I'd like to think that I get better with every stick that I make. This instrument was #34 for me. I'm now up to #456. If I were to make this one today it'd have much thinner walls up top. The thick walls in the top end causes the sound to seem a bit more distant and it feels more like playing a D than the firecracker you'd expect an F to be, but don't let this gem be undersold. It does have a nicely matched overblown and the first trumpet is an effortless clean octave jump. There is also the collectibility aspect of this instrument in that it was very early in my career and I painted only about 5 out of 456. The stick had suffered some shrinking and cracked along the seam. I did the repair without affecting the original paint, I left in the scratches and wear when I completely re-sealed the stick inside and out as a way of honoring it's age with that 'distressed look'. It's totally good to go now and is backed up by the same lifetime guarantee on materials and workmanship that all my sticks carry.