Tips on Buying Quality Band and Orchestra Instruments

Before you start looking for an instrument, here are some professional tips on how to choose quality instrument without breaking your budget.

Each year, thousands beginning band and orchestra students begin the wonderful pursuit of learning a musical instrument only to be frustrated with a low quality instrument. Unfortunately, some companies produce and sell discount instruments that are such a low quality, students don't have a chance of succeeding in their first year of band or orchestra.

How do you know which instruments are okay for a beginner? It's not easy since poor quality instruments look basically the same to the untrained eye. Their trumpets are just as shiny as better quality instruments and their violins can look beautiful at first glance.

A general rule for band instruments is to check on where it was manufactured. Almost all instruments made in the U.S.A. and Japan are good for beginners. Some quality brands include Artley, Armstrong, Bach, Benge, Blessing, Boosey & Hawkes, Buffet, Bundy, Conn, Emerson, Gem üeinhardt, Getzen, Jupiter, Holton, King, Leblanc, Ludwig, Olds, Pearl, Remo, Selmer, Vito, Yamaha, Yanagisawa and Zildjian. Most band instruments manufactured in China are of very low quality. It's more difficult to determine the quality of a string instrument since there are a number of smaller makers from all countries who make quality string instruments. The best method to determine the quality of any instrument is to ask a local school band or orchestra director. They have seen the frustration of beginners who try to learn with a low-quality instrument. Some online music stores sell only quality music instruments. Others sell only poor quality instruments for cheap prices. The makers of beginband.com have rejected several commercial advertisements for this reason. We have taken care to ensure that all instruments featured on this site quality choices for beginners. In general, beware of instrument that are a lot cheaper than the others. The old buyer's rule is still true: "You get what you pay for."