Jean Paul TR-430S Intermediate Bb Trumpet - Silver-Plated

I bought this rather than the TR-330 because there's a review on the web where a guy who plays pro level trumpets bought a TR-430 for himself, as a consequence of reviewing it. He says that the TR-430 is better than the TR-tr-330.My assumption, with no inside info, has been that the TR-430 and TR-330 are both made at the same factories in China, on the same equipment, and consequently will both be made to the same tolerances. In other words, the TR-330 will be have the same quality valves, and clearances, that the TR-430 will have. As to people saying the TR-430 being better, there's always the possibility of people imagining things.To play it safe, though, I bought the TR-430, since it was only about a $150 difference.And I did my research on intermediate level trumpets. There's lots out there in the $200 range, but not much in the $400-$500 range, at least with trumpets which seem to have legitimate reviews.Unfortunately, you have to go to extra work to register for the 1-year warranty, but here's what company rep Tim had to say in reply to my question about the differences:QUOTE START"These are actually manufactured at different factories and are very different horns. You're absolutely right that there is not enough info regarding the details and differences of these horns though. It's something we will be working on soon on the website."Overall construction on the TR-430 is much better than the TR-330. This translates into much better valve action and playability of the instrument. This is definitely the most notable difference between the horns and it is hard to explain without experiencing it in person. In terms of materials, the TR-430 has a rose brass leadpipe, while the TR-330 has a yellow brass leadpipe (we just corrected the Specs on our website for the TR-330 because they were incorrectly saying rose brass for the leadpipe), so this will give the TR-430 a slightly warmer tone. Bore size and bell diameter are identical on both, so no differences there. The TR-430 also has an adjustable ring on the third valve slide for more comfortable hand positioning. The TR-430 is definitely our most popular trumpet."QUOTE ENDAs to comparisons, I have a Mendini $140, and someday, I'll see what the difference is in tone. I don't currently feel like having to clean them both. A big difference is workmanship. The Mendini has piece-of-junk threads, and the silver finish started rubbing off.Possibly, the valve tolerances on the TR-430 are to some tight specification, as in way better than normal. The #2 valve shaft won't take the #1 and #3 valves. I'm thinking this is a good thing, except for that person who insists on forcing a wrong valve into the #2 shaft, and working it up and down. That's a scary thought.There have been at least 3 times where I thought there were valve problems, and immediately placed the blame on the manufacturer, but there was no problem.If the valves worked before you cleaned the trumpet, and there's a problem after you clean your trumpet and put it back together, then the variable to consider is you and what you did. For example, I ran a brush through the trumpet and there was a bristle strand that got broken off in a hole running into one of the valves. The valve wouldn't go in and I jumped to conclusions that the valve had gone bad. Likewise, with the example I gave above about valve shaft #2.For the company, it's got to be nightmare that there's so much wrong that customer can do wrong in relation to the valves.

This a great trumpet for the mid-level musician. I'm a self-teaching student (music books and free internet). What's great about this is I started with a $100 trumpet. Which is a great starting trumpet. After you've been self-teaching for long enough to hear the problems it's time to get a better horn anyway. Next step up is this $400 trumpet. You can now make music that actually sounds like the songs you're trying to play without breaking the bank. When I've played on this trumpet and loved it another year (maybe) I can use that time to save $1000 - $1500 for the next one.

Ok

Trumpet is great… plays well and great for the price point. The biggest complaint I have is that the case the horn came with is dry rotting and falling apart. After one performance the leather on the handle has almost all worn off. * The company contacted me and sent a replacement case at no cost. Great Customer Service!!!

This trumpet is beautifully made. Bought it for my 8 yo daughter who had a Prelude TR711 which we aren’t too happy about. This came nicely packaged with two white gloves, a polishing cloth, valve oil, a Jean Paul 7c mouthpiece, plus a maintenance book which other trumpets don’t usually come with. These are all big pluses.The black canvas carrying case is accented with faux leather handles. The bag alone weighs a bit under 3 lbs which is light but sturdy and water resistant. It has removable and adjustable bag straps to convert the canvas carrying case into a back pack or you can carry it with shoulder straps or take the straps off completely and just hand carry it with its faux leather handles. The carrying case has a big front pocket for extra storage.This Jean Paul TR-430 is much lighter than the Prelude TR-711 so it is easier to handle yet sounds so much better too. A mouthpiece holder is built into case.Another great thing about this TR430 Jean Paul trumpet is that the valves are very responsive. It bounces back so much quickly compared to most trumpets we have seen in the market. It might be because of lighter materials which incredibly helps without compromising sound quality.It has two spit valves with clear rubber stoppers where other trumpets have cork stoppers on their spit valves which wear out and rot then fall off overtime. I like the clear rubber on the spit valve. It makes its much more classy, much more hygienic and it is the little details such as this that tells you they put a lot of thought into their product.The shipping was also fast. Faster than I expected. I didn’t purchase it with prime so delivery was suppose to take 5-10 days. But as I watch the tracking via UPS ground, delivery took the shortest time possible which was only 4 days. I placed my order Sunday afternoon. Received the trumpet Thursday. That was fast.There are so many reasons to love this trumpet. But to top it all off, they have the best support in the industry. There is always somebody ready to help you on the other line. You have a question, just unsure of what trumpet to get or perhaps a problem with your trumpet, they are always there for their customers.I spoke with Enrique from Jean Paul and he gave me his cell phone number so I can get in touch with him regardless of where he is (in vacation) or what time of day it is (at night or on his day off) just to make sure I can reach him if I am not happy or if there’s a problem with my purchase. They go the extra mile with sincerity. And that sold me. I was considering to purchase a Bach and the manufacturer says the support covered by the warranty is provided by the dealer. And when I met with our local dealer in person they told us they only cover 90 days of warranty. The trumpet they’re selling us had very slow valves and that isn’t covered by the warranty regardless of how much proper cleaning and oiling we did. Our local dealer although we dealt with them in person were very impersonal and indifferent. Jean Paul maybe be across the miles, we may be states apart but they treat you like family. They make you feel that they’re right there ready to help you at any time. The product sells itself. But their support is even better.UPDATE:We have this trumpet for 3 years now. Bought it in 2018 and now it's 2021.Service is excellent. We have lost an ivory button for the valves and and the rubber pad for the spit valve also came off and lost it. They have mailed us replacements for the PARTS at NO CHARGE just pay for shipping costs. Thank you JEAN PAUL USA!!!

My son was struggling with a rental from Ted Brown Music. I did a ton of research and read a thousand reviews. You will need to spend at least $1500 to get anything as well reviewed as this horn. All the valves worked smoothly after oiling. Plays great. Beautiful and a great value from a company that stands behind their product.