I hear lots of good things about Kessler, which is in your budget. I've never played a Kessler soprano myself, but I have one of their baris which is excellent and an amazing value. I tested a Kessler tenor in the past, and while I was not impressed with the sound, it was a quality built instrument.
Not to discourage you from upgrading, but one of my bandmates buys those cheap Chinese sopranos all the time. When one breaks, he just buys another. He is an excellent player and sounds fantastic on them, in spite of the fact they're terrible horns. But he likes all the weird colors and designs and the fact he doesn't have to worry about how he treats them.
Not to discourage you from upgrading, but one of my bandmates buys those cheap Chinese sopranos all the time. When one breaks, he just buys another. He is an excellent player and sounds fantastic on them, in spite of the fact they're terrible horns. But he likes all the weird colors and designs and the fact he doesn't have to worry about how he treats them.
