Zachary Lester

So I'm a career audio engineer, but started as a player. I played Trombone in junior high and high school, and honestly liked it quite a bit until I picked up the guitar, which kinda stuck. Recently I've been missing my brass (kinda considering picking up the trumpet as well), but I haven't played since I graduated high school in 08' and i just rebuilt the live room in my studio so I'm not in a position to pay thousands of bucks for an instrument. Recently I've found 2 possible solutions. A UK-based company called pInstruments makes a plastic-ish material instrument called the pBone, they retail about $200 USD. These are the same general size of your typical tenor trombone, but way lighter and not brass. Another company called Nuvo makes instruments from a similar plastic-ish material known as the jHorn. It's a smaller version of the euphonium, and comes with the C tubes so it can be tuned to concert tuning and Bb. These retail for around $130 USD. I've looked up videos and heard demos of each, and I'm impressed by both of them. I can read music no problem, it's just the decision between the instruments. I called my guy at Sweetwater (I live in Columbia City Indiana, one city away from their HQ) and he said they have pBones in stock currently and I could come down and get one today. He also told me that Sweetwater sells the jHorn too, but they're on backorder waiting to get more in stock. HOWEVER, apparently Walmart has started selling jHorns recently and I have a store credit. The store by my house told me my horn could be here by Monday. How should I play this? Pay more money for the thing that's more familiar (that I can get NOW,) or wait a few days for the cheaper option that is a bit more interesting but completely new for me? Either way they're both relatively inexpensive ways to get back into playing wind/brass instruments.