Billl

I have a daughter starting middle school and am trying to decide on a horn for her. I'm a bit of a comeback player. When I started in the late 60's it was with an Olds Ambassador and a Conn. In high school I got my Doc Severinson (still have it)

Any recommendations on a trumpet for her? I'm not opposed to picking up one of the older horns such as the Ambassador or perhaps a Reynolds.

Thanks in advance

trumpetmike

This is a purely personal opinion, based on teaching many new beginners (one-to-one lessons) each year.

You can't go wrong with Yamaha.

The Yamaha student instruments are designed to be used for students - in other words - they bounce!
They sound good, they don't go wrong and, if they do, the parts are really easy to obtain.

My advice when talking to new students and their parents (more commonly the parents - they are the ones with the money) is to go for the Yamaha that they can afford, one of the following:
YTR 2335
YTR 4335G
If the student likes silver plate (many of them prefer the look of silver trumpets) the number needs an S on the end.

There are some excellent older models around (the Ambassador is one of these) BUT - many young students want a trumpet that is clean and shiny - they don't want to be the one player in the class/band that has an instrument that looks like it is older than their teachers (and we all know how old most students think their teachers are).
There are those that won't care, but my experience tells me that these are not as common as we would like.

I would suggest avoiding any "student trumpet" that looks like too much of a good deal - eBay is full of trumpet shaped objects that are very shiny - I wouldn't recommend any of them, even for lamp stands.

The joy of the Yamaha trumpets is that they work.

cmcdougall

2335, that is a heck of a horn for a student horn, so much better than the bach tr-300 that it doesn't deserve to be in the same league, the tr is a true student model to me, it sucks. The 2335 is more of an intermediate deal, it has good intonation, good response, and a decently good upper register for a "student" horn.

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mike ansberry

I really don't like the Yamaha student horns. The kickers don't work well. The outer slides should be made of nickel, but they are brass. The brass on brass action causes them to be sluggish at best. I also really dislike the valves. They are frequently bad, and at best don't feel good.

There aren't many new beginner horns that are much good. I am using Jupiter. They have valve problems also. But the rest of the horn is terrific. It is a great blowing horn with 1st and 3rd kickers that work as well as a pro horn. When I do have a horn with valve problems, Jupiter is quick to remedy the situation.

I have been wondering about the Getzen beginner horns. Brett Getzen posts on the oTHer site. He says all their valves are gaurenteed for life, and that doesn't just mean the first owner. I've heard a lot of good things about the Getzen valve block. I'm considering going with Getzen for my beginners.

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bandman

Bill, I love the Yamaha 2335S, but this year there is a nation-wide shortage of them with a silver finish. I had pretty much no choice but to go with the King 601 for my students, which is also a very nice horn. Given a choice between the two in silver I would choose the Yamaha.

At http://wwbw.com/Search/Default.aspx?...ing%20Trumpets you can find a King Legend for $999. The only prpblem with that horn is the large bore which is too big for some youngsters. You can also find the new silver flair at $999 at wwbw.

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bflatorbsquare

Many people will tell you the Olds Ambassador is the best student trumpet ever made - I agree. However, I suggest you find a brand new Kanstul 610 instead of a vintage Ambassador. It's hard to find them, but they are out there (www.kanstulmusic.com sells them for $800 on a payment plan - Note: This is not Kanstuls's website - It is the website of Jack Kanstul (Zigs son), but he sells the 610 under the name "Kanstul Custom".

There hasn't been a lot of conversation on trumpetmaster about these, but go over to www.trumpetherald.com and do a search for Kanstul 610 - It got rave reviews. I have a Kanstul 610 as my "backup" for outdoor gigs and parades and it's a really fine playing horn. Very good sound and braced heavily so a beginner won"t have any trouble getting a good sound on it, but it's good enough that they could keep it all the way through high school and not outgrow it.

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