I have played this cornet for 25 years. It still plays beautifully with a clear, mellow tone. Cornets are smaller and sound smoother than trumpets. I had to work harder to achieve the crisp tone of a trumpet when playing marching band songs, but found the mellow tone perfectly suited for concert band. I have used my cornet hard. It survived a 20-foot fall from bleachers, many frustrated slams on the bed, and hours of practice and playing. The brass is worn off around the valves where I held it, but it took eight years of hard use before it wore off. Any beginning trumpet player would find this horn comfortable to hold. I can’t recommend it highly enough.