<p>DS is a trumpet major in college now. He played for two years on his father’s old (and very beat up) student trumpet (Conn). We told him that if he stuck with the instrument for two years that we would buy him the instrument of his choice. I guess, I’m wondering why you are switching trumpets right now. But all that aside, when we did buy that trumpet (after the two years), we bought a professional level Yamaha (which we happened to get used from a trumpet playing friend). The key for my son was that the trumpet have monal piston valves and a decent and easy to use tuning slide. The student trumpet had neither. DS played the Yamaha for two years, and we sold it back to the original owner (no kidding) and he bought a Bach Strad which he still uses.</p>