My nephew is entering into concert band season and plays French Horn. His band at school provided the Marching French horn. Now he's told he needs to find a concert band french horn. Is the marching French horn in the same key as a concert french horn?

And, in the interest of avoiding a costly rental from the local music store, what would be a nice brand french horn (double, preferably) that would be a good quality and value for a sophomore in high school?

What price should his parents expect to pay for this horn?

Thanks for any and all honest responses!

The marching horn and concert horn are both written in the key of F. So there shoudln't be much problem there.

I know Conn makes good horns. I've asked around myself and that's what most people have said is good. As for the rental thing, I know our local music store allows you to rent and have all the rent payment apply towards buying the instrument. Maybe you could check and see if that's the case where you are.

If that's not something you'd like to do, then you could get a better feel for a good price by looking in different music stores or on E-bay (be careful on E-bay! there are some no-name horns out there that sell cheap, but they aren't that good. If you're on E-bay, make sure there's a recognizable brand name for the horn) A french horn can last you a long time, so get the right one the first time.

Is a double (Bflat and F) horn necessary? There's an Olds Ambassador at a local 2nd hand store nearby, but they're asking $499 for it. I believe it is a single. Is that a bad deal? Ebay has them going for slightly less, but condition could be a factor.

A double allows easier high and low range with tons of alternate fingerings. I prefer double but then again I've only played double. I'm not to sure which is better. So I can't decide for you.