I wind up playing the Eb parts in a couple of groups. I have a Getzen Eterna D/Eb trumpet that I used to use. Later I broke down and bought an Eb Yamaha Neo cornet. The Yamaha is better and more consistent. But I'm getting too old to cover those Eb parts these days. It seems like the higher horns should logically give you some extra range for free. Not so. Eb is a LOT more work and a completely different experience, no matter what horn you use.
Yamaha student model is a great place to start. You won't need anything fancier than that for several years. These topics are definitely discussed in the trumpet world. (All the time. You will see lots of threads about this topic.) I'm sure there is a list somewhere, but here are some highlights....
Most of the big-name players of the big band era played the Martin Committee for some portion of their career. Miles Davis played Committees throughout his entire career, although he also used several other horns at different times. They built the last "real" Committee (second generation) in about 1955. Chris Botti still uses restored Committees exclusively. But you don't want a Committee unless you really know what you want after many years of development as a player.
The Bach Stradivarius is the most common professional instrument for classical orchestra music as well as all-around, general-purpose use.
Louis Armstrong had an exclusive deal with Selmer. (Selmer stopped making trumpets some years ago.)
Harry James used Selmer at some times, but I believe he used the King Silversonic later on.
"It's not a trumpet. It's a bloody euphonium!"
-- Harry, "Brassed Off" (Played by Jim Carter, "Mr. Carson" of Downton Abbey)
Yeah, I know the picture shows a mellophone. But there is no good line about mellophones in "Brassed Off".
@Rapier232 ... and Star Trek has become even more of a cartoon with the new "alternate time line" series of movies. That's what you get when you give the franchise to a guy who doesn't know how to do anything other than turn comic books into movies.
Costco "office glasses" work great for me. They are "blended bifocals" with middle-distance prescription uppers and reading-distance prescription lowers.
@trumpetlearner What program did you use to create that graphic? It's very good.
@ericmonroes The most expensive? Probably Monette, as a brand; unless you get into completely custom-built, totally from-scratch one-off things made by elves in the Black Forest. (Or extremely rare antiques owned by super-famous players.)
@Kehaulani "Braces" or even "galluses". My grandfather used the latter term which I always thought was just really old fashioned. But I now find it is actually a Scottish term.
Just in case you missed the movie version, here is an actual recording.
One major difference is that professional instruments can be purchased with many different features to suit the experienced player. Bach Stradivarius, for example, can be purchased with at least 4 different bell geometries, at least 4 different bell materials, several different finishes, and a bunch of different "accessories", although some of those things require a special order. Student and intermediate instruments usually come in one configuration, take it or leave it. As as example, I have an older Bach Mercedes which I use as a practice and backup horn. That model was sold as an "intermediate" model with Strad valves, but it had only one available bell geometry and two finishes.
The only truly awful "student" instrument I have ever owned is a Tromba plastic cornet I bought just for fun. It's no fun.
Once you get a little farther along, try joining a recreational community band. Ask to sit "last chair." There might be other retirees in the band who could give you informal advice / occasional lessons / some coaching. Also, try to follow a structured approach like the old "Mitchell On Trumpet" books. Start at the beginning and don't move on to the next lesson until you have mastered the previous lesson.
Ha! Try living in San Francisco.
2000: Pacific Bell Park
2003: SBC Park
2006: AT&T Park
2019: Oracle Park
But Candlestick Park was always Candlestick Park, the way God intended.
The very-obtuse-angle bell braces also look like Committee (0:49). If I heard the audio without the visal, I would probably say "maybe Committee, maybe not."
....if you're thinking non-traditional, my Easter gig is with.... the Unitarian Universalists. Well OK, it's my own church, but with the "UU"s the music can be almost anything. It can be some of those great old traditional church hymns like "Jesus Christ is Risen Today" (see above) but with somewhat more abstract and less literal lyrics. Or it can more modern things.
Today (Palm Sunday) the choir did a great choral arrangement of "I am Willing" by Holly Near. Holly has shown up in person at our place and done it in the past. (But not today.)
What's on tap for Easter Sunday? Not sure. The director hasn't decided yet. (That's kind of UU, also.) Probably just playing along with the pipe organ on some of those big old, grand hymns. But we will see.....
@Dr-GO Dude. Sorry, but that comment is not OK, even if it was lighthearted. There have been times in my life when I made that kind of money and paid those kinds of taxes. (And I'm not an MD.) But there are people on this board who struggle to come up with $100 for a new mouthpiece. I don't make your kind of money today, and I'm lucky enough that I don't need to. But this is a site about trumpet playing. I know the OP was about one of Louis Armstrong's collectible horns, but have a little compassion for the players just trying to get by on gigging.
And the answer is..... (Well, maybe it's the answer. I'll let you know after the trip.) ..... the Carol Brass mini trumpet. See pictures below next to the Dillon pocket trumpet. The Carol is slightly smaller and the case it fits in is much smaller than the Dillon. The Carol should fit in my suitcase much better. It also came with this larger bell adapter thing. It looks weird, but it really does help with the tone, especially in combination with a larger mouthpiece (1.5C). That combination sounds almost normal, although the intonation is off more than a normal trumpet, especially in the notes below middle C, for some reason.
@Dr-GO Actually, not quite.... A BROKEN watch is right twice per day. But, for example, a watch that is set 30 minutes ahead of the correct time, but runs true, is never correct.
Chet played a whole bunch of different horns over the years. He kept pawning them to buy heroin.