After having my jHorn for a little while now and practicing with it a whole bunch I can say that its a really fun little instrument. I come from a low brass background (trombone/baritone/euphonium) and the "large" included mouth piece feels pretty good. High notes sing out and sound mostly great and low notes aren't bad as long as you aren't going through a lot of tubing. there are a few things that aren't perfect when playing. TL;DR conclusion is this is a great toy for the price. I would recommend to anyone with a brass background just wanting a new fun toy to mess around with and leave out so its always easy to pick up and play. I would NOT recommend this as a student instrument or for kids wanting to learn to play brass instruments. Its harder to play than a real instrument and might discourage them. the pbone is a better student horn.

I'm going to get a little detailed here so if you aren't a music person you probably don't care. Like I said previously the more tubing you ask the air to go through the more difficult it gets to get a good tone, I'm not entirely sure why, I don't know the math behind how instruments work, I just play them. It might be just something up with the 3rd valve's piping. Also, the open D above the staff sounds off pitch, very off. the open F above the staff also feels off pitch a bit. I have found that using 1/2 alternate fingering for both these notes gets them right in tune with the rest of the instrument but is a bit inconvenient.

I tried all the different mouth pieces and like the large one best because of my background. the middle one is a bit like half way between a trumpet and trombone with the smallest feeling like a trumpet. I was able to fit a small bore trombone mouth piece into the lead pipe but just barely so it probably lowered my tuning a bit. I could play fine with it but I felt like the included mouth piece was more suited to the instrument. the rubbery texture was comfortable to play on for long periods of time.

Overall I would recommend this product

OK. Brass isn't my strong suit. I play reeds and piano better, for sure. I used to play baritone in high school, which was a long, long time ago. But after watching some YouTube videos of this horn, made by people that know what they're doing when they play a brass instrument, I became convinced that the J-horn is like many others. The quality of the sound has a lot more to do with the quality of the musician, than the quality of the horn. After buying it and trying it, I found out that I was right!

I purchased this horn for a friend, because it is so light and small, and let's face it - inexpensive! But I wanted to be sure it was suitable, so I tried it out before I made it into a gift. As part of the purchase, I also bought a Glory size 12c metal mouthpiece https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00P2H1MFS because all the YouTubers seemed to say that the J-horn is easier to play using a metal mouthpiece, instead of the supplied plastic mouthpiece (with silicone inserts).

It's true, it is easier to play with the metal mouthpiece, but only slightly. The 12c size metal mouthpiece I bought on amazon fits into the J-horn perfectly, and I found I could pretty much play any note I wanted. While the metal mouthpiece is a littler easier that way, the large silicone mouthpiece insert (large, medium, and small silicone inserts come with the horn's supplied plastic mouthpiece) was easier on my lips, but made it a little more difficult to hit notes precisely in tune. If the metal mouthpiece is a "10", then the silicone insert is at least an "8" when it comes to hitting notes. But the silicone mouthpiece is definitely more comfortable on your lips, especially if you haven't played for a while, like me. However, in the end, I prefer the metal mouthpiece. It's easier to hit the notes that you want.

The valves are noisier than a traditional instrument, but they are easier to access and clean, I think. And if the noise bothers you, then just train yourself to play more carefully, with some finesse. Look at some of the folks playing these on YouTube. Difficult, classical pieces that sound amazing with a French horn mouthpiece. Once I heard what was possible, I was sold!

Overall, I think this horn is slightly more difficult to play than a regular sized metal instrument, as far as hitting the notes precisely in tune is concerned. But it is MUCH lighter and easier to carry, and I wouldn't hesitate to get this for a child that wanted to try something out without breaking the bank. After all, if they like it, you can then spend $250 (in India) or $500-$800 in the U.S. to get a metal horn and move up the music chain to a marching instrument. If they don't like it, you can probably sell it for half what you spent, and you're only out $70. Is that a deal, or what?

The bottom line is I am happy with this purchase, and really have no regrets.

Fun for the price. Valves are noisy. Good for marching in a parade but not for taping.

My son has played the euphonium for 8 years. He loves his j horn for at home practice.

It's very hard pushing out lower notes, but its a good gift overall