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.

£40 Violin, Good or Bad??

Ok so I am not a violinist, but it has always been an instrument that I wanted to have a go at. I picked up a full size 4/4 Windsor violin from Amazon for £40 so that I could give it a go. I didn't expect much for this price but since it was just for fun, I was not prepared to pay any more.

Firstly I would have to say that the case, although very lightweight, is very poorly constructed and in my opinion would not survive a daily commute for long. It has a plastic handle which feels as though it may give way at any time, some sort of back straps which I cannot work out, a pocket on the front of the case too small to fit anything useful in and a compartment inside for rosin etc. The rosin supplied seems to do the job, however I would recommend purchasing some.

On first inspection the violin itself looks the part, however I am no expert. The bridge has to be set up when it arrives, although instructions are included and I found this relatively easy to do. If you were to use this violin for anymore than a bit of 'fun' I think you would probably have to get some new strings, for the price, I'm sure the cheapest strings available have been used. The bow also does't seem very well constructed, so you might have to consider buying one of these too if you were to take playing seriously.

The big problem that I have found with this violin is the tuning pegs. I understand that instruments have to be tuned before you use them, however this violin seems to go horrendously out of tune. The tuning pegs seem to 'slip' making it incredibly difficult to get the strings perfectly in tune - I don't think you would ever want to risk using this particular violin in an orchestral situation!

To go with my violin I decided to purchase a cheap shoulder rest from Ebay. The particular one I bought was adjustable so could be used with a 3/4 and 4/4 violin. I definitely would not recommend buying something so cheap as to be honest it hardly even stays on the violin. 

Overall, if you're looking for a violin to teach yourself at home on and to have a bit of fun with, then I would say give this one a go as it will definitely not break the bank. However if you're buying for a student who is going to have lessons or want to take violin playing seriously, then definitely don't go with this one. Spend a bit more money and get something that is better quality, will last and can make a better sound. Stentor seems to be the brand that teachers recommend.