“I recently bought one of these instruments on behalf of the band that I conduct, to replace a tired old Sovereign for one of my front row cornet players. The price was a big factor in the decision to make the purchase, though I had already heard good reports about the cornet. “The addition of the Smith Watkins lead pipe is a real stroke of genius, as I believe no-one makes cornets better than Richard Smith. As a result the cornet has a very free blowing feel, and a rich sound throughout the range. Whilst testing the instrument I was really impressed with the evenness of sound quality, and the ease of playing in the upper register. Intonation was good and whilst the notes just above the stave were a little sharp (as they are on most cornets) the trigger soon rectified that. “We are now looking at replacing more of our older cornets with the JP Cornet 271L MkII (SW), which at its bargain price puts a lot of its more expensive competitors to shame. Whether you are a student on a budget or a band looking to kit out a section without breaking the bank, you could do far worse than to look to JP.”

Pete Collins. Pete is Principal Cornet of the Thoresby Colliery Band, Musical Director of the Foresters Band and a wellknown teacher.