Barrington BRG101 Series Student Bb Trumpet

I recommend this trumpet for all young musicians. It contains several advanced features and plays like a professional trumpet.

The one piece bell is found on few professional trumpets. The finish is flawless. The valves (the vaunted Bach "Monel") are excellent. Everything fits perfectly. It has everything the professional horns have; a first valve thumb saddle and a third valve adjustable finger ring with stop screw. I've owned Bach Stradivarius, Yamaha, Benge, Conn, Holton, Getzen and Blessing. My Barrington looks as good, plays as good, is finished as good as any trumpet I have owned. The professional horns cost me close to seven (7) times as much as the Barrington! The only difference between the Barrington and the expensive professional models is the prestige accorded by owning expensive horns!

I bought the silver Barrington for my son who has been playing for just over a year. It's a great horn for the price. The valve action is good and it blows freely. Intonation is also good. The silver finish is very nice and had no blemishes. The first and third slides are OK, they don't slide like my Bach, but then again how many 1 to 5 year players are tuning with the slides? My son loves having a silver horn and has increased his playing time as a result. For the price, this silver beginners horn gets 5 stars.

I am adding an addendum to my earlier review for the benefit of potential buyers. I have played it for a couple of months and am very happy with the trumpet. Have practiced quite a bit and played 3 concerts with the Kalamazoo Concert Band on the horn. I have also played it at a gig with the swing band. Got some nice comments by my friends on the sound of the horn and how nice it looked. Played all the music very well and hasn't deteriorated from new condition. People I told the price to were astounded at the value. The only detrimental thing I can report is that part of the zipper of the case has come apart. I would rather have a case with regular latches. It is easy to carry with the strap. I have looked at some of the other student horns available, in a pawn shop, and they felt much lighter and cheaper than the Barrington. Added 2/27/2008: I last added a supplemental review in July of 07. I have been playing the trumpet as my main horn and am still very happy with it. It has not developed any problem and holds its own with any other brand of trumpet in the concert band section. I have recommended it , when the opportunity arises, on the trumpet forums, in comparison with other student models that are discussed. It sounds good with whatever mouthpiece I choose to play on.

I bought the lacquer Barrington for my daughters first year in band. I was reluctant at first because her band instructor said to stay away from internet deals and also because you generally get what you pay for. If it hadn't been for all of the positive reviews, I never would have considered this horn so I decided to add my own review. I ordered from WWBW on a Sunday night and was surprised to see it Tuesday morning (thanks WWBW). When I opened the case, I was very impressed with the finish, flawless. I then blew through the entire scale and again, flawless. I have played on an old Conn for over 20 years but it has been collecting dust since the Barrington came in. I don't have a $2,000+ trumpet to compare it to but as far as IÆm concerned, this thing is perfect. I wish the case had more storage but some of the $2,000+ trumpets don't even come with a case. Others have mentioned periodic sticky valves but keep in mind that this thing is new. Metal on metal contact produces dust, combine that with oil and saliva and things can get sticky. Clean and oil regularly and you should have no problems. My daughter loves this trumpet and says that the other students are jealous because they are playing with dented and scratched Yamaha rentals. I highly recommend the Barrington to anyone.