@administrator
Okay, I have a better understanding now.

Who are the members of the review board and what are their credentials or can anyone just rate a horn ? If the latter is the case, then to me it is nothing more than someone's opinion and I question how a dedicated site will have any credibility . Just wondering.

@Dr-GO
No, Doc, in the early stages of my comeback there were some minor things, but mostly I needed advice on finding the right mouthpiece. The Bach 10.5C that I used in my teens and twenties just didn't work for me in my 80s. Too much in the chops had changed, including a full upper denture that I didn't have in my younger playing days.

In my younger playing years I started with some formal training ( a few months at a music conservatory and a year taking lessons from a great local professional trumpeter ) and that formal training stayed with me and got me back in the saddle when I started playing again after a 50 year hiatus.
But age did change things for me and there were a few problems that a local semi-pro friend of mine was able to help me with.

@ButchA

I know what it's like to be forced to play lead. Although we have 5 trumpets, two play 2nd book and three of us play 1st with a more experienced high range player doing lead duties. But he lives an hour and a half drive away and is often a no show when the weather is dirty. That leaves me or a female playing first and she doesn't have the confidence to play lead. In fairness to her, she has only been playing 4 months after a 12 year hiatus and she is still working on her high range. So that leaves me, the old timer whose lips have trouble with Gs, A, and Bs when they are frequent. Fortunately the conductor is a gentleman and I can drop an octave when necessary...which is often. But good for you, Butch. That smaller mp looks like a winner for you.

@ButchA
Hey, buddy, good to hear that smaller mp is working for you, and as you have learned from your friend's attempt at using it, what works for one doesn't mean it will work for someone else.

@Kehaulani

Yeah, I don't know how it got here.

Louis Armstrong with The Oscar Peterson Trio
Playing the ever beautiful ballad: YOU GO TO MY HEAD

youtube.com/watch?v=sPEWJzjj5lo

Since my wife passed 8 years ago, New Year's Eve and Day are just days with memories. I will get together with some musician friends on New Years Day and play some music. Music always helps.