J.c. Sherman wrote:....But If I have to hear an entire recital on a 3+1 euph, I'll want to kill myself rather than endure the sameness and "evenness" of tone from those. I find the Conns a MUCH more flexible and interesting sound. Doesn't mean I'm right and you're wrong; I just have my preference....
My 321 is a superb horn built very well and in fantastic working order. Moreover, I've made some modifications which helped it out a bit. Does it mean it's perfect? No horn is. But It's the most flexible for me between the Big a$$ British 3+1 sound and the color of the Conns. Maybe I'll throw a Conn bell on it someday
Off my pedestal, so that someone can tell me how much I suck
J.c.S.
J.c.S. - you don't suck, but as a 47-year veteran and student of euphonium, I get pretty peeved when some people on this forum and at least one other (particularly those supposed experts advising young high school or college students trying to make a choice of their first quality euphonium) start denigrating the 3+1 compensators. Even though I sat at the footsteps of Bill Bell, Arnold Jacobs, and Harvey Phillips at Gunnison music camp when I was 9 years old, I don't ever purport to be an expert on tuba. I do try to keep learning by reading comments on these boards and try to udnerstand what tubists feel is important. I wish some of the tubists would listen when it comes time to discuss euphoniums.
Regarding a few of your points:
1) w.r.t. a recital on a 3+1...you must not have heard Jamie Lipton play a recital. I have never heard ANY euphoniumist get such a wide variety of sound as Jamie does on her 3+1 Willson using a BB1 (a combo that is not my personal fav). Any good euphoniumist should follow her though process. She asks: "What is the right sound for the music I am playing" rather than "what is the right sound for the instrument I am playing". Thus, she (and others) will adjust her/his sound to match mood, style, etc.of the performance. Jamie happens to do this better than any other professional euphist I have ever met.
2) I am glad you happen to have a wonderful Yamaha 321 that has been modified to fit your needs. I love playing the Yamaha 321's and I recommend that horn all of the time to anyone who is on a budget that does not allow for a professional horn. I am not knocking your horn, but it also is not the horn that I can purchase from Yamaha.
3) w.r.t. sound of the classic Conn 4-valve American-style baritones (we only call them euphoniums in retrospect). I agree with you. The Conn horn (24I/25I for example) sounds different from what has become the norm of the larger "British Brass Band" sound. It is much more focused, lyrical, and quite sweet. Not a whole lot of people know how to get a professional-quality sound out of that instrument since they tend to play too large of a mouthpiece and blow "too large". The Conn's don't resonate well and they play quite increasingly flat as you go up in range if you use too large a MPC (such as a big Wick for example).
Falcone played a MPC that was roughly the equivalent of a Bach 12 when he did his famous Golden Crest recordings at Michigan State. Earle Louder started on Conn's and played a Bach 13(!) when he joined the Navy Band in the late 50's (even though he played a Besson). The sound and style of the American baritone player (I were one of those, and a good one too!) just didn't persevere in the face of the heavier, more powerful British sound. Thus, for all intents an purposes the best of these horns became obsolete and Conn went out of the euphonium/baritone business in 1970 when they ceased production of the Elkhart horns. The later horns tended to be rebadged Kings, who are now the only manufacturer of an American style horn.
Doug
P.S. I just sent my 75 year-old Pan-American (CONN) 3 valve to Charley Brighton in England so he could have a nice American horn in his recital collection. Also, I suggested to Robert Childs this summer that I ought to bring my Conn to the IBBSS in England next year and play an old H.L.Clarke solo so that the "Brit's" could hear what a classic period American horn would have sounded like. He was enthusiastic and suggested that If I do, he would pull out his Conn double-bell and we we could work up a duet together. That'd be cool, eh?
