Best Mellophones
Color: Silver. The improved weight distribution places more of the weight near the players' hands, creating a more comfortable instrument.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I've been bringing my Yamaha mello to audition camps for drum corps and all the other mello players are jealous (the corps horns are banged-up Jupiters)."
"My band director say Yamaha's are good for high school bands but if your in college a king is what you need but Yamaha gets the job done trust me I had heads turning when I go into the upper register .."
"These are built for marching !"
"I am in the Pride of the Southland Marching Band at the University of Tennessee and I play the mellophone."
"It is a disappointment; I'm probably going to try to end up selling mine; the intonation is not much of an improvement over the YMP 201."
Color: Gold. The improved weight distribution places more of the weight near the players' hands, creating a more comfortable instrument.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I've been bringing my Yamaha mello to audition camps for drum corps and all the other mello players are jealous (the corps horns are banged-up Jupiters)."
"My band director say Yamaha's are good for high school bands but if your in college a king is what you need but Yamaha gets the job done trust me I had heads turning when I go into the upper register .."
"These are built for marching !"
"I am in the Pride of the Southland Marching Band at the University of Tennessee and I play the mellophone."
"It is a disappointment; I'm probably going to try to end up selling mine; the intonation is not much of an improvement over the YMP 201."
This marvelous Moz nickel plated marching mellophone is perfect for students. Key of F. Smooth & Durable Monel Pistons.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Two horns lost the pearls on valve caps during shipping (extremely cold in Ohio during that time) and one mellophone has a leaky spit valve, but no air leak."
"I did order the brass horn (from Moz) first and had the same problem, so I returned it and purchased this one. It's a beautiful horn and I got lot some of compliments on my tone with this instrument and it sounds as good as the $2500 horn I had borrowed from the school."
"Was a gift to my daughter, who had a rental (that was never played in the house)."
"My grandson has been playing it since Januaty and has had it looked at by his school instrument department."
"I was sceptical, but after purchasing this is a fantastic buy."
"Sound is very pleasing and easy to play."
"However, the valves will stick or come back up very slowly, even after applying some valve oil and making sure the valves were not over oiled."
"After graduation she joined an adult marching band and needed an insturment quickly."
Best Sousaphones
Conn Sousaphone Tuning Bits (20K & 22K Only), Lacquer.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Works as designed, has a nice finish."
"My Son's freshman year at the UAPB/University of Arkansas @ Pine Bluff; and because of the fact that his equipment arrived on time...he is an official M4 BAND MEMBER!...MARCHING MUSIC MACHINE OF THE MID-STATES!"
Best Trombones
Includes matching pBone 6.5AL and 11C small shank mouthpieces and carry case (any standard small shank mouthpiece will fit the pBone).
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Our middle school band director won't allow my son to use a Pbone, which is disappointing, because it would be much better for playing at football games!"
"I can't believe how good this sounds for a plastic horn."
"She has a regular brass trombone, but lugging it to school and back on the bus is a pain."
"Excellent sounding instrument."
"I am new to the trombone and with this one I feel like I can learn well with it."
"Only con is that I feel the slide doesn't quite wedge into the bell portion as cleanly as I'd like, but that is minor."
"Bought this for our 4 year old as he requested it from Santa and Santa's toy shop doesn't seem to have any toy trombones - I searched EVERYWHERE."
"This Bone really sounds nice."
Best Euphoniums
Mendini by Cecilio MEP-N is Bb Euphonium (better known as the "mini" tuba or "tenor" tuba) with beautiful gold lacquered finish. Nickel Plated body and bell Bb euphonium with rose-brass lead pipe.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"It was purchased for my neighbor's son, who says he absolutley loves it."
"However, the placement of the spit valves were did not allow the user to empty the spit."
"Extremely pleased with the Mendini MEP-N Nickel Plated B Flat Euphonium."
"this instrument is great i have had it for about six months and it is still doing good the valves all work wonderfully and and the tuning slides fit perfectly it has a nice roomy sound even when played loudly or softly."
"My son's teacher is very impressed by the quality of the instrument and has recommended it to other students."
"My daughter absolutely loves it!"
"Beautiful instrument for the price."
Best Alto Horns
Mendini by Cecilio MAH-N, alto horn, a sibling of the baritone is in the key of Eb. Nickel plated brass body and bell Eb alto horn.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"This horn is beautiful! I've gotten some gurgles from there and had to twirl the horn to get the water to flow out the bell."
"Its sound is good, not great, but above par for the price(the springs in the valves vibrate very slightly when played with a resonant tone quality)."
"Just played in a brass concert with it."
"My horn values stick or respond slowly when playing."
"It's possible these problems will go away as I get more experienced with the horn -- I've only been playing it for a few hours now -- but then again I am a long-time (F) horn and trumpet player and have seldom had intonation problems like this, and have never faced this vibration issue. I've been playing through some of my trumpet music just to get a feel for this horn, and it's very satisfying to hit those high notes without straining."
"I am a music major, and my applied instrument is the baritone, and feel that when I have a chance in getting another brand, I will."
Best Flugelhorns
Genuine Sound Brass B flat 3 piston valves flugel horn, Third valve slide trigger, Copper lead pipe ,Its rich tone, superior craftsmanship, and affordable price make it the best French Horn value on the market. Monel Valve.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Very well crafted with features found on higher priced instruments."
"Regarding the case, I purchased a horn stand that is stored in the bell when in the case, I had to do some modification to the case so the stand would fit in the case with the horn, going to buy a Flugelhorn gig bag."
"Looks great, sounds real good, mellow, sweet, great price."
"Plays nice,intonation good, slides work well."
"i was really pleased with this horn,after playing it for a few weeks.it had a beautiful tone for a not so expensive horn.after playing the trumpet and converting to the flugel horn it made me more than pleased."
"Arrived and is in good condition as advertised."
"I am not a horn player but have player the trombone in the past and have toyed with the trumpet. Overall this is a really nice horn for the price, great for a beginner to intermediate player."
"I bought this as a gift."
Best Cornets
Every part of the instrument is checked for quality control and most importantly to assure that the sound and intonation will meet the demands of a professional player, even for their student models. Intermediate Bb Cornet with .462" Bore and a 4 3/4" Diameter Bell.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Treat your new Legacy with the same care and it will reward you with years of satisfaction."
"the problems are: the valves are super heavy and sticky, and they get greasy easily, it took a lot of cleaning to get it to stop sticking."
"I miss having the tuning valve on the "spit valve" and don't think the tuning valve on the rear valve is as effective."
"Does not work properly.Returning this item.I am no musician but music teacher rejected this for not working properly."
Best Bugles
Regiment Bugle with Carrying Bag. Detachable Nickel Plated Mouthpiece.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Great Bugle."
"I played a coronet in school but my grandson loves the bugle."
"very awesome and needs to come with more mouth pieces would be great with better case to hold it and looks cool."
"My son is in heaven with this bugle."
"I'm very happy with the purchase of this bugle."
"The bugle had a great sound and a great price."
"Plays well and should last a lifetime."
Best French Horns
Mendini by Cecilio MFH-20 French Horn in the key of F is an excellent choice for the serious student. Lacquered yellow brass bell and body, .450" bore 12" bell, 3 solid rotors with mechanical linkage.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The person I bought this for is just learning to play and was so happy to receive it."
"Great horn for beginner students."
"Wonderful instrument at a great value!"
"So far really good."
"yes it did, and it came as expected Thank you."
"If I had it to do over, I would probably buy a used Yamaha or Conn, but if money is the concern, as it was for me too, it is an all right horn to get started on."
"The instrument arrived in bad conditions."
Best Trumpets
This trumpet features a phosphorus copper lead mouth pipe, topped with 3 comfortable white mother of pearl key inlaid and 3 smooth action valves. Includes: a case, bottle of valve oil, soft polishing cloth, and a pair of white gloves.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"He said this trumpet has very smooth airflow, the valves are heavy duty and great quality. He played it immediately and this trumpet has such a loud sound and great sound quality! Some of the reviews for this trumpet said it was garbage and the valves were junk."
"This trumpet sounds exactly the same as those."
"I’m no expert but this thing feels, looks and sounds exactly like the one my 9 year old daughter’s school was trying to make me buy for $550."
"My daughter uses this for middle school band and it seems to be working great."
"My son absolutely loves us."
"Christmas present for my daughter, she loved it!"
"Good for beginner."
"Good beginner instrument."
Best Baritone Horns
Mendini by Cecilio MBR-30 intermediate baritone horn is equipped with a rose-brass lead pipe, which gives this instrument a warm, rich, and full-bodied sound. Lacquered yellow brass body and bell intermediate Bb baritone horn.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I played 1 year of trombone and 6 years of baritone and euphonium in school. I've played a lot of different brands of baritones and euphoniums because I never owned my own instrument; my middle school and high school had instruments that were assigned to us. The "better" horns were typically assigned to upperclassmen and/or first and second chair, so as a beginner I played a rusty dented Selmer, then I played a Jupiter briefly, and then my junior and senior year in high school I played a new-ish Yamaha 4-valve which was definitely my favorite. I barely remember how to read music and can only remember the finger positions for 5 or 6 of the most basic notes, but I can play the Bb scale just from muscle memory (haha) so I wanted to pick up an inexpensive baritone or euphonium for me to play around with and see how much I remember and how quickly I can pick it back up. I opted for a baritone instead of a euphonium because, although I prefer the sound of a euphonium, the baritone is smaller and the tone difference is so minimal, having a smaller horn outweighs it for me right now. HORN APPEARANCE: The horn arrived on time and in good condition. THE HORN CASE: The case is nice; it seems like it will protect the horn well. I know some people seem concerned that a soft case isn't good enough for their kiddo to carry their horn on the school bus, etc but trust me, this will be fine. In addition to it not having a "perfect" shoulder strap solution, there are a few other minor drawbacks to the case: - Firstly, the square zippered compartment on the outside of the case seems perfect for holding a few music books, but the size of the compartment is just a TAD too short to hold more than 1 or 2 thin books (like the Standard of Excellence books that most beginner band students will be required to use). The gloves are nice I suppose, but the only time I ever played with gloves was in marching band, and this isn't a marching horn. I know it protects the finish of the horn, but I'm hesitant to even recommend using them because to me it just makes the horn slippery to hold onto, so I'd worry about dropping it with the gloves on. PLAYING THE BARITONE: If and when you buy this horn, you need to grease it down good when you first receive it, before you do anything else. Keep in mind that I haven't played in almost 15 years, but I know what it should sound like, and for someone who isn't a professional, the sound this horn makes is more than adequate. As most brass players know, the tone the instrument makes has more to do with the player than the horn, and after a couple of hours of practice, then a break, and then a 15-minute warm up, I'm able to produce a tone I'm quite satisfied with. THE MOUTHPIECE: IMPORTANT. The mouthpiece that came with this horn is a bit odd to me. If you're familiar with trombone/baritone/euphonium mouthpieces, you know that there's a lot of things that make a mouthpiece what it is. So a professional baritone player may have a LOT of different mouthpieces, which he/she will select from depending on the piece of music they're playing. The mouthpiece that came with this horn is NOTHING like any mouthpiece I've ever used... I know I haven't played in 15 years, but I've played this horn, with this mouthpiece, for a total of about 5 hours so far and I can honestly say that I think this mouthpiece is the majority of my problem. I'm updating this review to say that anyone who purchases this horn should definitely spend the extra $50 (or $30 used on eBay) for a more generally accepted mouthpiece. Overall, this horn is perfect for someone to play and learn on while deciding if they want to continue to play. At this price, I would recommend buying this horn for a student in 5th/6th/7th grade, and if they are serious about it into 8th grade and high school, I'd recommend selling this one on craigslist for $150 and buying them a new or used Jupiter, King, Yamaha, or Besson."
"It was a good deal!"
"Very good. Teacher likes it. My son is happy with it."
"Nice Barratone, much better than renting,.."
"This instrument is working great for my beginning player at school."
"The instrument is only 23"."
"The valves do not fit and the instrument is not playable."
Best Tubas
it is a standard Tuba.Teachers can recommend them to their students.It features flawless finish,Beautiful sound,easy to play student instruments. Brass body with Stainless Steel Pistons, Gold finish.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Valves were a bit stiff but worked great after lubrication."
"What I mean by this is the notes don't sound very clear when you play them at fast tempos for any range."