My $.02 Get a 16-holer, not a 12, or even a 14. Save yourself some $ in the long run. Also, buy a GOOD one (don't cheap-out like I did). Can't afford it? -WAIT. SAVE UP. Get a Farrel's, or a Romel, or whatever... a 16-hole chromatic is an INSTRUMENT. Buy one like you would a guitar, or a horn. - -You'll thank yourself for it after you fall in love with the instrument. - -Scorcher