Tromba TP1-GD Plastic BB Trumpet, Gold

I've played trumpet and other brass instruments for 15+ years.This trumpet is incredibly light, but still feels very solid. The silver finish makes it easy for this instrument to visibly blend in with an ensemble. Most people assume it's a standard silver/nickel trumpet.The included plastic mouthpieces feel strange, and make the trumpet sound airy. I recommend using a standard metal mouthpiece.When played with a metal mouthpiece, it has pretty good tone, a bit mellower than a brass trumpet. To the player, it feels a little fuzzy. But, in recordings you can barely tell a difference between this trumpet and a brass horn. An amateur probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference in sound.There is a noticeable difference in back pressure with certain valve combinations. Without any valves depressed it is essentially a straight shot through the valve block. Depressing each valve introduces tight turns in to the air's path. Most trumpets have a purposefully convoluted path through the valve block to make these changes less noticeable. But, this does come with advantages. The open horn is free blowing, and the valves appear to be interchangeable.The valves are a bit louder than a typical horn, and feel slightly scratchy. But, they move easily and I haven't had any jam yet. I might try replacing the rubber washers in the valves with standard felt washers to see if they help quiet down the action.The valve caps do not screw on and off, but lock into place. This simplicity is pleasant, and for younger players is probably much easier to manage than carefully screwing caps in place.It has the same tuning tendencies as a regular trumpet. The partials feel a little bit more flexible than on a metal horn (it's a little easier to bend pitch). This can be an advantage or disadvantage depending on your skill set and how you expect the instrument to play. With decent slide grease the third valve slide moves easily. The manufacturer recommends Ultra Pure products. I've used Ultra Pure valve oil for years (it's my favorite) but I don't have their slide grease. I used a thick liquid slide grease made by Selmer with great results.I think this would make an excellent pep band/marching band/goofing around horn. I use it in class as my demo horn. This way I don't have to worry about a student accident ruining one of my expensive personal instruments. I'll also use this as my busking horn come christmas time.Given how expensive it is to repair brass instruments, and the relative durability of plastic this might make a decent beginner horn. I'm not quite sure on this yet though. I'm going to wait until I've played it to death before I recommend it to anyone. But, from what I've experienced so far, this horn plays better than many of the "instrument shaped objects" you see sold on Ebay and Amazon for a couple hundred bucks.This certainly isn't a pro horn, but it's much better than I expected for the price.

I got this as an inexpensive, light, and colorful instrument to march in a local street band. I'm new to trumpet, having payed French horn before. It sounds OK for casual street stuff. Haven't tried playing anything with any finesse yet but I don't think it would be all that great. But as a fun thing you can actually play, it does the job!The valves did need breaking in and cleaning as they were sticky out of the box but now that they are clean and oiled they work great.One minor problem for Amazon/Tromba, though. I'm fairly certain my trumpet wasn't new off the factory floor. The trumpet and stand had signs of prior use. It was fine after I cleaned it but if you're going to sell stuff in refurb condition, please lower the price and don't fob it off as new.

We cannot get it to blow & there are no instructions! I think it's broken...it is broken! Took it to music store. Valve #3 is not made correctly. Does not fit in the trumpet & when it does fit it blocks the air flow! Why sell a broken item ??

I'm a fairly experienced trumpet player. First thing's first: this is *not* a replacement for a brass instrument. If you or someone you know is dedicated to learning how to play trumpet, there are relatively inexpensive used amateur horns available on eBay & elsewhere for <$500 - that's what you should be investing in. Not this. But if you're looking for a lark, a trumpet for someone who's just starting & not very serious, or a cheap, "disposable" horn to lug around & practice with, this is quite a catch.I like to practice on my lunch breaks, so keeping something in the car is nice. However, I'm living somewhere that can get relatively chilly in winter, & I would like to avoid subjecting a decent "real" horn to sub-freezing temperatures repeatedly. (It's a great way to weaken the solder joints & turn a nice instrument into a pile of parts.)The Tromba doesn't slot very well (as Wayne Bergeron said, you kind of have to "blow it into submission"), but it has a great, mellow sound, & the valve action is quick & light. (I use Blue Juice, but any synthetic oil should work fine.) It has a slightly caricatured feel, with oversized valve casings & tubing, which is comfortable to hold. It's (unsurprisingly) lightweight compared to a brass instrument. It's very "live" in the hands (duh), which is nice for practicing a centered, resonant sound.The interior of the case is bare styrofoam, which is a little off-putting, but fine. (Also, you have to collapse the main tuning slide every time you close it, which is a little weird.) The latches on the case will snap off if you look at them sideways, which is annoying. It comes with some standard cleaning brushes & a surprisingly hearty swab stick to pull a rag thru the valve casings. The supplied mouthpieces (7C & 5C) will do in a pinch, but it feels more solid with a brass one. I'd recommend getting one to keep with it.All in all, I've certainly played worse instruments, & $160 for even a C-grade "beater" trumpet is an amazing value.