Hey people, I'm buying a new horn, and I need a tip on selecting the right one. Right now I play on my school's intermediate horn, and I'm looking to but a professional. I'm an only in middle school right now but I want an instrument to last me a long time. Should I invest in a $4-5000 instrument which is nice and will help me move forward probably through highschool, or buy the ideal $7500 horn that could last through my whole musical career? (It also has a great number of additional features like two interchangeable lead pipes, a detachable bell, ect.)

To summarize my question, is better for students to invest in the greatest instrument they can find, or one just good enough to help them move forward?

Playing the best horn you can afford is generally the best option in my opinion.

Thing is there is no one best horn for everything.

If you are going to play a Hollywood studio, you will be playing a Conn 8D. Some Orchestras you will be playing a Schmid, others a Paxman.

Here's the basic thing, figure out what you need. If you need penetrating sound in a band with 200 trumpets who have no idea what "pp" means, then a big bore (assuming you can handle a big bore) is probably your choice.

If you are playing small groups, a smaller bore, more responsive horn will be better.

If for some reason you are already playing very difficult very high pieces regularly you might be best with a descant or even a triple horn.

It's really what job do I need to do, somewhat like a mechanic doesn't just have one tool. Just like for that mechanic though, he might walk right by a set of wrenches that sells for $20 and buy what to someone else looks like an identical set and pay $200 because they are better.

My basic rec is don't just buy a horn. Go to a horn specialist shop with plenty of new and used horns and try a bunch of them out. Even in the same model, there are always differences, and while no one wants a horn that just can't play certain notes, or has leaky valves, and so on, many things come down to what feels best to you as a personal preference.