Jim,
I totally agree with your assessment of balance vs. actual weight. I have a Taylor "Chicago Standard Model" and a Schilke B1L trumpet sitting out on stands in my studio right now. The Taylor weighs about 3 1/2 lbs. as opposed to the Schilke being about 2 lbs. I have absolutely NO problem going from one horn to the other as far as the weight is concerned. In fact, the Taylor is probably the most well-balanced horn I've ever held. So as to your question ...no...I wouldn't judge trying/buying/playing a horn based on how much it weighs. However, on the flip side, I could understand why Ronald and others might be concerned in regards to the weight of a prospective horn. We all know that...as a general rule...a lighter weight horn gives the player a totally different response and timbre as compared to a heavyweight instrument. If someone is looking for a specific type of response/sound it would be very helpful to know ahead of time in which "ballpark" a certain horn might lie in as far as weight goes as it would possibly lead us in the right "direction" as to the certain brands/models that may be correct OR incorrect for us to try ( based on our individual needs/desires). In other words...in would help each of us get to our "perfect horn" a little more more quickly. For instance...if a player is looking to play Maynard charts the logical choice of a horn probably wouldn't be a Monette "Raja"! :P But, on the other hand, somebody doing alot of Mahler might not want a Burbank Benge either!
So, while a weight of a horn does enter into the equation of how a particular horn might play, characteristic-wise, I wouldn't eliminate any given horn based solely on the weight of it! Just my two cents... FWIW!! :wink:
Butch