The all new T.O.M.A. Quartertone Trumpet by Antoine Courtois

ACB gets 5 stars, the manufacturer gets 4. I really enjoy playing this trumpet. The craftsmanship seems to be great! However as mentioned in another's review the tuning slide tolerance is not as tight as I would prefer, and it benefits greatly with an application of thick red slide grease. If you can see the photos ACB took of my "vintage model" horn, the lacquer and paint were heavily and sloppily applied on the outside and inside of the bell. I removed the lacquer and paint from the bell and the horn looks better and definitely resonates more freely. Most trumpets are in tune at room temperature with the tuning slide a quarter of an inch out. The quarter-tones are spot on according to the tuner, however the trumpet seems to have been made a little long because it plays in tune at room temperature only with the tuning slide all the way in. This makes playing in cold weather a very flat experience as the tuning slide cannot be pushed in at all. Perhaps I will have the bell-tail trimmed or even replaced with a larger bell. This student model quarter-tone trumpet I purchased from ACB is designed by Adrien Jaminet, branded as Antoine Courtois Paris by the parent company Buffet Crampon and is manufactured in series in Markneukirchen, Germany. Here is video of Ibrahim Maalouf playing the student model quarter-tone TOMA...he sounds as amazing on it as he does on the professional model. I highly recommend the student model. I have also purchased the professional model quarter-tone TOMA hand-made by Adrien Jaminet in Brétigny-sur-Orge, France. Both horns are fantastic, both quarter-tone trumpets, yet uniquely incomparable. Thank you ACB!