Advice for buying a Euphoniumfrom my stand point PLEASE READ

Bob Mosso · Post by **Bob Mosso** » Sun Feb 27, 2005 7:36 pm

How about a Willson 2704? It can be had for less than budget, brand spanking new! (approx $3500) It's non-comp and 4 in-line so no new fingerings to learn.

Louis · Post by **Louis** » Mon Feb 28, 2005 8:56 am

If I'm reading the scenario right, you have an opportunity to get a 7-year-old Willson 2900 in good shape for around $2,500... That's what I would do in your shoes. Reason: If you take care of it and decide to step up to something new in a few years (after H.S. maybe - I'm making the assumption that as a H.S. student you're in the "up-and-coming" stage of your euphonium experience), you'll probably be able to get most or even all of that $2,500 back in the resale - they are popular horns.

Louis

TexTuba · Post by **TexTuba** » Mon Feb 28, 2005 5:17 pm

elimia · Post by **elimia** » Mon Feb 28, 2005 6:22 pm

If you're already taking lessons - excellent! You didn't mention that the money you had didn't include lessons. Lessons need to complement buying the better horn.

My recommendation for a good starting 3+1, in that price range, is either a Yamaha 641 or 642. I'm partial to Yamahas but they are highly consistent in terms of intonation and have a nice sound. They respond well, are solid made horns and hold their resale value well. I just bought a 10 year old 641 and am very pleased with it. There is a used 641 for sale for a good price in the For Sale section. If you have to buy a horn w/out trying it first, a Yamaha is a good choice. And for a young musician still growing, I don't think this horn will be more than you could handle. A good fit IMO.

Ryan "who really likes it when Rick Denney does this" E.

Chuck(G) · Post by **Chuck(G)** » Mon Feb 28, 2005 6:29 pm

Get a bell-front Reynolds. It works for this guy:

Louis · Post by **Louis** » Mon Feb 28, 2005 9:18 pm

Chuck(G) wrote:Get a bell-front Reynolds. It works for this guy:

That looks like a King 2266. I think the Contempora bells were detachable. The trombone is King anyway...

Awesome beard & glasses combo - very Civil-War-reenactor-looking.

bloke wrote:' step up to...what?

Good point...

Louis

Rick Denney · Post by **Rick Denney** » Mon Feb 28, 2005 11:40 pm

EuphoniumDude wrote:...The only way I can think of is to have them ship the horn (if far away), while the buyer pays shipping to look at/ try out horn to make sure its alright...

That's the way stores do it, but they have the wherewithall to take that sort of risk. I don't think it's fair to ask an individual seller to ship you an instrument on "approval". Even the stores will require you to pay for the instrument up front, even if they do allow you to return it (less shipping charges, of course).

The better way is to find out where the seller is located, and have someone who lives nearby go look at it for you. (That someone could possibly be found on Tubenet.)

But if the price is reasonable, and you think you could turn it around for that price, then I think you can just buy it. If it turns out to be not your cup of tea, you can sell it as easily as the guy you buy it from.

I've bought a number of instruments solely on the recommendation of the seller, and I've sold or traded off several of them when I decided I wanted something different. Out of something like about $7000 in total, I'm about $300 ahead. It's pretty good when people pay me $300 for extended trials of their instruments, heh, heh.

Ask for a picture. If the instrument looks good, it probably is, though the pics will never show the small dings and scratches that most horns collect if they are actually used. If what you get is clearly not the same as in the picture, you have legal recourse. There's not much chance of it coming to that, in my opinion. Like everything in life, sometimes you just have to talk to the seller and listen hard for the vibes; sort of a long-distance version of looking him in the eye.

And, for the record, the Willson would be my choice over the Yamaha and the Besson, just in terms of resale value if nothing else. And I own a Besson (such as it is).

Rick "who thinks it less risky to pay a fair price for a top-line instrument than it is to get a not-so-top-line instrument for a steal" Denney