I like the horn a lot. It's been the only Holton that I've tried that I've liked. I enjoy it a lot more than the Current 8Ds that are in production. I played it with a Giardinelli C8 for 2 months and loved it. I got my C8 gold plated and am loving it even more. The sound is great and I've had multiple people comment that they love the comment that they love the combination. The only problem I had was that I had to work on the rotors for awhile, but it's still a great horn.

Big sound with a solid core and more of an edge than the H-180,181,179,190,&191 which we also tried. Takes good lungs to sustain a passage. Some 8D type horns have intonation problems & one of the two examples of this model we bought to try could not be tuned [too sharp]. Player loves this horn and she and her teacher were able to get the horn tuned satisfactorily using a gold-plated Farkas Medium Cup mouthpiece (not the one supplied). Try out several and find yourself a good one. If you like the sound, we highly recommend one. If you prefer a traditional velvety-sounding horn, this may not be for you!

The H188 has a some unique qualities. The Horn harks back to the sound of the older sliver Kruspes. The pitch is somewhat high at A=445, but using my Giardinelli C12 or my Schilke #31brought out the best in the sound and lowered the tuning to around a very manageable A=442. (My Giardinelli C4 sounds great, but in my case, would kill off the player in no short order.)I think it plays better then some of the current Conn 8-D's that it is designed after. The Holton left hand position is more comfortable in the thumb key area and the reach is not as large overall. The H188 may not be the Horn for all seasons, but it offers a lot for the person who likes the older, darker sounds of the Cleveland, New York and Hollywood style of playing. Even as large as it feels and sounds, the notes are all there. It may not be quite as flexible as my Holton H180, but my road test reminded me of the vintage Conn 8-D I once played on. A nice blast from the past.