Bb Trumpet with Plush-Lined Case

Purchasing professional instruments for children is a ludicrous proposition.That is where this product comes in. For my oldest son we purchased an intermediate Trombone. He did not appreciate and has treated it poorly. Now I am left with angry feelings everytime I see it. We purchased it used from a local music shop that rents to students. They gave us a payment plan but charged us nearly full price for it, something we didn't realize at the time.My wife and I decided after this that we would pay less for a first instrument, and if they liked it and stuck with it, then later purchase an intermediate when they would appreciate it and know better how to care for it.After that experience we started looking online for instruments. I was very nervous at first as there are so many ways this can go wrong. However, it didnt exactly go right buying locally. For my next child we bought a flute off of Amazon for a very low price. It has worked pretty well, but had some problems. We probably paid too little for it. That said she has played for three years on it and it continues to work well.This trumpet was purchased for my 2nd son and I am very happy with it. Having played trumpet myself I am quite satisfied with its quality. The valves have excellent movement and it makes good sound. I prefer my Selmer student model to this one but they are quite similar and you cannot purchase the same Selmer that I had 20 years ago, they are now made in China like this one. Seating of the valves is a little tricky in the Hutchen but once seated they are good. A key has stuck on a couple of occasions, but with some oil this is not a problem.The case was very nice and sturdy and provides ample protection with some storage for accessories. I would and have highly recommended this trumpet for a first trumpet to any who would listen. I definitely recommend buying online for the first instrument. The local rental shops take advantage of students and their parents. Online can be the same, but at least the total bill is less.If the student sticks with it they will be able to make an informed decision later when it is time to buy an intermediate instrument.-- Update 3/2013 --It has been almost a year now and the trumpet is working beautifully. My son's teacher has gone out of her way to comment on multiple occasions about the quality of the sound from this horn. My son was a little dissapointed at first, he wanted a black one(come on who paints horns black), but as he has used it and learned about it he has completely changed his mind and is quite proud to have it.-- Oct 2013My son manged to do some pretty substantial damage to the bell on this horn, it is still functional, but not nearly as pretty. Best part was I didn't have to kill him for destroying a $600 horn. Should he decided to continue, which I do not expect, I am sure that he would treat his second horn with much greater care.My youngest son will enter Jr High next year and start learning and instrument. I have asked him which one he wants to play and it looks like I will be buying another trumpet. I have no hesitation in saying it will be another LJ Hutchen Trumpet.

My son played trumpet in 4th grade. We rented a trumpet from a local music shop to use for that year. It was great promo from the rental($50 for the year), but if we were to buy it, even with their special 50% off the first year of use, it would be almost $500. It was a RS Berkeley trumpet. If we rented-to-own, it would have been $250 for the year. The $50 was not a rent-to-own option, and we weren't sure if we'd get the deal again... time was running out to decide because it was June already. He seemed to do well with the trumpet and wanted to continue it for a while, so after doing some researching and reading the great reviews, I decided to buy this trumpet.It arrived polished, new, and all wrapped up in plastic inside the case. We compared it to our expensive rental. Looked pretty much the same. My son felt the new one seems a little heavier. I perceived the opposite.They sound the same to me. I had him bring it to his band teacher to test out, and the teacher approved it.You should know that my town is really into their band music and the high school band won several big competitions. So, they start young, and the band teachers are not easy to please, so if he approved it, that says something.The rental had a valve-sticking problem from the very beginning, which needed oiling a lot. The rental was brand new (or like brand new, which is their guarantee with all rentals) when we rented it, so it's not like I'm comparing apples to oranges here. This new one didn't have that problem. It does need oiling regularly, but not like the rental did.The rental company offered the same promotion this year for the $50 year, so I decided to keep both, one to stay home and the other to stay at school in his locker.Right now, during summertime, he practices with both. I can't tell when he uses one or the other. He can't either... except to say that the new one is heavier (which is all in his head because I weighed them both just now and the new one is a little less than 2 ounces lighter than the rental.)I have to add though that, while the trumpet is great, the case is not so great. It doesn't have any straps, and for a student to carry that with the handles, it's not very comfortable. Also, the hinges on the handles and the locks have almost sharp rough edges that really scratch. Fortunately, my son had never cut himself on it, but I did. I picked it up one day and grabbed one end too close and the hinge sliced into my thumb a little. I had to file it down some. It's still a little sharp so I put some tiny duct tape on it. Just now, when I went to weigh it, I grazed my leg on one of the locks and scratched myself enough to break skin on a healing mosquito bite (that did not break skin the numerous other times that I scratched it before with my fingers.)All in all, a worthy purchase.