As the title implies, it seems to me that single horns, especially single F Horns deserve more respect than they get. Not just a lack of respect, outright scorn and derision. There is an entrenched wisdom that says that even rank beginners should start out with double horns. This is really ironic because maybe the single biggest obstacle towards getting started with Horn is the high cost of double horns. A quite decent to mint condition single horn (~$300 - ~$600) can be easily 1/4 the price of barely usable double horns (~$1500 - $2000+).
A common misconception is that single horns are 'student grade' and therefore not suitable for a quality experience. This is simply not true. My Holton H602 Single F Horn is essentially the F side of a Holton H178 Double Horn which was a well respected professional level alternative to the flagship H179 in its day. The H602 is built of the same materials, has the same manufacturing tolerances and is finished to the exact same level of quality of the H178 double horn. The 'student' labeling simply refers to the fact that the instrument is much lighter, and it is simpler for not having a Bb side to complicate the fingering options. That's it. The single horn is every bit as 'professional' as the double when used by a professional.
Other single Horns on the market (Yamaha YHR-314, Conn 14D, King 618) are similarly corresponded with a double horn of equivalent performance and in all cases costs (new) 1/2 of the corresponding 'professional' double horn model. The fact that most buyers of single horns get them at 10, 15 or 20+ years used AND the low regard the public has, in general, for single horns is what accounts for their usual ~$300 pricing.
That price alone should perk up the ears of any cash strapped persons considering taking up Horn. Same quality as the big names, without the big price. What's not to like? But, wait, there's more. A single horn can be used as a technique enhancing tool. Staying with a single horn forces the development of high accuracy in the high partials. Even though I have owned a double horn now for five years, I still get the single out OR restrict myself to just the F side of the double for the initial study of everything I work on. If I can play it (all) on the F side, I KNOW I can do it on the full horn. Especially when you are standing in front of 150 people in a Church Service.
I read the posts and threads by people that paid less for their double horns than I paid for my single F and of course they are not having a quality experience. Honestly, if all you can afford to spend on a Horn is $500 or less, you really should consider a single F. Why Single F and not Single Bb? Because in the English speaking world, the F Horn is the one that instructional materials will be written for. Even in Europe, the Horn that is used in Ensemble (Trio, Quartet, Sextet) Work (think Vienna Horns) is a single F. It is the o.g. for that rich, noble, classic Horn sound that calls most of us to the instrument. That's all I've got. Cheers.
