I admit it: I am cynical about cheap trumpets. In fact, I spent days looking at used trumpets and cornets all over the place! All of them were either worn out banged up junk that only a sucker would buy, or absurdly overpriced instruments that only a dumber sucker would buy.
Sooo…after reading ALL the reviews kindly left here by others who have purchased an Etude trumpet, I decided to take a chance on getting one myself. All I had to lose was return shipping charges, right?
What a pleasant surprise! I know a little about horns, having owned a Silver Sonic cornet “back in the days”, so give my opinion a little weight when I tell you that…..this is a GREAT horn, and would be a good buy at TWICE the price I paid! The quality of construction and materials rates right up there with horns costing several times more, and the sound of this horn is good enough to make me think I’m better at playing it than I really am!
Sure, there were a couple of small problems with my horn, but I solved them easily enough. First, the valves were sticky. I cured that by removing them (one at a time as they aren’t marked), completely wiping all the original valve oil off everything and applying a SMALL amount (one or two drops carefully spread around each valve) of Denis Wick valve oil with PTFE (teflon). It’s the best valve oil on the planet, thinner and more slippery than what Etude used.
Second, the screw that holds the third slide finger ring was missing. I replaced it with a 4mm X .07 set screw, 5mm in length. It doesn’t show, and cost me all of 26 cents. Later (as often), I found the screw where it had fallen out while unpacking the trumpet.
Third….well, there really isn’t really much of a third to mention. The polishing cloth that came with the trumpet shed more than my cat. One of the hinges on the case is out of alignment, and if that ever breaks it will probably cost me about a dollar to replace both of them. The white cotton gloves they included weren’t bad quality, but I don’t need them.
I have read reviews here where people complained about some very petty problems with their horns, and can only suggest that they check out the used trumpets in their local markets to see what can go wrong with these instruments regardless of brand or cost. Do you really think it a good idea to give a teenager a 0 to ,000 Yamaha or Bach to practice on?
I’m far from of my teens, and the Etude is certainly good enough for my purpose!
As usual, I’ll update this review if I find anything pertinent to add to it.

I (a beginner at the trumpet) am impressed with the quality of the Etude ETR-100 trumpet. All slides and valves moved freely. The instrument looks and sounds good. The included 7c mouthpiece seemed almost equal to the Bach 7c I already had. The case could be better. Be aware that the main tuning slide MUST be completely pushed in for the case to close properly, don’t force it! Also, there is basically no padding between the case and the bell of the trumpet. This could lead to a damaged instrument down the road. Not a problem for me (adult) but could be for a child. Overall a good value.

I find that this trumpet is affordable and plays well. It is a good beginner trumpet or in my case a nice trumpet for a musician who loves to play trumpet on the side but not as a main instrument, I would reccommend to any student level child or beginner trumpet, I have played trumpet for 9 years and this is a easy to play trumpet with good sound and just a good first level instrument. The delivery was fast and surprisingly came even earlier then expected.