Residing in Inman South Carolina, Dr. Eric Henson holds degrees from Western Carolina University, the University of Maryland, College Park, and the University of South Carolina. As an educator, Henson is in demand as a clinician and teacher from Texas to Delaware, and is currently the low brass instructor for Spartanburg District 5. Student ensembles under his direction have given performances at the International Tuba Euphonium Conference, South Carolina Music Educator’s Conference, and The Great American Brass Band Festival. His students have won positions in various military bands, summer festivals, and high school honor ensembles in Maryland, both Carolinas.

Henson has performed across the globe, from Germany to South Korea, and is particularly active across the Southeast. He holds principal positions in the Augusta Symphony, Spartanburg Philharmonic, South Carolina Philharmonic, and after a successful audition in June of 2025, the Greenville Symphony Orchestra. From 2008 to 2015, he held the position of bass trombonist with The King’s Brass and can be heard on many of their recordings on the Summit Records label. Additionally, he has performed with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Charlotte Symphony, and has toured with the Air Force Heritage of America Band, Heritage Brass, the North Carolina Symphony Orchestra and Eurobrass. As a soloist, he was the grand prize winner in the 2017 International Women’s Brass Conference solo competition and has given recitals at the International Trombone Festival, and the Big 12 Trombone Conference.

Dr. Henson is an S.E. Shires Performing Artist.

A complete CV is available here.

For Sale - Wessex Contrabass Trombone in F + Extras. $5,500 OBO.

Was purchased new in 2018 directly from Wessex and completely rebuilt by Scott Sweeney in 2024. I have played this horn professionally in several regional orchestras, The Charlotte Symphony, and the STS Professors Choir. This is a fantastic horn for the price! Some parts don’t have lacquer because it was removed while Scott was working on them - Tuning slides and area immediately around bell cut. The rest of the instrument is in great shape and dent free. Includes case.

Work done by Scott:

  • Detachable bell flair

  • All tuning slides reversed so that air is always flowing from the smaller tube into the larger tube, greatly reducing back pressure - especially in the double valve register

  • Modular tuning delete. Horn has American tuning. 

  • Improved bracing - extra braces that were added to accommodate the modular tuning system have been removed to save weight. Some braces were relocated to improve response and strengthen the horn when the tuning slides were reversed.  

  • Main cross brace was converted from a hollow tube to a solid brace so that a Rath hand brace could be installed without crushing the existing brace.

  • Extra weight removed. Some of the longer pieces of tubing in the valve section were double sleeved nickel tubes, adding a lot of weight and deadening response in valve registers. 

  • Scott’s standard “distressing” treatment. This made a huge difference in how the horn plays. To quote Scott “there was a lot of stress in this horn!”

Extras 

  • Rath Hand Brace/

  • Slide alignment by James Baker at Custom Brass in Alabama. Its as good as this type of slide can be. Its not my Shires bass, but you’ll have a hard time finding better for the price.

  • Includes 2 sets of valve caps - Standard Wessex valve caps and 3d printed press fit lightweight valve caps. 

  • Includes 2 leadpipes - Brad Close contra leadpipe from Brass Ark and stock Wessex leadpipe. The Brad Close leadpipe makes the instrument more nimble, and corrects some of the Wessex intonation issues. The stock leadpipe is still very much playable (thanks to Scott Sweeney’s work!) and is VERY open. This is the leadpipe to use when you need to rearrange the furniture in the lobby!

Shipping

  • I’d prefer to hand off the instrument in person. I’m willing to drive within a 2 hour radius of Spartanburg, SC, or Lebanon, PA. (if between Christmas and New Year’s).

  • If shipping, buyer pays all shipping costs. I will take to UPS store and work with them to pack in the most effective manner.