Brass Instruments > Tuba Brass Instruments

Advantages: Build quality, appearance and tone. Excellent soft case.
Disadvantages: Very minor intonation issues in the upper register.

For the amazing price of this instrument (I paid around the £150 mark) it is an excellent horn for a player of beginner or intermediate standard. It is beautifully proportioned in the traditional saxhorn style - far more appealing to my eye than the open wrap design of many cheaper models. This horn plays with a lovely tone, perhaps with a few minor intonation issues in the higher register, but the notes can be lipped into shape. The tuning slide ...
...likely contributor to any imperfections. The corrosion-resistant rose brass leadpipe, excellent lacquer finish and robust stays make this horn a must for anyone seeking a real bargain. You can find virtually identical horns made in Taiwan/China and marketed under a number of brand names for £100 or £200 more! Additionally, the mouthpiece supplied is a good match for the horn's bore etc. The soft case provided is excellent and probably worth £60 ... Read review

Advantages: Great sound, easy player.
Disadvantages: Expensive, hard to find parts.

...Selmer (balanced action) and a Buffet Crampon Dynaction. **********The Buffet Crampon Dynaction********** Surprisingly I like the Buffet Crampon better; it had a much richer sound, was 'heavier', nicer colour, the key spread, especially the lower keys was a better fit, all in all I got quite excited. At this point I was not aware of the cost, age or overall condition of the instrument, but it 'felt right'. When I say it felt right I mean; it is ...
...was about this horn. Buffet Crampon are better known for their clarinets than saxophones, yet up until the 70's certainly they were of comparable quality, and sound as Selmer's, and were made in a factory just down the road. In fact I have an original Selmer case which my sax came in. My sax is called Dolly, some people do not christen their saxophones, I do. She was 'finished' on January the 7th 1956, which makes her just over 52 years old. She ... Read review

Advantages: Great price and value, top quality instrument
Disadvantages: None

...out in 1984 on a Hohner C Blues Harp I found what I was looking for. It is a basic twelve hole harmonica that has stood the test of time. Before Christmas I looked at my old harp and decided that it might be time for it to go into partial retirement. Having spent about £24 on it and played it thousands of times it was looking a bit battered and scratched. It still plays beautifully, no dead reeds, fantastic tone so when I went looking for the next ...
...in bright chrome and has Hohner International embossed on one side and Silver Star on the other. The back of the comb has "HOHNER" printed in silver on the back. It comes it a rigid ABS plastic case to protect it, which is a definite improvement on the soft vinyl case that the blues harp lives in. The sound? Well, I'm still playing the Blues Harp, the tone and the ability to bend the notes remains excellent, the Silver Star can bend, but not quite ... Read review

Advantages: Great Value, Well made, good fun
Disadvantages: None

...have had other instruments by Stagg and have found them to be great value, well made and suitable for student to intermediate players. If you were to assess my playing skills on a scale from 1-10 I suppose I would come in at about -3. It's a tricky instrument, the theory, from my physics lessons thirty five years ago, is that the longer the column of air in a tube, the lower the note. As you will know the trombone has a slide that can be extended ...
...the pipes. Summary Stagg make a good basic instrument at an affordable price. A top flight trombone will carry four or five figure price tag. You can pick up the Florian Stagg trombone new for under £100, making it staggeringly god value for money. It is another example of an instrument that can be tried at a reasonable cost. ... Read review

Advantages: Allows full strength playing without a lot of noise.
Disadvantages: none

...in the form of a Denis Wick 5526 practice mute. This is a pear shaped device made from spun aluminium that can be wedged inside the bell of the instrument. Its purpose is to reduce the volume of the instrument whilst allowing you to blow at full strength. If you try to play the trumpet quietly and you aren't an expert the sound breaks up and sounds dreadful. Playing at full pressure is great for improving your lung power and means that the trumpet ...
...can use this for practice, even stating that professional players use them when playing in hotel rooms. I use it to play whilst Mrs JFP is watching Corrie. It still gets on her nerves but at least she can hear Jack and Vera bickering. Price paid -------------- This was a particularly good buy, most trumpet mutes are frighteningly expensive, this cost me £22.95 from The Music Room, an instrument shop in Poole. I found it on their web site and ... Read review