Geodude

Sorry if this has been done to dealth before. I searched a little without luck.

My 9-year old son (3rd grade) is dying to begin playing a trumpet. His grandparents have graciously volunteered to underwrite private lessons so we need to find an instrument for him. I'm quite confident he will stick with it, nonetheless, I don't want to invest a fortune at this point in his musical career. Rather than renting or buying new, I am inclined to buy a used instrument and have a reputable technician give it a once over. Would folks like Ron Pinc, Wayne Tanabe, and Steve Winans work on modestly priced instruments?

Our middle school band appears to have a mix of cornets and trumpets. Does the shorter length of a cornet make it a little easier for a kid to manage when starting out?

Based on a very little bit of research, it appears Olds Ambassadors have a strong following as student instruments. Is a pre-1970s Olds Ambassador cornet or trumpet from Ebay a sensible way to start? If not, I would welcome your suggestions for a differnent path.

Many Thanks!

Schwab

An Olds Ambassador is an excellent way to start. They play great, are built like tanks and you can pick them up for very little money.

Eclipsehornplayer

I would defineatly say that starting them out on Cornets is the way to go. It brings the sound closer to the young ear and allows the young player to better develop.

The OLDS is a good choice I can't deny it. However I'd be remiss if I did not mention that I happen to have a King Tempo Cornet for sale on Ebay right now that I think would work well for you also (A Shamless plug I know).
http://cgi.ebay.com/1960s-King-Tempo...QQcmdZViewItem

Good luck in your efforts..

ScreaminRaider

The Olds Cornet is a great way to go. I found one at a Pawn shop not too long ago for less than $100, but It got bought before I could get back to get it. Also, If you can find an old Besson 220 Cornet. These are also horns that can take the abuse that a beginner will dish out. I have one that's a a little beat up, but it has a wonderful sound that I play when I need to do stuff on Cornet.


edit....I just went back and looked at KingHornPlayer's King on ebay and I have to say that would be perfect for any level of Player.....Nice horn, if only I had the extra money

Schwab

I bought an Olds Ambassador trumpet on ebay a while back for $30. Ended up being $42 with shipping and it plays just fine. Minimal investment to see if the kid likes it or not. If he does then you can drop a couple hundred dollars on a horn.

Tootsall

For a newer horn, the Getzen Capri cornets aren't all that bad.

Brian H. Smout

Hi Dad,

My good wife and I have raised 3 kids and have 2 grandkids so I feel your pain.

The suggestions, so far are valid and I own an Olds Ambassador cornet and trumpet. Neither were as cheap to purchase as others have experienced. Getting one serviced for playing will set you back more than a a few bucks.

There are some wonderful new student model trumpets out there such as the Getzen 300, the Yamaha 2320 or Kanstul 700. forgive me if I have not listed all the possibilities. Any of these will see your son through to college. He will not be the odd man out with some old beater cornet that he will be embarrassed to pull out of its, hopefully not smelly, case. Children are sensitive to brand names whether we agree or not.

All the stated intentions are good. I humbly suggest supporting your local music retailer with a rent to own program and start your son out right out with a new student model trumpet. Warranty included.

How many adults out there are willing to buy a used 1958 Nash Rambler. They were "built like tanks" and are pretty cheap if you can find one.
Shiny, new, mmmmmmmmm! Think adults which way you would go.


Cheers,


Brian

Tootsall

I don't know about Ramblers... but I do know where there's a Studebaker Lark sitting on blocks for the past few years.

TopGun

This is good advice. Those top repair guys are going to charge a lot more than the horn price. A lot more. The rent-to-own programs are great when you can find one with no time limits on the renting contract. In other words you pay one months rent and the kid wants to quit you just give the horn back and you are only out 30 bucks or so. If the kid wants to stick with it you got a great horn with a store backing you up if it might need a little work.

As for the horn I would look at Yamaha trumpets. They can be used through highschool and the kid will not want a trumpet later because everybod else has one. The Yamaha also has a strong case.

matthoffner

getzen makes great horns