Advantages: everything
Disadvantages: not many

...I first went to the Paxman shop in London as a 10 year old horn player, having played the horn for 2 years. I just needed a new mute but I could have spent hours in that shop, just looking at all the horns they have on display. Each and every one has its own quality features, and I doubt there are any that aren't good value for money. I came back at age 12, having grown out of my Yamaha French Horn (don't even go there!!!) loaned to me by my music centre, and I decided I wanted a professional horn that I could keep for the rest of my life. I was a very good player, at least grade 8 standard, and I needed a horn to suit my needs. My horn teacher had rang Paxman about a week before I arrived to advise them that I needed a good horn, and I wasn't just some little girl playing the horn, I had serious potential. I would recommend... Read review

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Advantages: fantastic tonal qualities, light, good value for money
Disadvantages: erm..

...ive been playing the french horn for around a decade (and as im only 17 thats a fair while). In this time ive played on a number of different makes of horn including B&H, Conn, Paxman and my current horn which is a Holton. If you already know something about french horns you can skip this next bit but in general horns developed for the US market are slightly more harsh and (without being nasty) brash than ones designed for the European market. Holton seem to go against this stereotyping however as they are an american manufacturer who seem to have manufactured horns with a very warm and full sound. Compared to the Conn I used to play I find that the Holton is a lot easier to blow and can be played a lot louder before the note splits or goes off edge. This is not to say that with some lip skill the note can be given a good brassy edge... Read review

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Advantages: Beatiful sound, British company
Disadvantages: Not many

...The French Horn is quite simply one of the finest instruments ever devised. A favourite among late romantic orchestral composers and a predominant force in many of the greatest movie soundtracks of today. --My Paxman 20M-- Paxman French Horns are the best example of the instrument I heave ever encountered. I personally own a Paxman 20M (M stands for medium bore) in yellow brass and find it quite spectacular. The bottom register if very free blowing, the middle register rich and deep. The upper register may seem thin to start with, but once the instrument is worn in it blows quite freely and I find it easy to pitch. The 20 is a full double horn, having effectively two sets of valve piping, one in the key of F and one in Bb (B flat). Switching between these sets is by use of a thumb valve, giving four valves in total. One point... Read review

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Advantages: Beautiful sound, hand made
Disadvantages: Not ideal for beginners

...I currently play on an Alexander 103, which I have owned now for many years. However, perhaps a little background first... I started off as a tenor horn player when I was about 11-12. I played that for a couple of years and then moved on to the french horn, playing on a Holton 177. This was a good horn to start on, but after playing for a few years I wanted more. I spent hours (and I mean hours) in Paxman's in London, trying each and every instrument they had. In the end I decided on a screw-bell Alex model 103. I received it on trial the day before I was due to go off on a course to record a CD. I loved it the moment I played it, and have loved it ever since. -- All Alexander horns are hand-made in Mainz, Germany. They have several different models of single, double, triple and descant horns available. However, the two which... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Lovely tone, well-defined upper register
Disadvantages: Supply time.. And (possibly) valve slides...

...I have owned both the 668 French Horn and also the 668II (the new version). It should be noted that Yamaha have stopped making the YHR-668 - made obsolete by the 668II range. ***NB: The new french horns have "YHR-668" as their model number, but are easily distinguishable from