When a professional trumpet player is looking for a new trumpet, they are looking for the highest quality brass trumpets, with most being yellow brass.
Being a professional musician, it’s important to have the very best trumpet possible. This will ensure you play with a precise, crisp sound and have a trumpet that will withstand constant use.
The quality of your brass instrument will differ depending on whether you pick a professional brand or a trumpet meant for student learning.
Here’s Which Trumpets Professional Trumpeters Use:
Most professional trumpeters will use trumpets from the Yamaha, Bach, Adams, Jupiter, Kaizer, and Schilke brands. The more professional trumpets can range from $1,000-$3,000. Cheaper alternatives are in the $200-$500 range.
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What Are the Most Popular Brands for Professional Trumpets?
The most popular brands for professional trumpeters are:
- Bach
- Yamaha
- Adams
- Schilke
- Kaizer
- Jupiter
What is the Most-Sold Professional Trumpet?
The trumpet that wins the most sales and is the most popular of the professional trumpets is the Vincent Bach Stradivarius model 180-37.
It has been a choice for both the professional playing a concert to a middle school or marching band trumpeter.
It comes in a silver or gold laquear color. The special feature is in the #37 bell, which gives a sound that reaches far and holds richly. You will know the difference when you play a Vincent Bach due to its consistency in tone and the fullness of the notes.
Even if you change the mouthpiece, which always changes a brass instrument’s sound, the Vincent Bach will keep its quality. This particular trumpet includes one of the most widely used and popular mouthpieces, the Bach 7C.
Professionals like this mouthpiece because of how it projects sound, even when playing with other instruments, such as in an ensemble or orchestra.
It gives the trumpet a smooth tone. Even students enjoy this mouthpiece, especially ones who would benefit from the littler diameter that the mouthpiece offers.
What is the Best Cheaper Alternative?
Buying a professional trumpet can cost upwards of over $2,000 to even $3,000 and beyond.
The vast majority of trumpet players cannot afford such an expensive purchase, nor do they need it.
If you are not playing shows and making a living as a trumpeter, you don’t need a professional trumpet.
Some alternatives will not break your bank and still give you a great sound whenever you decide to play. The Yamaha Standard Trumpet cuts the price in half but still gives you a great, quality trumpet.
It is meant for students to learn and practice, but the trumpeter who plays at home can enjoy its professional look and feel. It won’t sound like a Vincent Bach or more expensive Yamaha trumpet, but it won’t sound like a cheap eighth-grade learner’s trumpet, either.
Another option is the Jean-Paul TR-330 Standard Student Trumpet. It is a Bb trumpet and comes in a shiny finish of Gold Lacquer. It is priced reasonably at just $200.
It comes with standard accessories such as valve oil, a cloth for cleaning, a mouthpiece, and a carrying case. It also comes with gloves.
It is a trumpet that will send the sound out to be heard no matter where you are playing, making it a good choice for marching band and high school concerts.
Which Trumpet Do the Most Famous Trumpeters Use?
Yamaha is a brand that is synonymous with the professional trumpet community.
The Yamaha YTR-8335LA Silver Trumpet is one that Wayne Bergeron uses daily as his main trumpet.
He told wwbw.com that this particular Yamaha professional trumpet was used with jazz players, the Orlando Symphony, and solo trumpeters.
Most of the trumpets he plays are made by Yamaha, so he stands by the brand’s quality for his personal use and when he is performing.
What’s the Difference Between Student and Professional Trumpets?
As a student learns, their main goal is to get better and improve.
In the beginning, the focus is not on sound quality. As professionals, the trumpets they use are solely for getting the best quality sound from them because they are playing them for an audience to enjoy musically.
So, a professional trumpet needs a trumpet that will assist them in getting a sound that is pleasant to the ears.
Student trumpeters want their trumpets to last so they can continue to learn. Most students will upgrade from their learning trumpets for a better-sounding, more professional type of trumpet.
So, it is mainly about making the trumpet last from the duration of that learning period for the students.
Another big difference is in how the trumpets look. A student trumpet will be made by the most basic materials such as valves, the type of metal, and bell.
Professional trumpets have a choice in the overall look of the trumpet and, as we stated above, sound better.
5 Things to Look for When Buying a Professional Trumpet:
1. The Mouthpiece:
The leadpipe, or mouthpiece, is the part of the trumpet where you put the mouthpiece.
This intricate feature determines how the instrument will resonant.
Depending on the size of the mouthpiece, you could have a better, crisper sound.
Smaller-sized mouthpieces will give you higher energy flowing within the brass instrument.
2. The Bell:
The bell may be the most noticeable part of the trumpet for novices and professionals alike.
It is where all the music comes out of and is at the end of the trumpet. What the bell is made out of does make a difference in what type of sound it will produce.
For example, you can expect that your trumpet is made out of brass because most nowadays are.
They can be lacquered in gold, which gives a more mellowed tone, and silver plated, making it cheery and bright in what comes out of it.
Keep in mind that the most common trumpet is the yellow brass.
Professional bells have one bell versus the two bells in a student trumpet.
The one-piece trumpet bells are made with better material and sound significantly better.
3. The Valves:
No, these are not to release the spit, though many trumpeters use them for that purpose.
The valves, or the valve pistons as they are aptly known, allow the trumpeter to change the keys and play differing notes.
Professional trumpets have valves materials that are made out of stainless steel and Monel.
It does need frequent cleaning, but it makes a key change as quick and easy as is needed during a performance.
Student valves are mainly made out of nickel-plated pistons because they have durability and do not need to be cleaned as often.
4. How to Store It:
The original case that the trumpet comes in makes a great place to store it continuously.
Keeping it out when you are not playing could cause damage to the bell or other parts of the trumpet.
The case gives your trumpet protection against dust and corrosion that arise from the environment. When storing a professional trumpet, the best practice is in the case and in a room that can have the temperature controlled.
Please don’t leave it on a trumpet stand or across the bed.
The life of your trumpet needs to keep it tucked away until it is time to play.
5. What You Want to Pay:
Professional trumpets can get very pricey.
As we mentioned earlier, a professional trumpet starts at $2,000 and can go triple that amount. Staying within your means is important.
Don’t go bankrupt buying the most expensive trumpet.
Look at all the specifics and decide on what is important to you and your pocketbook. Buy a used trumpet or even consider renting one.
You won’t have to worry about maintaining it or fixing it if things go wrong with the trumpet. A rented trumpet is all taken care of.
Don’t go outside your means.
There are great trumpets out there that mimic professional ones that you can afford.