Thanks Bloke!

[jerseyeuph]

Hey Bloke,

Thanks for your sage past advice re: marching baritones. I have serious asymmetrical hearing damage in the form of hyperacusis, accompanied by tinnitus, which I attribute largely to years of playing bell-up euphonium. I can make bell-front baritone horns work if I'm careful with volume as well as room acoustics. I'm not able to play with people, except for the occasional smaller TubaChristmas. I had been researching marching baritones as an alternative, hoping that having the bell even further from my head would help me to continue playing.

During my research, I found several threads where you suggested the Blessing M300 as one of the best of its breed. I was able to score an M300 in excellent, dent-free condition with nearly pristine valves for ~$500. It's everything that you wrote it would be (the valves are indeed lovely) and it will allow me to play more comfortably for the foreseeable future.

Thanks!

Dave