Thomann FH 600 G Bb-Flugelhorn

I am a french horn player but I wanted a flugelhorn for doubling in a piece our orchestra (The Cambridge Concert Orchestra) is playing in an up-comimng concert and also for helping out in a local brass band. Obviously I did not want to pay a lot of money for an instrument that is only going to get occasional use but at the same time, I wanted a good instrument. This flugel, judging by the reviews already left, seemed to fit the bill. I had a bit of a wait as it was out of stock when I ordered but it was well worth the wait! The instrument worked well straight out of the box and has a beautiful tone if a touch on the light side of dark (with the included mouthpiece). if you get what I mean! Build quality looks good and solid and the intonation is good. My only niggle was the radial 'slop' in the valves, that is, they would turn a few degrees in their casings. This would probably not make a lot of difference to the way it played but it made the insrument 'feel cheap'. Upon inspection, the valve guides appeared to have been 'carved' to a point instead of having a square section to match the keyway in the valve casing. My remedy was to fit a set of genuine Yamaha valve guides (for theYFH631 flugelhorn). The only adjustment I had to make to the Yamaha guides was to file the key down a tiny bit to suit the depth of the keyway in the Thomann flugel, and the felt bumpers above the valve guide were replaced with Yamaha ones as the guides are are bit harder than the originals and make the valves a bit noisy with the existing felts . My Thomann flugelhorn now feels like I paid £1,600 for it!

I bought one of these flugelhorns and had to send it back as the intonation was so bad it was unplayable. I gave it a 1/5 rating. Luckily, Thomann's customer service was great and they refunded the money in full.
I thought it just might be a quality control problem so I ordered the same model again and this time struck gold (well, brass). This one has much better intonation - it's not perfect, the high D is always a bit flat, but it's way better than the previous one and is now fun to play. The sound as a whole is also better with this one, especially when playing quietly.
So, I've changed my review... from 1/5 to 4/5 - now very happy with this instrument at this price and think I will have to spend over ¤1000 to get anything significantly better.
Thanks, too, to Thomann's excellent customer service - by taking the old one back and refunding me, it allowed me to order again and get one which I'm happy with. Danke.

For the price this flugelhorn is fantastic, and easily compares to the Yamaha Maestro (predecessor to the Xeno model) for just a fraction of the price. This particular flugel is modeled after the Maestro (which many recent flugelhorns are).
It is the perfect instrument for the trumpet player wanting a good quality doubler's flugelhorn without breaking the bank, or for lower section brass bands needing a new flugel (at this price it's definitely the instrument of choice for anyone but professional musicians).
The gold brass bell adds a fair bit of weight to the instrument, so if you aren't a fan of heavier instruments then opt for the yellow brass model (FH 600), however the gold brass bell creates that beautiful extra little softness and delicate element to the sound that is just as much at home in a brass band setting as it is in a big band.
The valves have unusually strong springs in, but swapping these for standard-weight springs improves the response of the valves and makes it much easier to play, however some players do prefer the heavier valves. Initially the valves needed a rinse to remove dirt from manufacture, but after cleaning the valves move smoothly and don't stick.
The mouthpiece is suited for use in a flugel, however there are many better mouthpieces out there, and a much better tone can be achieved simply by swapping to a better mouthpiece.
The build quality is good, with no blobs of solder or rough joints, however there were sharp edges on the trigger springs which have caused a few scratches.
For the amazing price you can't possibly go wrong with this instrument, and you won't find it lacking at all. Highly recommend.

For the price this is a truly unbelievable instrument. Very closely based on the popular Yamaha Maestro flugels, the gold brass bell has a rich, warm tone perfect for playing in all scenarios (I've used it in both British Brass Bands and Big Bands). The valves are heavy and sluggish at first, but with a quality, thin valve oil and some time this corrects itself as the horn "wears in". The instrument is very heavy, it is the heaviest flugel I can remember ever playing, however it is very comfortable and ergonomic in the hands. The 3rd valve slide trigger on mine is a little sluggish, but does the job just fine; on an instrument in this price bracket it's unusual to see a trigger at all, never mind one that's nearly perfect!

For the big band doubler or brass band cornet player who is occasionally asked to dep on flugel this is perfect, and would suit brass band flugelhorn soloists up to 2nd/3rd section standard without a problem. Very highly recommended.

I should start by pointing out that I am a beginner. Not a complete beginner as I have three professional quality trombones that I have played on and off for 40 years. I just fancied trying a flugel horn as I like its mellow sound. I did not want to spend a fortune, but I also did not want something poor so that I could not progress if I liked it.
The service from Thomann was excellent. They answered my query about the instrument quickly by email, and I ended up buying a B-stock version of this instrument. B-stock simply means returned as new. Mine was perfect. The build quality is excellent. I was able to produce a sound immediately and within 3 days, I am able to play 2 octaves in Bb with a passable sound at times. The valves move freely and the sound quality is rich. The mouthpiece that comes with this instrument is too shallow and bright, so I bought a Denis Wick 3FL one with the money that I saved from buying a B-stock – what a difference. Thank you to a previous reviewer who made this suggestion. It comes with a lightweight case and valve oil and of course white gloves for refereeing snooker matches.
I am very happy with instrument. I think it has the potential to produce a professional quality sound when I get better and I would recommend it to anyone thinking of wanting a good start on this lovely instrument.

Not bad at all. At the beginning I was exited about this instrument for low price.
Depending on the mouthpiece you can make sharp or really deep, I'd say 'empty', mellow sound. I use this one as a soloist in wind orchestra, also for playing marches outdoor. It plays.
The bad thing on this i that screws more likely fall off, also the mechanism on the 3rd valve pipe fell of on mine 2 times, so at this point it is not reliable instrument.
Valves keep working very - very well after (now I am quite surprised when seeing it's been so long time!) more then 3 years of almost everyday playing. The tuning pipe is a little bit worse, still works though.
I would say- it can do really good job if it doesn't loose it screws and soldered part doesn't come off.

This is a really great horn. I have had this flugelhorn for two years now and I am still amazed by it. It has everything that a professional model horn from other brands offers, but for a fraction of the price. To start with, the rose brass bell produces a lovely dark, velvety tone that is characteristic of the flugelhorn. The third valve trigger allows for slight adjustments in intonation, which can be a bit of a problem with flugelhorns in general. The build quality of this instrument is fantastic, the finish is superb and no valve issues, right out of the box! You may want to experiment with mouthpieces, but the one supplied with this horn ( 7C ) does the trick and actually requires little effort to produce a nice sound. Overall I was very impressed with this flugelhorn and still love playing it.