What B Flat Trumpet Should I Buy? Tier 1: $15,000+

It’s been a while since I’ve written about buying new trumpets. As you recall from my scintillating intro article, the new trumpet market is divided into five pricing tiers: Today we’ll be diving into Tier 1, which is the territory of Monette. Note that I won’t be talking about Monette mouthpieces or non-trumpet models in […]

Playtest: Schilke HC2L-Lbr

It’s here! My baby which I ordered with some custom features back in March 2022…. Behold the HC2L-Lbr! If you’re wondering what that alphabet soup means, here’s a quick primer: HC=Handcraft 2=Copper bell, nickel inner tubing, yellow brass outer tubing, X4 valve block, large bore (.468) L=Tunable Bell Lbr=Brushed Lacquer While you can find some […]

Playtest: Bach 180s37

Behold the mighty Bach 180s37! Or in common parlance, the Bach Strad! What can be written that hasn’t already been said? At least one blog article, apparently. Playtest Videos I decided to play four excerpts: West End Blues cadenza intro by Louis Armstrong, the “amoroso” section of The Southern Cross by Herbert Clarke, Charlier #6 […]

What B Flat Trumpet Should I Buy? Part 4: Small Businesses and Dealers (United States)

There are no shortage of small businesses, chains, and boutique companies out there which can help you find your dream horn. I’ve highlighted only a few here. While many of these do ship internationally, this article is more geared towards the United States. Be sure to do some of your own research with each seller […]

Trumpet Madness Youtube Channel Launched and Live!

Here at Trumpet Madness headquarters, we are hard at work! I have several draft posts on purchasing guides and playtests which will go live in December and January. In fact, December marks 9 months of waiting for my Schilke HC-2, which due to some custom features I ordered directly from the Schilke factory. I am […]

What B Flat Trumpet Should I Buy? Part 3: How To Find Trumpets For Sale By Owner

Now that you’re familiar with the Trumpet Madness Pricing Tiers and Scoring Scale, it’s possible that you’ve got thousands of dollars burning a hole in your pocket. Or, you’re saving your pennies to purchase your dream horn in a few months. Either way, you’ll need to buy that horn from somewhere. Prior to your Trumpet […]

What B Flat Trumpet Should I Buy? Part 2: The Trumpet Madness Scoring Scale

As you recall from my scintillating Part 1 article, the new trumpet market is divided into five pricing tiers: Trumpet Madness Overall Scoring Method Now that we’ve established the pricing tiers, it’s important to talk about some other important categories that will help you figure things out beyond the $$$. These categories include: Player Profile, […]

What B Flat Trumpet Should I Buy? Part 1: Pricing Tiers

It’s never been easier to purchase a Bb trumpet. Armed with an internet connection and your credit card, you have access to purchase your new axe from a dizzying array of manufacturers, dealers, and independent sellers. While healthy competition usually benefits the consumer, so many choices can be overwhelming. Even within the same brand, manufacturers […]