Which student trumpet should I buy?
When you visit our John Packer shop in Wellington looking for a student trumpet you will find a good selection of instruments on display to choose from. The various student instruments that we stock are designed to get the player through the lower grades.
So how do the different makes and models compare?
Our own JP051 Bb trumpet is the least expensive trumpet that we keep in, it is a good starter instrument and has all of the features that you would expect from a more expensive model such as an adjustable finger ring on the 3rd slide which can be moved to accommodate even the smallest of hands making the instrument more comfortable to hold. This instrument is supplied with a case and mouthpiece and is the model that we hire out and is used by many schools and music services.
Going up in price you will find the JP151 trumpet which is a more robust model having 2 stays on leadpipe / tuning slide, a smooth valve action and comes in a hard rigid case.
The entry level Yamaha is now the YTR-2330 model, Yamaha model numbers have changed over the years and there is no longer a YTR1335 model. This model comes in a gigbag rather than a case so consequently doesn’t offer the same level of protection as a case.
Next up the line is the Jupiter JTR500 Q trumpet which again has the adjustable finger ring and this one comes in a case.
The last student trumpet we display is the Yamaha YTR3335 which has a ‘reverse leadpipe’ which is a feature usually found on mid range or professional trumpets, it is where the main tuning slide goes over the leadpipe which gives less resistance when played. This model also comes in a case.
To summarize, any of these trumpets will be suitable to get the player up and running for a number of years. If the player also attends a State school ask us about the Assisted Instrument Purchase Scheme.