Trumpet Finishes

Finishes — plating or lacquer — may or may not be applied to the surface of the underlying material. The finish of the instrument may affect the tonal qualities of the instrument by increasing the thickness and/or rigidity of the base metal, although these characteristics are typically able to be discerned only by well-trained players.

Raw Brass

The original finish of any trumpet, raw brass looks great when first polished, but tarnishes to a dark, golden- or reddish-brown. Many professional players actually prefer raw-brass trumpets for their playing characteristics, and don’t mind the look of a tarnished instrument. But a raw brass instrument will also corrode more quickly than one that is plated or lacquered.

Lacquer

Lacquer is the least-expensive finish, next to raw brass, and is therefore the preferred finish for most student trumpets. The lacquer finish is applied after the instrument is meticulously polished and cleaned, otherwise the finish will pit and/or bubble.

Lacquer looks great when new, is easy to clean and requires no polishing, and can look great for many years if the instrument is kept clean. But unless well-cared-for (wiped down and washed regularly), or you wear gloves when you play, it will become pitted by the oils and acids on your hands, scratched, and chipped.

Lacquer adds significantly to the thickness and rigidity of the metal, and therefore has the greatest affect on the playing characteristics of the instrument.

Silver Plating

Silver plating is a very high-quality, readily-available finish with excellent playing characteristics. A very thin plating applied to a highly polished base, it makes very little change to the sound and responsiveness of the instrument. The bond between silver and brass is very strong (unless there was a manufacturing defect) so silver plate does not chip, crack, peel or flake off like lacquer finishes can sometimes do, and as a noble metal, it corrodes very slowlyStill, silver does require care and maintenance. It will eventually tarnish to an ugly black unless polished. It is microscopically porous, so sweat it can get through the silver plating and corrode the underlying brass, creating “orange peel” cracking and peeling if you do not wear gloves or wipe it down regularly.

However, silver is a very popular finish because it is reasonably durable, not too expensive, retains its value well, and has good playing characteristics.

Incidentally, there is no such thing as “sterling silver plating”. Sterling silver is a material used in building parts of some instruments (like brass), but not a finish.

Gold Plating

Gold plating is rare and expensive, but it is the best finish available. Gold is usually a very thin plating that is applied on top of silver plating. As a noble metal, it is completely tarnish and corrosion resistant, and is not porous like silver so it doesn’t burn, chip or peel. It has only one drawback, and that is that gold is expensive! And of course, you can still wear through it.

Nickel Plating

Nickel plate can be a very durable finish. It is harder than silver plate, so it is very difficult to scratch of scuff, and it is not porous, so it is not affected by solder absorption or by the player’s sweat soaking through the finish.

There are a couple of downsides, though. Nickel is a less stable metal than silver, so it is much more difficult to get a reliable finish to stick to the horn. If the plating job is successful then it can be very durable, but often nickel will develop problems with bubbling and peeling of the finish over time.

Nickel plating looks a bit like, and is often confused with, silver plating. Silver is a smoother, whiter, more mirror-like finish, whereas nickel is duller and grayer. Most people prefer the look of silver.

It is rare to find a nickel plated, professional-quality trumpet. Most are student-level instruments, and many are cheap instruments made overseas.