver inner tubes, chosen specifically to give the slide a smooth, quick action, connected via a ring on the slide itself. Finished in clear lacquer (or available silver-plated as the 606SP), it ships with a King 12C mouthpiece and a molded 7523C case, built entirely in the USA from what the maker describes as nothing but the highest quality materials.

Where to buy

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Source: https://reverb.com/item/89394826-king-606-student-model-tenor-trombone-2010s-clear-lacquered-brass

Sound character of the King 606

A responsive, seamless 8-inch bell delivers easy projection and control - a solid, dependable entry-level tone suited to classroom use across all styles of music rather than any one specific genre.

What owners of the King 606 say

Dealer feedback is consistently positive, with durability, slide quality and all-around versatility the most frequently praised strengths. Notably, listings for decades-old used units still single out the slide as a highlight, a strong signal that the build quality holds up well over years of heavy student use rather than degrading quickly. No significant criticisms turned up in the sources checked.

Playability & handling of the King 606

Dealers consistently describe the 606 as a well-designed, durable instrument that's a perfect fit for the beginning student while remaining versatile enough for all types of music, not just classical or concert band settings. The responsive, seamless bell is specifically credited with making projection and control easy for players still developing breath support and tone, while the chrome-plated inner slide tubes are singled out for delivering smooth, quick slide action right from the start - a detail that matters a great deal to a beginner still building basic slide technique. Listings for used examples from decades past, including units from the 1990s, still get praised specifically for having a great slide, suggesting the build holds up well over long-term, heavy school use.

Recommended accessories & strings for the King 606

The included King 12C mouthpiece is a standard, versatile starting point for beginners, and the molded 7523C case provides solid protection for daily transport between home, lessons and school rehearsals.

Technical data for the King 606

Price history for the King 606

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The history of the King 606

King's 606 has served as a standard school band beginner trombone for decades, valued for its simple, durable specification.

About King as a manufacturer

The H.N. White Company was founded in 1893 in Cleveland, Ohio, by Henderson White, an engraver and instrument repairman who became sole owner of the business that same year after previously working in partnership with C.H. Berg. The first trombone in what became the famous King line appeared in 1894, distinguished by bell, bore and mouthpipe designs unlike any horn before it - the King name itself honors Thomas King, a prominent solo cornetist of the era who collaborated with White on instrument design. The company expanded into woodwinds in 1908, moved into a much larger Cleveland facility in 1909, and built its own orchestral woodwind plant in 1917 after wartime trade disruptions cut off its Czech instrument supply, later acquiring the Cleveland Musical Instrument Company outright in 1925. Mrs. White sold the business to Nate Dolan and partners in 1965, who renamed it King Instruments; after several further ownership changes, it's now part of Conn-Selmer. The 606 carries that 130-year brass-making lineage forward as King's entry-level trombone offering.