Originally Posted by rafterman

From a first chair in a major symphony:

"Go to Dillons with one or two players you respect. Play a lot of horns and reach a consensus on the best one."

From me - a limited player who knows what he likes but realizes that dogs, monkeys and rats do too:

1) Have a really outstanding player take the horn during an extended rehearsal or gig. Listen and judge the horn. Give it extra points if he won't give the horn back or says "now I hate my horn."

2) Watch yourself in the mirror while playing the horn. Consider it if it brings out the color of your eyes and makes you look younger. (Because I even think about this criteria, using #1 makes a lot of sense.)