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!

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.

I have had this instrument for a while now. I bought it as I am a cornet player in a brass band and I needed a flugel for occasional use. As I wouldn't be using it all the time, I didn't want to spend big bucks on a professional instrument. I read an online review of this instrument and decided to give it a try - the assurance of being able to return it and the long 3 year warranty meant a low risk purchase.


The instrument comes in a fairly sturdy, compact case with strap, mouthpiece & valve oil.

The supplied mouthpiece is quite shallow, producing quite a bright sound from the instrument. Not my taste but I'm sure it suits others. Upper register with the supplied mouthpiece is easily attainable. I normally use a Denis Wick 3FL which produces a more mellow sound and allows the instrument to blend better with a traditional brass band.
Tuning and intonation are surprisingly good, certainly better than some older professional-grade instruments I have played in the past. I worked through the range with a tuner and most notes are in tune.
Once you had played the instrument for a while you will get to know the gotchas / notes to watch out for in accordance with your own playing style.

In summary, I have no idea how Thomann have managed to produce such a high quality instrument for such low coast. While the sound is never going to match a professional instrument, it does come very, very close. If you have limited funds and are in the market for a secondhand flugel then I urge to try one of these instead. They are fantastic value.

Today's most of flugelhorns have some sign of trumpets in its shape desing, the resultant sound and so on. However, I realized that this flugelhorn is not, so it is highly valuable for me. Because I wanted rich, highly resonant, deep, and merrow sound which exactly flugelhorn can produce, and this flugelhorn can. Before, I often considerd to try/buy the other 100%-copper-bell ones or similar high copper content ones to get the sound which I wanted. However, this flugelhorn can produce satisfactory sound with its gold-brass bell and the shape, with nice response. For the other minor preference, we can modify mouthpiece and/or rendition style.