Thinking about a purchase... any advice?

[EuphoniousJoy]

Hey all,
I am a Euphonium student and am beginning to think about finally buying my own horn (YAY!!! ) anyway. The school instrument that I am currently using is a Besson Sovereign 968, laquer, 3+1. I have enjoyed this horn very much in the three years that I have played it. Unfortunately, I have not had the chance to play anything else. I have grown attached to this horn, but as you know, since I'm a student, I will eventually have to give it back....
I am wondering what type of things to look for in a horn. If I do get this model horn, I would honestly go get it and bring it back with me on a road trip. ( I am not interested in adding my own "my instrument got dropped off the truck in shipping" story! lol)
A few friends of mine have given me varying opinions on this particular horn that I play on currently. Most of my colleagues play on Willson horns. I would really love to try one out, but I don't know how to go about that, and I have no idea what they sound like, if they would fit me (i know i have to find that out myself), model types, etc.

Are there any fellow Euphers (or tubas that play...) that would have any advice for me?

Thanks
EJ

[Bob Mosso]

YEP-642. I brought my mothpiece and tuner with me to the last two NAMM shows... It's my favorite.

Bob

[druby]

EJ,

Where do you live? Places like WWBW (in Indiana) and Dillon Music (in greater NY/NJ area) stock enough horns that you should be able to try a variety.

The Besson you played is a very nice horn. I personally play a new Besson 2051 Prestige (an upscale version of the 968). I love my horn and have played Bessons (Imperial, 967 Sovereign, and now 2051 Prestige) since 1971. I have tried many (though not all) of the currently available horns. For the price, the Yamaha 642 is hard to beat. At the most premium level, the York Eminence (4052), Besson Prestige (2052), Willson 2900, Yamaha 842, and Miraphone 5050T are all very nice horns.

You can sound wonderful on any of these honrs, but a lot depends on what your preferences are. I would recommend checking out the "Euphonium Brands" subject over at http://www.dwerden.com

Doug

[EuphoniousJoy]

Well I played on a Yamaha in high school and a friend of mine has a YEP- i dont remember... it might be a 621. anyway, i have never particularly liked my own sound on the yamaha. I like a dark and chocolatey sound, and the yamahas seem bright and brassy.
how can i try horns? i am in colorado

[oedipoes]

I bought a Besson 2052 prestige 5 years ago. At the time, I compared to the Besson sovereign, yamaha custom and Willson 2950.
The Yamaha was very nicely constructed, but had too much a blow-through feeling. I like more restriction in a horn.
The Willson was far more responsive in the pedal range, better constructed and less expensive than the prestige.
However, the sound I could get out of the prestige was far more dark and colourful. I could let the prestige sing more beautifully. That probably has a lot to do with the one blowing, because other people will tell you maybe it's the other way round.
The piston valves on my 2052 need oil weekly (the more I play it, the more it needs oiling), but when oiled, they are the fastest ones you can get.

Today, the prestige's build quality has improved a lot, but is has become even more expensive too.
So it's very budget - dependent what horn you want to buy.
I don't know if it's available in the US, but check out the 'Adams' (in The Netherlands) website too. They started a line of euphoniums last year, and they are expensive but impressively responsive.

Wim

[eupher61]

It's road trip time, that's all that can be said. WWBW and Custom Music are within a few hours' drive of each other (South Bend and Detroit) and Dillon's is in New Jersey, a long few hours from Baltimore Brass.

Horn Guys is in LA.

You can pay, have things shipped to you one at a time for a week, pay return shipping, and do it that way, or you can go. Were I you, the cool factor of seeing the selection is alone worth the price of going.

[Eupher6]

Might be good to do a quick review on HOW to audition a horn.

Armed with tuner, tape recorder (gads, is there such a thing anymore?) and another listener, you may want to submit each horn to the same stuff that you're playing -- to gauge slotting, fit, ergonomics, all the usual stuff.

Write it up beforehand in the form of a "protocol" so you're being consistent with each horn you try out.

Try to play each horn in varying locations - a small practice room to a large concert hall, if at all possible.

Use the tuner and a friend to tell you how intonation works on each horn. Have your friend make the written notes while you play. Check all the usual problem notes - the 6th partial and its neighbors (Eb, E, F, and G above the bass clef staff) for sharpness, for example, and check out the basement of the horn for intonation there as well.

Valve action, sound quality, and feel are all important. But note that you'll sound different on tape than it sounds to your ear while you're playing.

I'm sure there's more I'm forgetting, but these might be good tips to use for horn shopping to start with.

Allen (thinking about buying a new horn myself) Lawless

[dwerden]

If you are going to do the road trip thing and can get to Custom Music, you probably should try the Hirsbrunner and the Sterling Virtuoso (which is my personal choice). Custom is the exclusive distributor for both brands, so your choices are to go there or to have them ship you a horn to try (which they will do).

Whether or not you can get to a large store, you might check out this article:

Choosing a Euphonium

It is a guide to choosing a euphonium. No specific advice on brands, but rather a discussion of how to try out horns. It contains tips I have found helpful over many years of comparing brands and comparing revisions as we developed the Sterling. I think they are useful no matter what brands you are comparing.

[EuphoniousJoy]

Thank you all for your advice. I really appreciate the help you have been trying to give me.
Yay!
I haven't bought one yet, but I am thinking that when I do have the sufficient funds for such an endeavor, I believe I will take a road trip (YAY!) to some places to try several horns. Thank you for the article link, I appreciate that. Also, thank you for the specifics on a few brands.
I will keep you all updated, and any other advice would be great!