I had originally purchased this child a different trumpet from here on Amazon. That one cost $100 but they were not sure that they would even want to play. After the first year of band class they were hooked but the cheaper trumpet was not performing very well.

So a trip to a local music store made it clear that we would not be buying locally. I can't see buying a beginner band student a horn for over $1000. Wow. They wanted better than they had but not a super expensive horn to be super worried about.

Enter the Jean Paul trumpet. After an exhaustive search on the web it seemed like a truly great option. So I purchased it. It came quickly as promised and is a vastly better trumpet than the first one (a Mendini).

The valves are smooth and well made. The slides slide easily in and out. The sound was so much better than the first one.

The first trumpet was on sale at $100. This one was more than 3x that price. But it has been used for the last several months it is worth it.

I wish I had bought one of these in the first place and not wasted the first money... If you are in a similar boat with a child wanting to play I recommend this one highly. I would have loved a Bach or Yamaha Trumpet but not at 3x the price of this Jean Paul. Is it a Bach Stradivarius Silver Trumpet? No. But then it isn't $4k either so be aware of what it is and how nice it is for a very reasonable price.

I wanted to buy my son a new trumpet because he had been playing his uncle's old trumpet for 3 years. We went to our local music store and left with my son wanting the $3,000 Bach Strad. We did not purchase it due to the price, but my son sure loved the way it sounded. I did a lot of research trying to find a great trumpet for him. His band director generally does not approve purchasing online instruments. However, after I found this trumpet by Jean Paul, I sent our band director the link, and links to numerous reviews of this trumpet. He thought the reviews looked great and he allowed this trumpet to be used in his class!

Here are a few reviews I found helpful for the Jean Paul trumpets (Amazon would not allow the links to be included, but here are the descriptions): a youtube video by the Juilliard School of Music (this is for the student model, not the pro, as he states), and two articles on My Best Trumpet titled "My Experience with Jean Paul TR-330 vs TR-430 Trumpet Review" (the reviewer actually ends up buying the TR-430 for himself) and "Jean Paul TR-430 Trumpet Review - My Experience."

After reading reviews and watching videos, we chose the TR-430 silver trumpet. My son was THRILLED with it! He couldn't believe how great it sounded and how nicely it played. He played it for his band director, and he liked it too. All of the other trumpet players in his class were quite jealous of this new silver trumpet!! My son has been playing it for over a month and it's been fantastic. The company, Jean Paul, is also a great company! When the trumpet came without oil, I contacted Jean Paul and asked if it should have been included or not. They said it should have been, and sent me two bottles for the inconvenience! I received them immediately. We are so glad we found this trumpet, and I can't say enough good things about it or the Jean Paul company. I would definitely recommend this trumpet and this company to everyone!

I bought this for my daughter because she wanted to teach herself the trumpet. We were happy to see that it came in a very nice case. I'm not even sure what to look for in a trumpet, but this one is attractive compared to one I've seen in her music class (she plays sax in a small group setting). In only one month, she's belting recognizable tunes. It was all self-taught, so she's very happy with it. The only problem she's had is one of the valves (I think that's what it's called) was stuck. She couldn't open it. I have no idea if she's ever gotten it open, but she wouldn't let me take pliers to it. Not sure if this is a common problem.

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UPDATE 2/15/17: Wow. I initially gave this trumpet four stars, a positive rating. After all, my daughter liked her trumpet. This wasn't good enough for Jean Paul USA. No way. They contacted me immediately after reading my review about the screw that wouldn't turn. Would you believe they sent me a replacement right away *before* ever asking for a return? And they were nice enough to include a shipping label so I could send back the defective one at no cost. Not only that, I learned that they would fix or replace the instrument for any problems during the 1 year warranty period--which, by the way, includes *damage by children*. Double wow.

If they had never sent a replacement, I would have been obliviously happy. Now that I realize their level of service and customer care, I am over the moon. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this company to any of my friends. What an incredible experience.

This is the 2nd replacement trumpet.When I received the 1st. one it didn't come as advertised..It was originally advertised as coming with a pair of white handling gloves and straps that attach to the carry case..unfortunately not included! To make matters worse the included bottle of valve oil was already opened and half empty..leading me to believe that this trumpet was already used..not new!! Sadly upon receiving the replacement trumpet It came the same way!! I decided to return for full refund!! Since then I have ordered from the manufacturer directly and I'm very pleased with the service and especially their products! They specifically stated they have no control in how Amazon or 3rd party sellers advertise and monitor their products. Amazon is great ..the replacements / refunds are the best!!! I gave the 4 star rating because the trumpet itself is a very good product.It's a shame that it appears.. no one is monitoring the reasons why the product is returned in the 1st. place!!!

Bought this for our son who is starting out on trumpet. All it needed was a little valve oil (which is included) and it was ready to go. His instructor was impressed with the instruments ease of play and intonation. Durability is unknown at this point, we'll see how it lasts!