Simba brand trumpet

[Trumpeter58]

This week I had my first exposure to a Simba brand trumpet. Unfortunately the parents of the beginning band student who has it didn't bother consulting with anyone before going trumpet shopping and thought that a brand new trumpet that they happened upon at a Tuesday Mornings store for only $99 was a bargain that couldn't be passed up! To be straightforward and honest, it's a piece of junk. To make the horn the least bit playable I had to clean some sticky, yellowish grease off the valve pistons and out of the tubes. I lubed the valves with some Al Cass Fast oil that I keep in my gig bag for when students have sticky valves and don't have any of their own, but the second valve still wouldn't return but half way when released. I wound up having to stretch the 2nd valve spring about 1/2 inch to get it to work. The real kicker is that the mouthpiece provided with the horn "bottoms out" in the receiver before it reaches a point on the taper that it's snug. So for the kid to even be able to blow her first note on it, we had to wrap some tape around the mpc shank.
Tomorrow I'm sending a note home with the girl to tell her parents they should demand a refund on the horn and then go to one of our local music stores and talk to someone about a rental, rent-to-own, or purchase arrangement on a decent student model trumpet.
_________________
"Blowing" my retirement away.
"All that we know is infinitely less than that which we have yet to learn."

Blessing ML-1S
Olds Special NA 100ZU
Holton Collegiate cornet (circa 1953)
Olds NF13MRT Flugel
Monette STC1-B4S

[GordonH]

I bought one of those much cheaper than that because I needed a case. The case was OK for storing a trumpet in.
There are a few people on ebay selling bad trumpets at less than the cost of a case.
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Bb - Scherzer 8218W, Schilke S22, Bach 43, Selmer 19A Balanced
Pic - Weril
Flugel - Courtois 154
Cornet - Geneva Heritage, Conn 28A
Mouthpieces - Monette 1-5 rims and similar.

Licensed Radio Amateur - GM4SVM

[Trumpeter58]

The things about these dirt cheap instruments that bugs me the most is that they will:
A. hinder the progress of a beginning student.
B. Discourage unwary parents when they find out that after they've already spent $99 to $200 for one of the junk instruments, in order for their child to progress they will have to purchase or rent another horn.

I didn't take a close look at the case. I just wanted to get the horn to a point that it can handle beginning exercises. Despite the mistake the parent(s) made by not doing a little homework before making the purchase, I feel it's only right that I advise them of what they paid for so that they may be able to get their money back.
_________________
"Blowing" my retirement away.
"All that we know is infinitely less than that which we have yet to learn."

Blessing ML-1S
Olds Special NA 100ZU
Holton Collegiate cornet (circa 1953)
Olds NF13MRT Flugel
Monette STC1-B4S