hcrane

So, here I am at 54 years old and I just blew into a trumpet for the first time 3 months ago. I'm having a blast! I rent a holton trumpet from the music store where I take lessons. It came with a 7C mouth piece, but after trying a 5C, I'm real comfortable with a 3C.

Although I plan on renting this thing for a little while longer, I think it is about time to consider buying my own horn.

Man, there are so many to choose from! So, can anyone tell me where I can go to research the different brands and models, and figure out what is good and bad about each of them? Also any recommendations on a horn? I consider myself a hobbyist on this thing. If I get any good at all at it, the most I would do is play at church or in a little brass group or something like that. I don't want a piece of junk (obviously) but I'm not in the market for the absolute best one out there either.

Thanks for any help I can get.

asc1969

I am by no means an authority in this area, however I just turned 38 years old this month and blew into a trumpet for the first time about two months ago. I, too, am having a blast and am hooked (as frustrating as the instrument can be). I was lucky to have been given an old Boosey & Hawkes "Oxford" trumpet that was manufactured in England. My father-in-law gave it to me as it was his first (and last) student trumpet bought for him in the 50's by his mother. It actually plays fairly decent for a student trumpet of that age. I also just purchased a King 601 trumpet from a private party. The King 601 is a decent horn to begin with and is actually a step up from King's 600 model beginner horn. I found this one for $150 and it was in absolutely prestine condition as was the hard shell case it came with. The trumpet sells new for about $600 and lists for about $900. It's only a year old so I considered $150 a steal based on the almost new condition. A great deal of the experienced horn playing members on this site seem to like the Getzen brand as well as Yamaha and Bach. All of them are excellent trumpets. Just try and stay away from the cheap Chinese and Indian brands you'll find all over eBay that are selling new for $99 as an example. They are pieces of junk.

Tootsall

Your options are going to be affected primarily by the amount of coin you are comfortable spending and whether or not you have access to someone who can work with you to tell you what's a good horn and what's a bad one.

First, not all horns are equal... even if they came off the same assembly line within the same 15 minute period of time. Some of the apparently most insignificant things can have enormous effects on how a horn responds and how it plays... whether it has accurate intonation or not. This is true for new horns of ANY "quality/price" level (including custom-built) and old horns (which may also have had quite a bit of repair work performed on them over the years).

Second, although it is possible to buy used off of... say.... Ebay..... you really are taking a great risk (or several risks). There is the honesty of the seller, the accuracy of the description, AND the playing characteristics of the instrument... none of which you are likely to know ahead of time.

Third, as a relative beginner there are many playing characteristics that you may be blind to.... the impedance (commonly called "resistance"), valve action (there is smooth and there is smooooooth), and the effect of different mouthpieces (not all horns work well with all mouthpieces and all players).

Your best bet is to remember that you USUALLY "get what you pay for", "if it's too good to be true then it likely isn't true", and "it's always buyer beware". Find a shop that has a solid reputation for honest that sells used horns and find someone who is an experienced player that's willing to go with you to help make the selection. It also helps if the shop has in-house repair capability... they will more likely have been able to recondition a used horn and are less likely to be selling some of the "cheap junk" that's been finding it's way across the Pacific in recent years. (Not all Asian production is cheap junk... but MOST still is).

Here's a superb resource to read up on: The Trumpet Gearhead

Trumpets are like shoes... what fits me doesn't necessarily fit you.

And.... welcome to the world of trumpet!

Stile442

FWIW My first horn after renting was a Getzen Eterna 700. I played it for years and it served me well. I'm not sure what they cost now but probably a good bit less than a pro horn and its a major step up from a rental.

Have Fun :)

Richard Oliver

Crane,

I'll pass on 1 tip: The Trumpet Gearhead

That link to Jim Donaldson's site helped me bunches when I was asking the same question a year plus ago when I began practicing again after a VERY long layoff.

All the Best,

Richard Oliver

p.s. Toots beat me to it. Yup, Dondaldson's piece is THAT good.

tromj

Depending on where you live, going into a REPUTABLE shop like Dillon Music in NJ and spending time speaking with the sales staff will usually set you in the right direction.
Every region has their Dillon type store, just pick the brains here to find out what yours is.

Jordan

TrumpetEd

For what you're talking about, I would look at Getzen trumpets. They are making some good trumpets again and they aren't as costly as some other brands. Really though, no matter what you're using it for, try to buy the best horn you can afford. That means one that is well-built, has excellent valves, can be played in tune and that feels right for you.

Ed

rowuk

If you play before you pay, you almost can't go wrong. There are so many great instruments out there. Take another set of ears (preferably with chops too) with you and play everything in your price range.
I started a post "Trumpet Design-Our Experiences" where many players describe their instruments. That will give you some starting info. If you do a search here on "comeback player" you will also get a lot of firsthand info from players our age!

Rudy

I'd go w/ the Arturo Sandoval LeBlanc T357; has a .463 bore, free blowing horn....can't go wrong.

MFfan

At the considerable risk of lowering the tone of this forum, I feel compelled to put in my opinion on this thread. I am an older player, 64, playing horn since 55, and have had a fair variety of horns. In the last year or so I got bored with my Strad and decided to experiment with some others I could afford (read cheap) I lucked out on ebay with my Besson cornet and trumpet and Gretsch long cornet. I check the shopgoodwill listings and saw one a few weeks ago saw a listing for a Barrington trumpet with stuck valves. Not having heard of it before, I did some googling to the wwbw site , saw a complete horn and kit for $125 for all and good reviews for the student level horn from a number of buyers citing qualities that appealed to me, including fit and finish, monel valves, rose brass,sound,etc. I decided to order one and have been happy with it's characteristics, comparable to my Besson 8-10 trumpet. Feels just like the old Strad in my hands, but a bit heavier metal. Have to see how it works in concert band next month, but it appears I could always get my money out of it to the student market. Worth a check out for a new player. Good value, in my opinion. Guess it is made in Taiwan.