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<\/picture><\/figure>\n\n\n\nI’m coming to this from a bit of an outsider’s perspective. I played trumpet through high school and was in a community band for a year, but I am not a career trumpet player. However, I think this is to my advantage because the reason why this is complicated is because pro trumpet players are expected to have pro trumpets. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, are professional trumpets all they’re cracked up to be? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
What Is<\/span> Different Between Pro and Student Trumpets<\/h2>\n\n\n\nOne important <\/strong>thing to remember is that whether a trumpet is “professional” or “student” is completely up to the manufacturer’s label. In other words, there is no set of standards a trumpet actually <\/strong>has to uphold to be labelled as professional.<\/p>\n\n\n\nSo, the quest is to find what the actual differences are led to a lot of research. The following is what I was able to turn up as the primary differences between professional and student trumpets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cost<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
By far, the most important (and probably most obvious) difference is the cost. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most professional trumpets cost new from $2000-5000. <\/strong>A couple are labelled professional that are around the $1800<\/strong> mark, but the vast majority are from $2000-$5000 range. <\/p>\n\n\n\nTrumpet labelled as student vary just as much as in price as it turns out, although rarely will you see them priced far above $2000 at the very high end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can find a lot of student trumpet models hovering around the $150 to $500 range<\/strong>, but a good number live in the $500-$1500 <\/strong>range. <\/p>\n\n\n\nHalo Effect<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
I don’t mean this in a negative way, but it’s almost impossible to see the price tag of a professional trumpet and not be influenced to think that it must have some special qualities. This is especially true<\/strong> of those who own a very expensive instrument. <\/p>\n\n\n\nEven though not everyone can agree whether a professional trumpet is worth the money, everyone can agree that what is most important is your own perception of your trumpet. The instrument in many ways is a part of you. If you don’t like your instrument, that’s a very difficult thing to deal with. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, <\/strong>really, price doesn’t really matter–all that matters is you and your relationship with your instrument. <\/p>\n\n\n\nBuild Quality<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Build quality is a broad topic. I’ll break it down into what determines build quality. Professional trumpets are much more likely to have a higher build quality, overall. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n- Higher Quality Lacquer and Finish:<\/strong> This makes sense–professional trumpets are expensive and it’s a hard sell if the finish isn’t in top-quality shape. No imperfections and consistent. <\/li>
- Higher Quality Brass<\/strong>: Trumpets are brass instruments, and although they can be plated with silver or with gold they are primarily made of brass. Brass can be sourced with more or less imperfections and contaminants and high-end professional trumpets will source the nicer stuff. <\/li>
- Vacuum Valves: <\/strong>This isn’t an advertised feature, it just means the valves are working properly. When you pull the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd valves out, there should be a vacuum force which tries to yank the slide back into place. This resistance indicates there is no trace air escaping the valve. If all valves are up there should be no entry points of air into the 3 valve’s slides. <\/li>
- Proper Valve Piston Action<\/strong>: Valves have to put up with an extremely repetitive force for potentially decades of use. <\/strong>A valve is supposed to spring back up with the proper force when pushed down, but also, it should not be too hard to push down. A valve should not feel mushy.<\/strong><\/li>
- High quality threading<\/strong>: There are a couple things that screw on and off the trumpet, and they are all in the valve system. The valve caps on the bottom of the instrument, and the valves themselves are screwed on the top of the instrument. Also, the valve finger keys do actually come off the rest of the valve mechanism as well. If the threads are solid this is a sign of a higher quality instrument. If not this is a sign of cheap machining. <\/li>
- Solder<\/strong>: The trumpet isn’t made of one piece of metal. The cross bar between the bell and the lead pipe is a solder point, as well as several other solder points scattered on the instrument. An inexpensive instrument may come apart easily or after a few years of use. Unfortunately this one isn’t immediately apparent some of the time. <\/li>
- 3rd Valve slide<\/strong>: Most trumpets will have a ring on the 3rd valve slide, but the difference is that high quality 3rd valves actually have the capability of being adjusted in a split-second while playing. The slide should fit in such a way and have the proper vacuum action to be able to move out quickly for the appropriate notes and move back. Lesser quality 3rd valves you can move the slide but not easily or fast enough for real-time playing use. <\/strong><\/li>
- 1st Valve slide:<\/strong> Many professional quality instruments have a hook (called a thumb saddle) for the left hand for the 1st slide. This is for adjusting the 1st valve while playing. The slide needs to move with just the right action so it doesn’t pop off easily but is easy enough to move quickly. <\/li>
- Valve durability<\/strong>: Trumpet valves have to work in incredibly tight clearances. Any imperfection in the metal or the machining will result in metal that will pit or even cause abrasion and potentially be damaged. Unfortunately this isn’t something you can spot immediately. <\/li>
- Exceptional Warranty<\/strong>: A quality trumpet relies on its brand name–so you know you are working with a good brand if their warranty is solid.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Assurance Of Quality<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
So, with “student” trumpets you actually can see all of the qualities and features of a professional-level instrument<\/strong>. But you might not see them as often. <\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat I mean by that is that less expensive trumpets are not going to have the same processes to ensure that the quality of the instrument matches standards. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The tolerances for error and for variation in an instrument differ on the price point of the instrument. If an instrument is mass-produced, its quality checks are likely to be less thorough–while a custom-crafted instrument is going to have more attention to detail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is presumably true–you can’t guarantee that a professional-level instrument won’t have defects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The long and short of this is that you might get a really good inexpensive “student” trumpet that has all the features you want, but it’s more of a gamble whether all of them will meet specification. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nFor example, Jean Paul trumpets <\/a>(one on Amazon) are making a splash because they are extremely affordable and have a lot of features that you typically only find on professional level trumpets. However there is no way that a trumpet under $500 can have the same quality assurance process. <\/p>\n\n\n\nThis is just a guess, though<\/strong>. To really find this one out you’d have to find out how often a Bach Stradivarius is sent in for repari<\/p>\n\n\n\nThis is where a warranty is very important if you are buying online or if you’re even luckier, to go try out trumpets at a music store. Examine every part of the instrument–if you’re lucky, a student model instrument could be in great shape and have everything you want. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Specialization<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
One thing that is clear about student trumpets vs. professional trumpets is that student trumpets are designed for all-purpose use. It’s not usually until you get to professional-quality trumpets that you get to specialized trumpets<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFor example, Bach has a C190 model <\/a>trumpet which is designed for symphonic orchestra and is even in the key of C (common for symphonic trumpets).<\/p>\n\n\n\nBach also makes a triumphal trumpet <\/a>(theinstrumentbarn.com) made for ceremonies<\/p>\n\n\n\nThere are other specialized trumpets that are used for jazz, etc. In any case, it’s in the professional price-range where you see this level of specialization. This makes sense since a student presumably hasn’t chosen their path at this point. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
What’s Not<\/span> Different Between Pro and Student Trumpets<\/h2>\n\n\n\nThere are some major similarities between student and professional trumpets that I want to call out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sound Quality<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
I’m going to put myself out on a limb here. Professional trumpets have an expectation <\/strong>of a better sound–but this expectation doesn’t always match up with reality. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nIn other words, don’t buy a professional trumpet so you will sound better<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhy is this? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Well, to be short, a trumpet is essentially a coiled up pipe with some keys and valves that can be pushed that control the length of the pipe. Any trumpet player knows<\/strong> that it’s not as simple as all of that, but bear with me, here. <\/p>\n\n\n\nThe way the sound is produced is that a standing wave is created by the player buzzing into the mouthpiece. This standing wave is changed by the player buzzing faster or slower and by the length and shape of the pipe.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\nThat’s it<\/strong>. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\nThe sound is created from an air column produced by the player and that is guided by the shape of the mouthpiece and the shape and length of the trumpet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Professional trumpets are often made from more fancy materials such as gold and silver, and advertise having specialized thicknesses of bore or the bell<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\nBecause of this, professional trumpets are much more expensive.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nPeople have been arguing for ages whether the material of the trumpet changes the way the sound bounces around in the trumpet, and it’s incredibly controversial to say that the material doesn’t matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Does the Material Of A Trumpet Change the Way It Sounds?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
The answer is, perhaps! <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, the quest is to find what the actual differences are led to a lot of research. The following is what I was able to turn up as the primary differences between professional and student trumpets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cost<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
By far, the most important (and probably most obvious) difference is the cost. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most professional trumpets cost new from $2000-5000. <\/strong>A couple are labelled professional that are around the $1800<\/strong> mark, but the vast majority are from $2000-$5000 range. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Trumpet labelled as student vary just as much as in price as it turns out, although rarely will you see them priced far above $2000 at the very high end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can find a lot of student trumpet models hovering around the $150 to $500 range<\/strong>, but a good number live in the $500-$1500 <\/strong>range. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I don’t mean this in a negative way, but it’s almost impossible to see the price tag of a professional trumpet and not be influenced to think that it must have some special qualities. This is especially true<\/strong> of those who own a very expensive instrument. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Even though not everyone can agree whether a professional trumpet is worth the money, everyone can agree that what is most important is your own perception of your trumpet. The instrument in many ways is a part of you. If you don’t like your instrument, that’s a very difficult thing to deal with. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So, <\/strong>really, price doesn’t really matter–all that matters is you and your relationship with your instrument. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Build quality is a broad topic. I’ll break it down into what determines build quality. Professional trumpets are much more likely to have a higher build quality, overall. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n So, with “student” trumpets you actually can see all of the qualities and features of a professional-level instrument<\/strong>. But you might not see them as often. <\/p>\n\n\n\n What I mean by that is that less expensive trumpets are not going to have the same processes to ensure that the quality of the instrument matches standards. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The tolerances for error and for variation in an instrument differ on the price point of the instrument. If an instrument is mass-produced, its quality checks are likely to be less thorough–while a custom-crafted instrument is going to have more attention to detail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is presumably true–you can’t guarantee that a professional-level instrument won’t have defects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The long and short of this is that you might get a really good inexpensive “student” trumpet that has all the features you want, but it’s more of a gamble whether all of them will meet specification. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, Jean Paul trumpets <\/a>(one on Amazon) are making a splash because they are extremely affordable and have a lot of features that you typically only find on professional level trumpets. However there is no way that a trumpet under $500 can have the same quality assurance process. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This is just a guess, though<\/strong>. To really find this one out you’d have to find out how often a Bach Stradivarius is sent in for repari<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is where a warranty is very important if you are buying online or if you’re even luckier, to go try out trumpets at a music store. Examine every part of the instrument–if you’re lucky, a student model instrument could be in great shape and have everything you want. <\/p>\n\n\n\n One thing that is clear about student trumpets vs. professional trumpets is that student trumpets are designed for all-purpose use. It’s not usually until you get to professional-quality trumpets that you get to specialized trumpets<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, Bach has a C190 model <\/a>trumpet which is designed for symphonic orchestra and is even in the key of C (common for symphonic trumpets).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bach also makes a triumphal trumpet <\/a>(theinstrumentbarn.com) made for ceremonies<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are other specialized trumpets that are used for jazz, etc. In any case, it’s in the professional price-range where you see this level of specialization. This makes sense since a student presumably hasn’t chosen their path at this point. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There are some major similarities between student and professional trumpets that I want to call out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I’m going to put myself out on a limb here. Professional trumpets have an expectation <\/strong>of a better sound–but this expectation doesn’t always match up with reality. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In other words, don’t buy a professional trumpet so you will sound better<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Why is this? <\/p>\n\n\n\n Well, to be short, a trumpet is essentially a coiled up pipe with some keys and valves that can be pushed that control the length of the pipe. Any trumpet player knows<\/strong> that it’s not as simple as all of that, but bear with me, here. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The way the sound is produced is that a standing wave is created by the player buzzing into the mouthpiece. This standing wave is changed by the player buzzing faster or slower and by the length and shape of the pipe.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n That’s it<\/strong>. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n The sound is created from an air column produced by the player and that is guided by the shape of the mouthpiece and the shape and length of the trumpet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Professional trumpets are often made from more fancy materials such as gold and silver, and advertise having specialized thicknesses of bore or the bell<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Because of this, professional trumpets are much more expensive.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n People have been arguing for ages whether the material of the trumpet changes the way the sound bounces around in the trumpet, and it’s incredibly controversial to say that the material doesn’t matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The answer is, perhaps! <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nHalo Effect<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Build Quality<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Assurance Of Quality<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Specialization<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What’s Not<\/span> Different Between Pro and Student Trumpets<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Sound Quality<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Does the Material Of A Trumpet Change the Way It Sounds?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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