First Trumpets

Ideally, a student’s first trumpet should offer a balance of tone, craftsmanship, and superior design and materials. Our selection of beginner trumpets offers you a selection of the best features available today. 

Student trumpets can be made with either a two-piece bell or a “seamless” bell. Seamless bells are made in two ways. They are either a sheet of brass that is plasma welded down its seam, allowing it to be virtually unseen, or a thick electro plating can be applied to a bell mandrel until a desired thickness is reached, and the mandrel is removed, leaving a seamless bell. Two-piece bells are made from two separate sheets of brass. With a two-piece bell there are two soldered seams on the bell, one seam along the stem of the bell, and the other where the bell flair is soldered to the stem of the bell. While seamless bells play evenly throughout all registers of the trumpet, they do not project or produce the same quality tone as a two-piece bell. 

Monel pistons are preferred, as they are much harder and last much longer than the usual nickel-plated pistons found on lower quality starter trumpets. Also, well- made valves ensure an airtight fit between valve casings and pistons. You’ll find that the valves on a beginner trumpet are made with slightly looser tolerances than upper models to reduce jamming while the student learns proper fingering angle. On some models of student trumpets, rose brass leadpipes (where the mouthpiece inserts) are available which resists corrosion on beginner trumpets.

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Step-Up Trumpets

Intermediate trumpets feature better quality materials, craftsmanship, and more handwork during construction than student trumpets. This allows for better tone and response while playing. Intermediate, or step-up, trumpets can be made with yellow brass, gold brass or rose brass bells and leadpipes for enhanced tone and projection. Some step-up trumpets feature plasma welded bells which provides for a “seamless” bell, where the two pieces are joined without solder and creates a one-piece bell without any visible seam for continuous, even vibrations in all registers. 

Many intermediate trumpets include hand-lapped Monel pistons, with airtight casings for maximum response and playability in all registers. Upper-level trumpets come in clear lacquer finish, or silver-plated finish. Silver-plated step-up trumpets tend to play with a brighter tone and project better than clear lacquered intermediate trumpets. You may be ready for an upper-level trumpet if you have a strong desire for improved sound, and are consistently producing notes in the higher register with comfort and ease.

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Professional Trumpets

Professional trumpets can have yellow brass, gold brass, or rose brass bells and leadpipes. The bells on many pro trumpets are hand-hammered, one- piece bells. This allows for the best possible response, tone, and projection for these instruments. Some professional trumpets feature a reverse leadpipes for less resistance in the airflow, and therefore, a more free blowing feel on these trumpets. Many professional trumpets feature hand lapped Monel pistons for maximum playability.

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