The Blues 151 Trumpet

Designed specifically to aid the progress of beginners", the Blues 151 does just that in my opinion. The imagination and thought that has gone into the making of this trumpet make it a successful, easy and solid instrument to play on, especially for the novice student.
The Blues 151 boasts mobile first and third valve slides. On the third valve slide there is an adjustable finger ring. This is a great thought and is ideal for growing hands and fingers! The trumpet is built using a rose brass lead pipe and has a lacquered finish. The outer coat to the slides is nickel and the third slide has a water key on it (brilliant for beginners to find that hidden water). It is quite a light trumpet but still feels a sturdy and stable instrument to hold.

There are a number of essential maintenance accessories included in the price. These comprise a flexible pipe cleaner, a valve rod, mouthpiece brush, valve oil, a lacquer cloth and tuning slide grease. This is a very useful feature in instructing the student in how to maintain their instrument. The mouthpiece that is included is an Arnolds & Son 5C. It is a copy of a Vincent Bach and is probably around the size of a Bach 3C - a sound practical mouthpiece to commence on.

To the playing side, the Blues 151 has a strong fundamental sound. I found it quite versatile although when playing above forte, there is a lack of brilliance to the overall sound. The response is excellent and satisfyingly easy across the whole range and dynamics. A niggling concern of mine is the tuning of the instrument. Overall it is pretty good but from middle B flat to E, the Blues 151 plays somewhat flat. This is fairly common on most trumpets but generally not to this extent. However, I am willing to forgive this in favour of all the other healthy points this trumpet exhibits.

Overall, I very much enjoyed playing this trumpet and admire the thoughtful and helpful way in which it has been built. Comparing this to my very first trumpet, the Blues 151 would win hands down every time! The price is exceptional - £129 excluding VAT, £175 including VAT at 17.5% - and it has an RRP of £250. A bargain considering the excellent accessories and features the Blues 151 possesses.

Jamie Prophet - BBC Philharmonic Orchestra

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