Hello there, back again with another helpful article and review for you. This time, we will be looking at the 5 best trumpets for beginners, as well as a left-handed trumpet as a bonus! I have recently come across one of the best trumpet reviews by Thomann and wanted to share it with you!
Table of Contents
You might say, “This website is all about guitars and related pieces of equipment! Why would you be publishing a trumpet review?”
I must confess that trumpets and wind instruments are probably some of my favourite instruments ever! I always love brass instruments as well as clarinets and saxophones. But I was never brave enough to start one; instead, I would transcribe wind instrument lines on the guitar! See my YouTube channel for what kind of wind instruments I would play on guitar! A few years ago, I got myself a Yamaha 4335 GS II model Bb trumpet and wasn’t able to progress that much, but I was able to play some very simple melodies, and that’s it! Trumpets are definitely not like a guitar; they are way more physical and require you not only to improve your skills but also to maintain your state by working out with your instrument every day.
Otherwise, you suddenly feel that your performance gets worse if you have a break and pick it up again a week later. Unfortunately, it had to go as well as my other instruments for my relocation phase. But I definitely want to start again! So that’s why I have decided to introduce you to a great starting point if you want to start playing the trumpet.
Please consider supporting this blog by buying your gear from Thomann using my links at no extra cost to you, many thanks!
I have recently been quite a nerd about trumpets and doing my research to know better about the options, then I came across a trumpet review video by Thomann! Gary Wilder is a great musician and has done an excellent demo of 5 different trumpets starting from Jupiter JTR700RQ, Yamaha YTR-3335, Bach TR-501 Student, Thomann TR-5000 GL and Thomann TR-200.
Unfortunately, not all of these trumpets are available anymore, so some of the models are replaced, and the article is updated with relevant replacement trumpets from the same manufacturers.
Best-Selling 5 Trumpets for Beginners or Intermediate Players
While you are enjoying the video, I will also be adding his comments on each instrument as well as a comparison table for all 5 + 1 Bonus trumpets. Keep reading, and you will find out about your bonus trumpet option! 🙂 
Jupiter JTR700RQ Bb Trumpet
Jupiter is made by the company KHS Musical Instruments in Taiwan. Believe me, it’s a really strong brand in the brass market. The level of quality has always been top-notch! How do I know? Because I used to import Jupiter instruments for the company I was working for! So I know their products and how they work! 🙂 We were actually in contact with QS-MUSIC (Division of MUSIK MEYER GmbH) because they manage the Jupiter brand in the European region. I was also in touch with KHS Musical Instruments, which is a really good company, very trustworthy!
In the review video, he starts with the Jupiter JTR700RQ Bb Trumpet. The price for this instrument is in the range of intermediate trumpets. It’s the successor model of the JTR606RLQ and comes with a medium-large bore, as well as other trumpets in the video. It’s mentioned in the video (which starts at 0:17) that the instrument is very well built, valves and slides work fine, and notes slot quite well.
Yamaha YTR-3335 Bb Trumpet
The second trumpet he is reviewing is a Yamaha YTR-3335 Bb Trumpet. As many of you may know, Yamaha is a giant corporation that is quite dominant in every instrument class. Still in the same price range, it is most of the time referred to as an intermediate instrument. YTR-3335 is a little bit cheaper than my Yamaha 4335 GS II model Bb Trumpet; however, you will be hearing a quite convincing comment in the video about YTR-3335!
The overall tone of YTR-3335 is a little bit brighter than the Jupiter JTR700RQ Bb Trumpet. It’s between a YTR-2330 and YTR-4335, and Gary also adds that YTR-3335 deserves more attention! An interesting comment for me 🙂 He also talks about how the bracing is placed and how it alters the sounds. Would you ever think these small details create differences and attributes of these instruments? 🙂 
Bach TR-351G Bb-Trumpet
The next trumpet reviewed in the video is a Bach TR-351G (replaced TR-501) Student model Bb trumpet. Vincent Bach Corporation was founded in 1918 in Elkhart, Indiana. Trumpet players know Bach for their Stradivarius trumpets! TR-351G is, again, a medium-large bore trumpet aimed at intermediate trumpet students and priced pretty reasonably.
It has almost a square-like main tuning slide and two main braces, which provide stability. Gary also mentions Yamaha YTR-2335 has slightly better intonation. Just a fine bit of information for you!
Thomann TR 800 L MKII Bb-Trumpet
Number #4 is another Bb trumpet, but this time by Thomann itself! I once found a forum thread, but I am not able to find it again! Thomann has also been creating its own branded set of instruments under the Thomann brand or other new brands they own. And I believe I read on that forum that Thomann brass is made in a facility where Carol Brass is also manufactured. Correct me if I’m wrong, please!
Thomann’s TR 800 L MK II is the new, upgraded version of the top-of-the-line Thomann trumpets. It features improved airflow, optimised tuning and weight-reduced valves. 
THE BONUS OPTION – A Left-Handed Trumpet?
Yes, it’s very rare to find; in fact, you can search for a left-hand trumpet, and you will only find this!!!
Where to Buy a Left-Hand Trumpet?
If you are looking for a left-handed trumpet, you can get yourself a Carolbrass CTR-1000H Bb (left-handed). 99.9% of the time, you won’t be able to see any mass-produced left-handed trumpets around very often. And yes, since it’s almost impossible to find one, I’m sure there are thousands of lefties playing with a standard trumpet. *But just an idea: if you have spent 20 years on a guitar, bass, or violin on a right-handed instrument and you have built up a great level of dexterity on your left hand, would you be able to get a left-hand trumpet? It means just less work, right?
So that’s why I have called this quite a sharp niche in product marketing! As far as I know and have researched, there are no other brands manufacturing mass-produced left-handed trumpets. Many companies will make you one if you place a custom order. However, Carolbrass has been supplying Carolbrass CTR-1000H Bb (left-handed) for a long time!
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Thomann TR-200 Bb Trumpet
The last trumpet he reviews is another Thomann trumpet, but this time a very entry-level horn, the Thomann TR-200 Bb trumpet. This is the cheapest model among the 5 models reviewed in the video, and it’s the number #1 best-selling Bb trumpet in the Thomann store!
There are dozens of good reviews on this horn; you can check them out on the product page. Gary mentions that, naturally, this horn is not equivalent to any of the horns here, but again, it doesn’t belong to its price range! Really well-built and probably the best and the cheapest option if you are not yet so serious about trumpets, don’t want to invest too much money and want to give it a go!
Comparison Table For 6 Trumpets
Here’s a comparison table of 5 + 1 Bb trumpets mentioned in this review article and the video by Thomann! As you can see, TR-5000 GL really sits right down in the gap, and another big plus for having provided a left-hand version! For wind instruments, it wouldn’t make so much sense to just judge trumpets by their sound on a video. You will notice there are no huge differences in terms of tone quality, colour and character. But we could say they sound slightly different from each other.
Also, please note that Gary Wilder is an excellent player, so he can sound just as good as on any other trumpet because he knows how to adjust himself to fine-control the instrument. *Visitors on mobile devices: Did you know that you can scroll the comparison tables horizontally? Try it yourself with the table below!
| Model | Thomann TR 200 Bb-Trumpet | Thomann TR-5000 GL Bb- Trumpet | Jupiter JTR700RQ Bb- Trumpet | Bach TR-351G Bb-Trumpet | Yamaha YTR-3335 | Carolbrass CTR-1000H Bb (left-handed) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bore Size | Medium Large | Medium Large | Medium Large | Medium Large | Medium Large | Medium Large |
| Bell Material | Brass | Gold Brass | Gold Brass | Brass | Brass | Gold Brass |
| Valve Material | Stainless Steel | Stainless Steel | Stainless Steel | Stainless Steel | Monel | Stainless Steel |
| Leadpipe Material | Gold Brass | Gold Brass | Gold Brass | Gold Brass | Gold Brass | Gold Brass |
| Finish | Clear Lacquered | Clear Lacquered | Clear Lacquered | Clear Lacquered | Gold Lacquered | Clear Lacquered |
| Incl. Mouthpiece | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Incl. Case / Gigbag | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Sales Rank in Trumpet Category | 3 | 24 | 28 | 6 | 7 | N/A |
| Price | €189 | €438 | €659 | €666 | €749 | €900 |
Must-Have Trumpet Books
If you are a beginner or an intermediate-level trumpet player, you should definitely consider buying method books for trumpets with your first purchase.
Here is a quick snap of the category-winning trumpet books. Arban and Clarke’s studies are highly recommended to any brass player!
What Kind of Trumpet Mute is Best For Practising The Trumpet at Home?
It’s one of the most annoying things about playing brass instruments. Especially trumpets can really project, thus it’s inevitable that your neighbours will complain about the noise. Unless you have a separate house, a warehouse or a rehearsal studio, you need to get yourself a trumpet mute. 
When I first attempted to play the trumpet in an apartment, I suddenly noticed it was way too loud to handle. Even with soft dynamics, it would project and fill up the room. So, having guessed the situation in advance, I also ordered a practice mute by Wallace TWC-M17 Trpt Practice Studio Mute by getting inspired by the video below, featuring one of the best trumpeters of our era, Adam Rapa 🙂
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hl–4WmtKAo
Even though it’s always a much nicer sensation to make your trumpet fill up the room and hear the acoustic character of it, playing and practising with a Wallace mute was never boring. It was so comfortable to play; you can even change the resistance of the mute with the included resistor. The video explains it all in the best possible way! Don’t forget to watch and also consider buying your mute along with your first purchase.
I hope it’s been a helpful guide for you to choose your trumpet and get started blowing your own! Even though I hate the fact that trumpets are so physical and you need to approach it as you do with your workouts, I still like it! Sounds the best, very noble and unique among other instruments. So far, about 40 people have benefited from this article and purchased their trumpets as well as trumpet books, mutes and accessories.
I highly recommend you check the products on their page and decide which one you are going to choose, and let me know if possible! Thanks for visiting my blog and supporting me so far! I will hopefully see you in the next review here!
