Sanderson Man

Can anybody give me advice for or against buying trumpets from eBay. What things should I try to stay away from, what brands are no good? What should I look for in a good and/or bad deal?

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Raw Brass Bach TR-300
Conn 16B
Eterna Getzen, Severinsen Model
King 602 cornet

At his clinics, Doc Severinsen would always tell people that if they had come to improve their skills, that they had come to the wrong place and should have stayed home and practiced.

mlrenick

Yamaha is pretty consistently made and most people say its safe to get from ebay. I like craigslist because you can find trumpets locally and see it first.

Bach219

Stay away from foreign made trumpets!

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Raw brass Bach TR300
Vincent Bach 3C
Vincent Bach 7C
Vincent Bach Corp. 10.5C

I didn't want to get that ring around my lips from practicing the trumpet, because I thought the girls wouldn't like me. So I never practiced.- Wynton Marsalis

Outkastah

Dont get Not name brand brands Like TRISTAR, they are horrable. the only non namebrand trumpet I ever have got is a Berkeley Piccolo trumpet and it is ok, but it is often EXTREMELY out of tune, more soo then a regular Pic.

Hoped this helped

Justin

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Trumpets

YTR9335NY
Berkeley Piccolo
Olds Ambassator

Monette B6S1 and
Loud 81M Mouthpices

Bflatman

My experience on the whole is pretty good with ebay.

I stick to well known horns I already know about or can research, and my favourite manufacturers that I know a lot about. My favourites are Olds, Conn, Besson, Boosey & Co, Boosey and Hawkes, and Hawkes and Sons.

I look for mostly pro standard horns, theres little point in buying a 50 year old student instrument when a 50 year old pro horn doesnt cost very much more.

I check the pictures very carefully, and expect that every purchase will be a rip off.

So far every purchase has been good and in some cases outstanding.

Theres usually a stuck slide or two, but you have to expect things like that.

I wait until the last few seconds and bid 20% to 40% higher than the latest bid, the chance of capturing the sale is significantly increased that way, so the item has got be well underbid for me to be interested in bidding.

If I dont win it, hey therell be another along real soon so who cares.

I agree Yamaha is a safe bet, as an example, I bought my Yamaha Cornet on ebay for a low low price, and all it had was a stuck mouthpiece, pulled for free at my local store, and a tiny ding, too small to call a dent, my repairer popped it out and recorked the waterkeys (they didnt need it but what the hey).

Its now looking and playing as good as new.

Jump right in, the waters fine, but do your research carefully, and expect to be ripped off.

With luck you wont be.

Brian

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The only place that "Results" comes before "Work", is in the dictionary.

"I aint squealing till Ive seen my mouthpiece"

2001 Yamaha YCR2330II Cornet
1954 Conn 80A Cornet
1976 Boosey & Hawkes Regent Cornet
1916 Boosey & Co A/Bb Silbron Class A Trumpet
1930's Monarch A/Bb Trumpet
1950's Comet unknown European Trumpet

Boosey 8A Trumpet mpc
Yamaha 11B4 Trumpet mpc
Yamaha 11F4 Cornet mpc
Denis Wick 4B Cornet mpc
Conn 4 Cornet mpc

tedh1951

I posted this some time ago - I hope it goes some way in answering your question.

Musical Instrument Web Buying Guidelines
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How to Buy A Trumpet or Other Musical Instrument on the Web Buying
Guidelines: By: J.L.Bowers, The Bandroom

Well, here you are! Your child has made the choice to learn to play the trumpet in band. This is a great way to learn responsibility, to build character and to learn to work together with others. Learning to play a musical instrument takes many hours of practice.

Most school band programs don't get enough funding to provide all the students an instrument to call their own. Therefore, leaving the parent or guardian to foot the bill for their instrument of choice. Let's focus on your options as a consumer looking to purchase an instrument. For many parents money is a big factor, let’s say your budget is tight and you want the best deal you can find. Well, it won't take you long to find out that a new musical instrument from your locally referred dealer is pretty expensive.

Most new trumpets will cost you around $700 to as much as $1,800 or more, depending on the instrument. So, for most of us that is not an option. Now you have to look for a used instrument. But, your local pawnshops have instruments that look pretty good, but the price tag and the guarantee don't match up. The newspaper isn't much help either. So, here you are. Searching the web looking at all the over 3,000 listings matching the word, "trumpet". What am I looking for? The first thing you need to arm yourself with is knowledge. Don't just start bidding on everything that is cheap. You might end up with nothing more than some used scrap metal. You need a decent quality instrument that is ready for your child to play. You might even find a quality instrument that needs very little repair. You certainly don't want to buy an instrument that can't be repaired! Your child will be carrying the instrument to and from school, in and out of the case, back and forth across the rehearsal area, and maybe up and down the marching field. A lot of things can go wrong when you are carrying around a delicate instrument.

Let's get you armed first with a list of brands that are quality used instruments. These brands can be repaired and there are a lot of them out there for sale. Bach, Benge, Besson, Boosey & Hawkes, Bundy, Buescher, Conn, DEG, Getzen, Harrelson, Holton, Jupiter, King, Lawler, Monette, Olds, Selmer, Schilke, Yamaha. Doesn't seem like a very long list? Believe me, the list of what not to buy is 10 times that long! There are new names popping up every day, it seems. There is no way you could get more than an opinion on which of these is better than the others are. There are so many factors to consider. A lot of these brands have several different styles. There are also instances where several of the above names are used in conjunction with one another, like; "Selmer Bundy", "Besson-Boosey & Hawkes", "Getzen DEG", or others. Don't worry, that is common. A lot of these companies have combined and even bought one another out over the years. But, these are names to be on the lookout for. Ok, now we know what brands we can trust and have narrowed our search down considerably! Next thing you need to arm yourself with is what questions to ask. I am a professional repairman. I could make the best musical instrument salesman spit-and-sputter all over his tongue with the kinds of questions I would ask. But I have listed some questions you should ask.

Do all of the slides operate smoothly? Are the valves dragging, sticking / moving? Do the water keys close tightly? Does air flow freely through the horn? Is the horn dirty inside, or outside? Are there any holes in the brass? Is the lacquer or plating worn? Are there any loose braces? Is there a mouthpiece? Is the mouthpiece stuck? Are there any parts missing? Does the case latch tightly? I would copy and paste all of these questions, just to be on the safe side.

When it comes to spending $200-1,000 or more, ask, ask, and keep asking! If the seller won't respond to your questions, find another seller to deal with! Also, check the seller's other items and past feedback. If the seller has 100 listings for car parts, clothes, and ashtrays – you need to ask a lot of questions. Also, does their feedback look good? Next, let's talk about a few other words to look out for in the titles and descriptions of your seller's auction. "Brand New!"- You can’t find a new horn for around $100 that is worth having. "Indian" or "Chinese"- probably thin brass or pot metal. Probably no replacement parts, or unrepairable! "Guaranteed New!"- This
doesn't mean NEW with a GUARANTEE! Just that they guarantee it to be new. "Won't last long!"- Never get in a hurry spending your hard-earned money! "Starts at $1.00"- They most likely have a horde of these off-brand trumpets to get rid of, and this is their way of drawing you into a $60-100 shipping charge! "BANKRUPTCY!"- In other words, you will go bankrupt trying to keep your kid in band class! "Liquidation Sale!"- Yeah right! None of the above companies have ever had to liquidate their instruments to anyone! "Band Director Approved!"- Hmmm? How do they know your band director?

Now, I am going to give you some search key-words to use...used trumpet student trumpet old trumpet trumpet for repair quality trumpet trumpet with guarantee. All of the above brands used individually make great searches as well. You can also enter the words "trumpet cleaning" and you will see what we (and other sellers) can personally do to get a quality used instrument back into shape. Be extra careful – ask your band director or your child’s tutor.

Now my own perspective. (two boys through the local school Band Scheme)

My comments are opinions formed from the perspective of an Australian trumpet player returning to the instrument after a 37 year break. I needed to purchase an instrument based on the criteria of quality and cost. I’ve been through the same process with my eldest son (Tuba – 2nd hand instrument, but with very, very good advice from my local Band Director) and my second son (Trombone – new instrument, after extensive research including reference to a professional repairman and a professional player/tutor). I bought American instruments in each case. King Tuba and Trombone, Getzen Trumpet.

My recommendation is to purchase a new instrument – because, unless you
really know “your stuff”, or you know a qualified someone, you are probably going to waste money. From my perspective you probably have three reasonable alternatives in Bb Trumpets (although there are many other excellent instruments on the market).

i. A Getzen Eterna II 700S – one of the instruments I used to play, and now used by my neice,
ii. A Yamaha YTR-4335GS – popular in the local Stage Band, James Morrison plays Yamaha (his sponsor).
iii. Bach 180 (Stradivarius) - Local Show Band (senior members) generally use, as does my trumpet tutor.

None of these can be accurately described as “student level” trumpets.

i. “The Getzen 700 Series Trumpets are perfect for the musician looking for a professional quality trumpet at an intermediate price. All 700 Series instruments are limited production and are only offered at a limited number of Getzen dealers.” eg Chuck Levin’s Washington Music Center (sic). My tutor played a Getzen professionally for about 18 years, he believes that the Getzen 700 is the best value for money on the market – my instrument repairman says Getzens are the best valves of any in the world – he hand builds trumpets with Getzen valves – Lawler trumpets are also hand built with Getzen valves.

ii. Yamaha also say that the Yamaha YTR-4335GS is an “intermediate level” trumpet, but they don’t seem to be played professionally. The Yamaha website says “YTR-4335G - Many professional features make this an ideal trumpet for the advancing student.”

iii. Many professional musicians prefer the Bach Stradivarius Bb Trumpet 180 series but I think they are unnecessarily expensive. However the website is worth a look. I have no other comments on the Bach as I have only played a similar Bach 180 Low Resistance model owned by a mate – and then, only once.

My niece also plays with my band and used my old student trumpet, a Boosey and Hawkes Regent Mk II – made in 1955. It is no longer in production – but I have had it valued (for replacement) at $5071.00. This is a good solid student trumpet, but our playing has taken us both past this instrument because the valves are not fast enough and keep sticking. We now both play Getzens. (And I haven't influenced her one bit.) I also have a “pocket trumpet” (a compact trumpet that I use for practice when I’m travelling) manufactured by Weril in Brazil – it’s not bad but I bought it to fit in a suitcase not to play in the band – it is a good solid little unit and cost me AUD$610.00 in Melbourne.

References: http://www.getzen.com/trumpet/
http://www.yamaha.com/yamahavgn/
http://www.bachbrass.com/content/s_trumpets/

OK, so where do we stand: -

i. Getzen at about AUD$1290 total cost, in my hands, fully imported from Washington Music Center (US spelling) – I rang and negotiated over the phone (safer than eBay). Price includes import duty, Customs inspection fee, freight, and yes GST on all of the above. Contact Roger Kuiper,
c/o Washington Music Center, 11151 Veirs Mill Road, Wheaton, MD 20902-2503, tel: (301) 946-8808

(The local music shop has quoted AUD$1895-$2250 for this instrument).

• Yamaha 4335GS at about AUD$1000.00 – AUD$1200.00 plus

Don't bother buying a new Yamaha from the US. Purchasing a Yamaha from the States seems to be less financially advantageous than the Getzen, probably because Yamaha instruments are sourced in Japan. (This probably is not a valid comment in the States).

• Bach Stradivarius 180 Series at about AUD$2300.00

Always have a blow before you decide on any instrument, and most of the band members will be happy (from my experience) to let the you try each type. You will need to use you own mouthpiece – nobody shares them. I always have a spare, clean, trumpet mouthpiece with me regardless. A mouthpiece is normally included when you purchase a new instrument, but if you have a size/brand preference, organisations like Washington Music Center will substitute the standard one for your choice. If in doubt, the standard Bach 7C is a good reliable starting point (Benge 7C, UMC 7C are essentially the same as the Bach). Things (instruments) to note: -

i. avoid ANYTHING from SE Asia except Japan – (Yamaha is from Japan and they make fine instruments).
ii. Avoid any trumpet named after something that “swims” or “flies” – examples would be “Lark” or “Neptune” etc,
iii. Do not buy Chinese, Indian, Pakistani, Taiwanese instruments,
iv. Be suspect of anything where the place of manufacture cannot be absolutely positively identified even though they often strongly suggest an origin in the USA.
v. Be aware that many SE Asian instruments use names very similar to well known, respected, high quality brands – examples:
a. Holton,
b. Bessen (Besson is the good one but out of business),
c. Selman (Selmer is the proper one, and expensive),
d. Maestro – Indian (Meastro is the good European brand)

Note the spelling variations – you have to be really really careful.

One of the clues with respect to cheap poor quality instruments is the lack of a serial number – good equipment is always serialised you will find the serial number on the right hand side of the valve casing or somewhere close by.

I hope this helps – above all, ask questions, try the instrument, ask more questions, use the same mouthpiece for every test, play the same piece of music – I use “Danny Boy” but it doesn’t matter as long as you explore the player’s range. Try and take a musician you know to assess each of the sounds. Listen to your tutor, listen to your child – I know that sounds progressive but they quickly get to know how an instrument “feels” and that is vital. My Boosey and Hawkes, Getzen, and Weril instruments all feel totally different to each other and I have had to completely modify the way I hold the Getzen for things to work for me. This has meant many MONTHS of sore hands until the muscles and tendons stretched to suit, but it has been worth it – I loved the Getzen straight off but I'd learnt on another instrument with a different shape – kids hands are more flexible than mine and this is unlikely to be a problem for them. If still in doubt – hire one till your child is in High School, I reached an agreement with both my boys – if you play until the end of High School, I'll buy you and instrument – a total cost of about $9,000 – so be prepared.
I also hired one for them to leave at school and kept the good one at home – then they only had to carry their mouthpiece – this worked well for both boys and the longevity of the instruments.

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Ted

crowmadic

I recently purchased a trumpet from ebay that was suppose to have a copper bell. When I received it I found out it was colored copper but not solid copper throughout. After a bit of a hastle I got my money back through PayPal not the seller. I recommend doing all your purchases through PAYPAL. Ask every question of the seller that you're concerned, or should be concerned about. I find that it's rare to find a good deal on a pro-horn. The best I ever did was a '63 Conn Victor 22B for $250.00. Plenty of opportunities for vintage beginner/intermediate horns like a good vintage Olds Ambassador.

ComeBackKid

Since you are not a beginner on the trumpet, you at least know the terminology and what to look for condition-wise. The problem can arise with listings that have only one dark photo of the trumpet in the case so that no details of the condition are known. These no-detail listings can come from three types of sellers: (1) Sellers who really do not know anything about trumpets - but they may be the ones that have that "diamond-in-the-rough" deal that we all hope to find someday. These sellers don't provide any details because they don't know what to show. (2) Sellers who know very well that they have a piece of junk but they are masquerading as type (1) hoping that you will think this is a real steal. (3) Sellers who know what they have but are too lazy or too busy to take good photos and write details about the trumpet. It takes a lot of scrutiny and some guessing on your part to figure out which is which and whether what they have is useful. Sometimes asking questions will help discern this and will bring out other details and/or photos. Other times, they will be ignored.

Then there are the listings with dozens of closeups showing every scratch and pit in the finish. These are easier to sort out up front but even then there may be issues that simply cannot be photographed (such as sluggish valves). These tend to push the bidding to the highest level for a particular model so the chances of finding a "steal" are not as good.

It really depends on what you are looking for. I have purchased 32 horns on ebay in the past 5 months. I have paid from $5 to over $500. Some of the listings had absolutely no information and I bought it because it was cheap and I figured my exposure was minimal. Out of the 32, only 6 were big disappointments and another 4 were minor disappointments. Of those 10, all are now playable. Some took a bit of work but I knew that going in. The most that I have paid a shop for repairs on any one of them was $60. Others I have repaired myself with a $15 parts kit. Some were bought as junkers just to experiment with but turned out to be very playable when done. Others have barely any signs that they were ever played at all.

So, again, it is a crapshoot but then just about everything in life is to one extent or another so in the grand scheme, this is pretty small stuff. Go for it and have some fun.

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Come-Back Kid
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Selmer Invicta London (T)
Olds SuperStar (T)
Olds Super (2T)
Olds Special (2T+C)
Olds Ambassador (9T+7C)
Andreas Eastman (2T)
Conn Director (T+C)
King Cleveland Superior (T+C)
Holton (T602+C605 Shep Crk)
Holton Collegiate (T+C)
Blessing (T+C)
Yamaha (T+C)
Getzen 300
Amati ATR213
(+Revelle, Bundy, Alcazar, & ?)