I'm looking for a horn for an 11-year-old first year horn student. Being a part-time musician myself, I know it can be difficult to learn on a poor quality instrument. There is a Conn 8d for sale in my area. From what I've read, this model is a quality horn - correct? I'm told it was purchased new in 1998 and played for two years. Serial # is 607194. The asking price is $2,000. Looking at hornplayer.net, and assuming there are no issues, this seems like a fair price.

He's currently renting an Eastman EFH420. I don't even see this horn on hornplayer.net, so I'm assuming it's not a high quality instrument.

I'd likely try to have the Conn checked out by a local pro - I have a few contacts. My only concern is getting stuck with a $2,000 horn if the kid decides the horn isn't for him.

Any advice?

I certainly would not go for something that high-end if it's a first year student! The 8d is considered a professional-level horn and is widely used in orchestras. There's a reason a used specimen costs $2000 - it's a very advanced model. That being said, I think you can find them for slightly less than $2k if you have a bit of patience and can accept a horn where the outward appearance has faded to some degree.

I'd think the Conn 6d is a better approach. It's still considered quite good but is considerably less expensive. Though even that would be kind of toward the upper end of what I would consider if I had a kid in the exact same situation.

Horn quality is less critical for beginners because their embouchure and other playing techniques are not yet developed enough to take advantage of top-notch instruments.

Is the rental horn a single or double? If it's a single then I'd ask somebody to let your kid try out a double horn to determine whether the weight and bulk are reasonable. If so, then go for a relatively inexpensive double. If too heavy, the B-flat single horn is probably the best way to go. (It used to be that horn teachers insisted on single F horns for most beginners, but nowadays the pendulum has swung the other way for the very practical reason that the B-flat is much easier to play without hitting too many wrong notes.)

In any case, I'd set a budget well below $2k for the horn.

<Added>

Sorry, I checked and your rental horn is definitely a double. So go for a used double, but something cheaper than the 8D.

Mn, karl brings up some good points. The Conn 8D is what we consider a large bore horn. This means the leadpipe taper and bell taper are large and as a result requires a largere amount of air to produce and maintain a decent sound. A horn this big would be torture for a new student. In fact i see advanced amateurs and pros who cant handel the air requirements for thses horns.

If you want a horn that be used for a beginer and still stick around for a while an older Conn 6D will work. Holton 100 series or 200 series will work. You might even consider a prolevel Jupiter. You want to look for a "medium bore or medium
Bell taper" horn.

Holton and Yamaha both make intermediate level instruments whose tapers are designed around the learning student. Those instruments help the student with note accuracy so they can have a positive learning experience.
The Eastman horn is a good student horn. When your ready to move up dont buy a Conn made after 1978 look into Yamaha's

Great advice from both of you. As a double bass player, my lack of horn knowledge is obvious. A great horn isn't so great if you don't have the power to blow through it. I'll look into the other horn brands/models you suggested. Between this forum, hornplayer.net and some local repair and musician contacts, I'm sure we'll find the right fit.

Thanks!

This brings up another interesting question. How noticeable is the visual difference between a large and medium bore? I looked at some 8D photos and the bell taper doesn't look especially wide. Neither does the lead pipe. I imagine the difference must be pretty small, but...?

You will not see the leadpipe taper because it is all done inside the pipe. Seeing and understanding the bell taper comes with experience. I can see a huge difference between bell tapers/flares. Most people cannot. A lot of the difference is at the throat and it is easier to see in person than on a picture. If you look at my avatar and can blow it up you should be able to see some differences in those horns. There are two large bore, one medium, and one small.