Eastar Bb Standard Trumpet Set, ETR-380N, Silver

I have to say I am extremely impressed!!

It was a toss up between renting and buying a trumpet for my daughter as she goes into band. Rentals would be about $10 cheaper than this, at most. I decided to buy as this is the third instrument she is learning now, and I can see her playing trumpet for years to come. So having it pay itself off after one year was a huge bonus.

Now it’s no Yamaha, but heck! This trumpet looks very nice for the price! The finish is better than any rental you’d get from abstorenor school, and nothing is dented to boot! The build quality is solid, and though the valves are a little sticky upon delivery, add a bit of oil and you’re good to go! The sound is great too! Like I said, it doesn’t sound anything like a top of the line one, but for junior high band it is probably gonna be one of the best sounding ones there. Also, if you don’t really know how to tell good sound from bad then you wouldn’t be able to tell this from any other. As one who used to play a “school special”, I would have preferred this one. Also, I’m well versed in the music scene (so just so you don’t think I’m pulling garbage out of the air) having children that play piano, cello, now trumpet, accordion, and I play the bass guitar and banjo myself; in addition to having many professional musician and opera performer friends…I can honestly say I know a thing or two about good and bad sounding instruments.

All in all, it’s a great starter trumpet and it should not disappoint!!

Just picking up the trumpet after about 30ish years, and sharing it with my children, giving them another instrument to try out in our Home School.
This trumpet has a nice case, just big enough for the trumpet and cleaning accessories. It has two straps that can be configured for a backpack style carry, or on the side for an over the shoulder carry. Trumpet was in nice condition, but contained one small flaw in the lacquer finish (looks like some dust or something in the finish, not a ding or scratch.)
For an old beginner it works well, I have started trying to learn my scales, the handbook that comes with the trumpet is well written, the English is very well translated, more so than the Amazon description. Also, the case has the cleaning accessories, but not valve oil or slide grease, so if you don’t have any you should obtain these items along with the trumpet. I also bought a practice mute (and 3 mouthpiece set) to quiet the horn when I am practicing while others are concentrating on schoolwork since trumpets are loud!

The mouthpiece set allows my children to practice buzzing at the same time, and gives us a couple sizes to play around with while we learn to play!

They say not to buy a trumpet over the internet but we’ve bought a trumpet online through amazon on two separate occasions and have not been disappointed.
The first time was when my son first started playing the trumpet in 4th grade. We weren’t sure how far he’d go with the instrument and renting at $35/month didn’t make sense when you can buy one for $100. So we bought one for $100 through Amazon and it served him well for 4 years (last few months he complained about the valves sticking, etc) making it $25/year “rental”, a steal! He managed to play lead trumpet in middle school so I don’t think it set him back much. His trumpet tutor thought the trumpet was just fine. After 4 years it broke down and it was time to purchase a better quality trumpet. We ended up buying a professional trumpet costing $3K through his private trumpet teacher. He gets comments on it from people in the know about trumpets.
But now, he is starting marching band and there is no way we want him to be taking that pricey trumpet to set on concrete and grass, etc. while doing exercises. So I came online and looked for the trumpet be bought long ago but it was no longer sold or no longer sold for the price. After looking around I saw this one and decided to purchase it. Price was good. Only $29 more than his previous online trumpet 4-5 years ago. I know now not to be a price snob and go for $200 when $129 will do.
We got it a couple weeks ago and he has been happy with it. It is not as smooth as his high end one in that he has to take care how he presses the valves whereas he can be sloppy with the pricey one. But it sounds really good and looks good and the price spent on it means I don’t worry that he will ding it or scrape it a bit out on the field – although of course I hope he still takes care of it no matter what price range.
I am no expert in appraising trumpet quality but this has been our experience so far.

 – Some really positive stuff –
* This is a full brass trumpet, not one of the cheapie plastic trumpets that cost as much or more. It looks gorgeous, the finish is smooth and bright and polished to a mirror finish. I don’t know how to tell if it’s thick and will last, but my son’s Yamaha trumpet has dulled over the years of use and abuse (matching band can be so hard on instruments, or maybe just teenagers are)
* The pistons are smooth and easy to press. I took one out and it looks like a great fit/seal. Piston oil is provided in the case.
* The tuning slides move easily, but not so easily that you get out of tune accidentally.
* The spit valves have a good seal and a good spring.
* it comes with a full cleaning set of brushes and a wiping cloth. That all fit in the case. This hopefully will act as a reminder that cleaning your trumpet regularly is a good way to make it last for years.
* It sounds great. I did a “blind test” with my son playing his Yamaha and the Eastar and I couldn’t hear the difference.
* The trumpet comes packaged in a nice carrying case with nylon covering (great to protect from the rain). the case also comes with a removable shoulder strap. The case has room for all the accessories, and will protect the instrument nicely.

– Things that could be better –
Honestly, hard to find fault in this setup, especially for the price.
* I would have preferred a mouthpiece of size 5C, it comes with a 7C. It is a matter of personal preference and in fact 7C may suit younger players better. For a complete beginner, your teacher will advise you on what size may be best for you. There are pretty inexpensive mouthpieces ion Amazon if you want a different size.
* Latches are less likely to be broken than a zipper, so take care not to foul up the zipper (especially for younger kids)
* Because the instrument is likely targeted at beginners, I wish Eastar had included cleaning instructions. You do NOT want to get the felt at the base of the pistons wet. Make sure yo ask your teacher or at least look up how to clean the instrument on YouTube.

– In summary –
I have purchased several Eastar instruments and have been very satisfied with their products, and this trumpet is no exception. It is a great instrument for the price, it is a *real* instrument that will not get in the way of the student making progress. I would highly recommend it as a first instruments (you never know if the kid is going to stick with it, so why spend hundreds or thousands?). I wish I had found this trumpet when my son was in marching band, I would rather he would have dinged and scratched this cheaper instrument rather than his expensive Yamaha.