“The student trumpet actually sounds like an intermediate trumpet. I really enjoyed it. The valves are very loose, which is great. It sounds wonderful. I am pleased. I made the purchase.”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 months ago

Nikhil Marathe

Verified Reviewer

“Great quality, experience of shopping and value for money!”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 months ago

Richard Strouse

Verified Reviewer

“Purchased for my grandson. He was thrilled to get it. I can only I hope he as enthusiastic about learning how to play it.”

2 Helpful Report

Posted 3 years ago

“My day job is a school band director. While brass is not technically my specialty, I do work with enough brass between my band students and drum and bugle corps to have an opinion. My rating is based solely on first impressions right now, but I found this trumpet to be exceptional for the price. I have tried Yamaha, Bach, and Jupiter student trumpets with similar quality that cost almost 4 times as much. Right out of the box, everything moved smoothly (valves and tuning slides), there was no "cheap" feeling to it, and it played as well as any brand name horn. I appreciate how there seems to be some care taken in the little details (i.e. the little Wessex symbols on the keys, etc.). I haven't yet tried the mouthpiece that came with it, but it seems like it's well molded and would work just fine for a student. I took a look inside the valves. The valves themselves and the springs inside look fine, but I question the plastic quality of the valve guides. The plastic material itself might be ok, but the cut of the plastic looks a little bit on the rough side. This is an extremely nit-picky thing (especially for a student horn), but it's just something worth mentioning. I'd hate to see those guides end up jamming the valves if something goes wrong. Again, just a first impression, not necessarily a major concern. I think the most important test for this horn is that of "time". I wonder how the lacquer will hold up after many uses and how it will take dents and dings. The good thing is the horn feels solid enough that it will probably take a little bit of a beating (an important consideration for student musicians), although I do have some small concerns over the soldering of the joints. The solder looks pretty cleanly done, but I do just wonder how well the joints will hold up (once again, a very nit-picky consideration for a student horn). With all of this said, for the price, it is worth the gamble of trying. It is my hope that I can begin recommending it for beginning band students to start using, but I do want to give it that "time test" first. Another thing is that the case it came in feels a little bit cheap, but I think that's ok. If that's an area where money can be saved, it's worth it. I appreciate that the case is light weight plastic so it'll take some beating and protect the horn. Nothing beats a wooden case, but I'd take molded plastic over a cloth case any day, especially for a student. All said and done, for $245 (as of this review), it's just unbeatable value. It plays really, really well (even for a student horn) and has great tone for a, so-called, "Chinese horn". Cost is an increasing concern in music education today and I am very glad this company takes that seriously. They clearly work very hard not to sacrifice quality and make music-making affordable. Quality control is such an important aspect and I know these guys take it seriously. With that said, though, I hope that the ability to get it repaired, if necessary, wouldn't be too challenging (mostly in the way of replacing parts). It is so close to brand-name horns that I think a repair technician would have no qualms about fixing it, but I just hope parts would be accessible in some way if it did ever need repairs (some repair guys refuse to work on inexpensive horns partly for that reason). On the whole, though, this horn deserves 5-stars just based on price alone. If it holds up well, I would have no issue recommending this to any student wanting to learn to play (and save a bucks, too). Awesome job, Wessex!”

7 Helpful Report

Posted 3 years ago

“I compared the student model trumpet with its closest competitor, the professional model trumpet, and found one or two differences. The slides were cupro-nickel with nickel plating whereas the professional model came with monel valves. Monel is cupro-nickel, but with a much higher nickel content. The main tuning slide on the professional is of cupro-nickel. All this means is that the professional model should survive many years of professional use, whereas the student model is for lighter (perhaps, semi-pro) use. Other than that, I could see no difference. When it arrived, I was really impressed. The three tuning slides were very smooth in operation (not that I will be making use of two of them in live playing) and the valves were similarly smooth and quiet. I am a beginner, but even with the stock mouthpiece I could get a good tone over a wide range. The finish and appearance are excellent. I would have bought the professional model if there was an advantage for me, but as I have not the time for a long career in the studio and concert hall, I am very happy with the student model. I almost forgot the stunning price.”

2 Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

Daryl Williams

Verified Reviewer

“This is a very easy playing trumpet in the student model range. I have enjoyed it! I hope to share this with my students!”

Bb Trumpet (student) – R30 Reviews