Windcraft WCR-110 Lacquer - Cornet

Good price for a student cornet for my 7 year old daughter who is just starting lessons. The cornet arrived with the valves oiled and completely ready to play.

I have given this cornet 5 stars based on the market I believe it is aimed at. This is a cheap student cornet. I have bought it for my son (8) who is about to start cornet lessons, and only time will tell if he keeps them up, so I didn't want to pay several hundred more pounds for a more expensive student model only for it to become unused. I play a top end Yamaha cornet to a fairly high standard, so I know a bit about what I am talking about, but am not by any means an expert on all instruments out there. The windcraft series 1 cornet I bought had 1st and 3rd valve triggers (in my view a good thing as they are easier to use once you know what to do with them, and would be on higher spec cornet models if the player upgrades later). All slides move easily, although the 3rd valve slide sticks a bit on its return - my Yamaha did the same for a while until it wore in. Valves are smooth enough, and fairly quiet, no major thudding on return.

The tone I can get from the instrument is good, although you can tell the difference between a higher spec instrument, the tone is a bit more "tinny". I can easily reach high notes on the instrument (C above the stave). It is lighter than my yamaha so better for little hands to hold the weight. I have immediately given my son a Denis Wick 4B mouthpiece, I wouldn't recommend using the one provided with the instrument. It is a nice looking instrument and in my mind looks like a much more expensive instrument. If you ping the bell, you don't get a nice "ping" like you would on a high spec instrument, but what would you expect for £200. Dawkes customer service was good. I called one morning, they answered a few questions about the instrument, and I ordered it. The courier service delivered next day exactly on time. I have not had the instrument long, so can't comment on its quality long term, but from what I can see, I believe it will serve its purpose well. I would recommend the instrument to anyone wanting to buy a brand new instrument (or if you find a good quality second hand one) for a child or someone beginning to learn to play and don't want to spend too much money as you don't know if they will take up playing long term. For what I paid, I am happy with what I got.