FS Adams Euph

[Msan1313]

Not entirely sure which model or options
But Tuba Exchange is selling a silver plated Adams Euphonium Demo
http://www.tubaexchange.com/euphoniu...er-plated-bell

[daniel76309]

I emailed them to inquire about this instrument. At first they had a picture of a silver-bell Adams which did not match the description.

It is the .50mm thickness, entirely silver plated, and they said it had no dents or defects. I think it is a good buy.

However, it was fortunate (or maybe unfortunate?) timing in that another customer had just returned a .60 mm horn with the silver bell. Of course it was more expensive, but the people at Tuba Exchange seemed really nice to work with, and overcome with delusions of adequacy I bought it. I don't have it yet but it should be on the way from North Carolina. I am really looking forward to it.

[davewerden]

Congratulations on the purchase! I hope it arrives soon so you can dig right in. Let us know how it goes.

[tampaworth]

Great decision! You only go around once in life Here's to many enjoyable years of elevated tooting mojo -- grins!

[daniel76309]

Thanks! I am pretty pumped about it. I had a little trouble justifying a top of the line instrument for an amateur like me but Bob makes a good point. I do intend to share my impressions from an amateur's point of view. I will never part with my old Besson and I really like the sound, etc. but I do find it frustrating not being able to play certain notes in tune. I am hoping the Adams will help with that and also provide a boost to my tooting mojo in general. More to come...

[RickF]

Congratulations Daniel! I felt the same way as you when I purchased a new horn last year. Hard to justify sometimes.

Let us know your impressions once you become familiar with your new horn.

[davewerden]

Of course value (i.e. $$$) is always a personal decision. There are some pros who just like their old horns and don't buy newer ones, even though their playing level would seem to justify it. If anyone wants to try to justify it in business terms, they will be hard put to do so. Will a pro start making more money if he gets a little better horn? Probably not. A better horn might make his job easier and might allow him to stretch some performance ideas, but that's not exactly a measurable ROI situation.

For an amateur, your primary reason for playing is not making money. In fact, if you play in a brass band (and some community bands) you actually pay for the privilege. So there is no ROI in monetary terms. HOWEVER, there is an unmeasurable but still very real ROI if you count personal satisfaction and fun.

Suppose you're not the best player in the world, or maybe not the best player in your local band. If you compare a horn like the Adams to an old horn you are now playing (possibly something like a Yamaha 321 or even an old Besson), the new horn will make it easier for you to get notes out consistently and will play them better in tune inherently. Any that are out of tune will require much less work to correct once you are used to the horn. And the tone might be better, and it will almost certainly be more consistent across the range of the instrument. Aren't those worthwhile improvements? Surely they give you a return on your investment in the realm of satisfaction and the joy of making music.

So each of us must decide if the investment is worth it, and that decision is not usually based on a dollar-based ROI. If buying a new horn can make you sound X% better immediately, it's worth something. And if you are gradually getting better through diligent practice, but the new horn puts you a year or two ahead in your development, it's worth something.

The key in my mind to anyone's decision is not their playing ability. It is their appreciation ability. If you can appreciate the difference, that's what counts. All you have to decide is how easily you can afford it.

[bbocaner]

I own a lot of very expensive instruments. Recently someone challenged me to prove that my $13,000 Thein bass trumpet was 26 times better than their $500 chinese instrument. I went over how I liked the tone better, how it was easier to play, how the intonation was much better, how I felt the valves were smoother -- but I had to concede that this didn't amount to 26 times better. But what I was able to say is that all of these marginal improvements led me to enjoy playing the instrument more and feel less frustrated with it, and that led to me practicing a lot more and improving my playing a lot more than I ever would if I only owned the $500 instrument.

[DaveBj]

I own a lot of very expensive instruments. Recently someone challenged me to prove that my $13,000 Thein bass trumpet was 26 times better than their $500 chinese instrument. I went over how I liked the tone better, how it was easier to play, how the intonation was much better, how I felt the valves were smoother -- but I had to concede that this didn't amount to 26 times better. But what I was able to say is that all of these marginal improvements led me to enjoy playing the instrument more and feel less frustrated with it, and that led to me practicing a lot more and improving my playing a lot more than I ever would if I only owned the $500 instrument.

That pretty well parallels how I feel about my Jinbao euph. I would estimate that it's about 90% of the Yamaha original, but at less that 20% of the cost. If I had the disposable $$$, I would get an Adams, but if I hadn't read about the Jinbaos here in these forums and decided to take a chance, I'd still be stuck with my 90-year-old Conn.

BTW, I'm going to be testing a Jinbao bass trumpet at IET at the end of the month, and if I like it, I'm going to buy it

[daniel76309]

This thread has meandered a long ways off of the original topic, and I will take the blame for the misdirection. bbocaner I had to laugh at the "26 times better challenge". Dave, you did a good job of expressing some of my thoughts about this. This isn't really a practical or business decision in any way. Music is my hobby and it is something I enjoy and get a sense of satisfaction from. I expect that a shiny new horn will help me to play better and therefore get more enjoyment out of it, so it definitely has value to me. I do think there is a little bit of practicality in that a high quality instrument will retain value over the years, unlike an inexpensive instrument which I would think would be very difficult to resell given that brand new (and possibly improved) instruments of similar quality are available at a low price.

[Brassman123]

Euph Question for You

Of course value (i.e. $$$) is always a personal decision. There are some pros who just like their old horns and don't buy newer ones, even though their playing level would seem to justify it. If anyone wants to try to justify it in business terms, they will be hard put to do so. Will a pro start making more money if he gets a little better horn? Probably not. A better horn might make his job easier and might allow him to stretch some performance ideas, but that's not exactly a measurable ROI situation.

For an amateur, your primary reason for playing is not making money. In fact, if you play in a brass band (and some community bands) you actually pay for the privilege. So there is no ROI in monetary terms. HOWEVER, there is an unmeasurable but still very real ROI if you count personal satisfaction and fun.

Suppose you're not the best player in the world, or maybe not the best player in your local band. If you compare a horn like the Adams to an old horn you are now playing (possibly something like a Yamaha 321 or even an old Besson), the new horn will make it easier for you to get notes out consistently and will play them better in tune inherently. Any that are out of tune will require much less work to correct once you are used to the horn. And the tone might be better, and it will almost certainly be more consistent across the range of the instrument. Aren't those worthwhile improvements? Surely they give you a return on your investment in the realm of satisfaction and the joy of making music.

So each of us must decide if the investment is worth it, and that decision is not usually based on a dollar-based ROI. If buying a new horn can make you sound X% better immediately, it's worth something. And if you are gradually getting better through diligent practice, but the new horn puts you a year or two ahead in your development, it's worth something.

The key in my mind to anyone's decision is not their playing ability. It is their appreciation ability. If you can appreciate the difference, that's what counts. All you have to decide is how easily you can afford it.

They have an Adams gold brass for sale. Thoughts? I have two Bessons (Prestige and an old silver plate Sovereign) I could trade or sell but was not sure if this is the way to go. The Prestige has the tuning trigger but sometimes it isn't enough for me. Is the Adams a lot better in the sixth partial? Or is it better to wait for something like your setup with the sterling bell? Thanks. Tim

[RickF]

According to all I've read, the Adams is one of the best on the sixth partials. See Dave Werden's intonation chart for Adams Custom here:

BTW, welcome to the forum.

[Jrpetty24]

The Adams 6th partial is the best I personally have played, and since I do own on older sovereign I know the pain of this. At worst F is still around5-10 cents sharp(varies with your setup) but is easily lippable. For me C5(piano reference) for me is generally flat with 1st valve so depending on the day I'll use open to play C, but other than that there isn't anything major(may be due to lack of strength in my high register). Top space G is anywhere from 15-20 cents sharp, or in tune with 3rd valve in place of 1-2. My second Eb in the staff tends to be around 5-10 cents flat when all my other notes are in tune, again easily lippable. Overall it's a great horn, fits me really well. The tone is gorgeous, even in comparison to the old Bessons.

As far as bell material I couldn't tell you how much of a difference it will make, I don't have enough experience in testing the different materials and it changes with brands as well. I'll let someone else give comments on that section!

[Davidus1]

Congratulations on your new horn! I hope you enjoy it.

[davewerden]

The Adams 6th partial is the best I have found in all the horns I have ever tested or played long-term. Jrpetty24 describes the intonation quite well.

As far as bell material, the SS bell gives me the sound I want, but that varies from person to person. The gold brass is also very nice. It's maybe a little livelier-sounding than the SS. Plus the gold brass will feel a little more lively as you play it. It's not as dense as SS so it probably responds more quickly.

Have you asked them what thickness the horn is? If it is .60 or .70 I am pretty sure you would like it. If it is .55 or .50 then you would need to see for yourself. Those thinner metals respond even better but sound a little lighter, too. I'm not trying to discourage anyone from the thinner brass - the slightly better response will make the horn feel "friendlier" to you as you play and will still sound nice.

I've played all the thicknesses and metals, and each has something to recommend it. In Linz I absolutely fell in love with a .50 red-brass Adams! It was not beefy enough for what I wanted to do, but it was a real blast to play and had a very pretty sound.