Hiwiller

Hey all,

I recently got a deal on a used (barely if at all) Jean Baptiste pocket trumpet. I got a chance to play it before buying and it actually sounded not too bad, especially considering the price.

Here's the question. Did Jupiter perhaps manufacture some horns branded by Jean Baptiste before the current line listed on the Sam Ash site? I ask because when comparing the pics of the new JB horns to mine, and then to the Jupiter models, my JB seems to look exactly like the Jupiter model and not like the JB being sold today. (mine has 2 Amado water keys just like the Jupiters, same tubing config, same valve buttons and caps...)

Thanks in advance for any info out there. Would be good to know if I need parts in the future...

Doug

Tootsall

I recently saw an article written by a music store employee/manager from the UK who went on a tour of the "Jupiter factories" in Asia. His tour included a factory in Jinbao, China where "Jupiter makes all of their brass instruments".

We know that Jinbao music company makes a lot of the "branded" horns (Price Club, Wall-Mart, etc), therefore it is entirely possible that your horn may have made it's way via Sam Ash (under the Jean Baptiste label) to you but would otherwise be identical to a Jupiter pocket trumpet.

You may find a music store where the service department would entertain repair on one of these (Sam Ash springs to mind), although they've got a pretty bad rep so far for consistency, quality of the material, etc. and a lot of music repairpersons won't touch many of these Chinese-made instruments. (Why risk getting a bad name by trying to repair something that's unrepairable?) If you have one that plays well and has decent valves, and you don't need something any better... LOOK AFTER IT!

There is a thread here (you'd have to search for it) which lists all of the different horn labels over the years and gives a clue as to where they are actually manufactured. You might want to see if you can glean some info from there.

Hiwiller

Thanks for the info Tootsall. I'll do the search to see what I can find.

As for the horn, I was just looking for something to pack in a carry-on when I travel. The horn looks like someone used it once and put it in the case until it was returned/sold to the store. One valve gets a bit sticky but I'll try some other oils or take it in for a lapping. For the price, it was worth it.

Cheers,

Doug