John Packer Cornet Review

I have been using the John Packer JP271SW for the last year and although I have had some issues, I have been pleasantly surprised with this budget instrument.

It has a medium-large bore, typical of a student/intermediate cornet, which can produce a relatively big sound with minimum effort. I would recommend trying this cornet before buying in order to establish whether it feels right for you but it does have the potential to make a very nice sound.

It features 1st and 3rd slide triggers (a feature of many professional cornets) something that makes this student cornet stand out from the rest.

Unfortunately I have had some issues with the valves, the first valve often sticks and they are very noisy. This is something that should be relatively easy to fix if you feel they're not up to scratch. 

The cornet comes with a John Packer 4B mouthpiece - comparable to the Denis Wick 4B. It is a good size mouthpiece but unfortunately it is poor quality and I found that it didn't last long before the silver plating began to wear off. I would definitely recommend investing in a better quality mouthpiece.

The case that it comes with is very lightweight and includes: a pocket for music on the front, backpack straps, a shoulder strap, space inside for mutes etc and a space for one mouthpiece. The only problem I have found so far with the case is that while the backpack straps can be tucked into the pocket on the back for storage, the big plastic clips they attach to remain on the bottom of the case. This means that the case does not lie flat and as a result I have removed them.

Clips which mean the case doesn't lie flat

For more information on this cornet, visit the John Packer website.

Things to Think About Before Buying a Trumpet...

Buying a new instrument is not easy, with many different brands, models and prices. Here are some things that I think you should consider before buying a trumpet.

Firstly trumpets come in three different 'levels': student, intermediate and professional.
Student trumpets are a good starting point for any player. They are not as high quality, but are easy to maintain. They are usually the cheapest, and so are perfect for a 'student' who may possibly decide that they want to stop playing.

Intermediate trumpets are perfect for developing players who are moving on past the basics and onto higher level playing. I would say they are great for roughly grade 3+ (A great intermediate trumpet is the Yamaha 4335, of which I have done a review here on my blog).

Professional trumpets are for serious players, they are high quality and also the priciest!

Things to think about:

1. Set a price limit. Generally, the more you pay, the better the quality.
2. Try before you buy. Take the time to try lots of different brands and models to find something that you like. A good tip is to take your own mouthpiece. (If you don't yet play the trumpet, take someone who does - if possible).
3. Bore Size. The smaller the bore size, the easier it is to play. Generally, most trumpets seem to have a M/L bore. A large bore will produce a bigger sound, but it will be harder to control.
4. Finish. Yellow brass, gold brass or silver plated? Yellow brass gives a warmer sound, gold brass will give a darker sound and silver brass will always be more expensive. (Try out different finished before you buy).

Additional things you may want to buy if you are a beginner:

1. Teaching book. "Team Brass" is great: http://www.musicroom.com/se/id_no/036824/details.html 
2. Music stand. A necessity for good posture.
3. Trumpet cleaning kit. See my trumpet cleaning guide. 
4. Tuner. Not essential, but useful.
5. Trumpet stand. If you keep your trumpet out of its' case, you are more likely to pick it up and play it.