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Thread: Meinl-Weston Euphonium 751 Phoenix

  1. #1

    Meinl-Weston Euphonium 751 Phoenix

    Hey my name is James and i was wondering if anyone had tried the new 751 yet.
    James Long
    Besson 2052
    SM3U
    Falcone Finalist
    Oakland University Brass Band

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    West Palm Beach, FL
    Posts
    3,853

    Meinl-Weston Euphonium 751 Phoenix

    No, I haven't. This is the new model that Matt Tropman helped develop. It looks very promising. The 4th valve looks to be a bit easier to reach (I hear the York 4th valve is a long reach). Here are a couple of links to read more about the 751 Phoenix:

    Meinl-Weston 751 Phoenix

    Translated German specs on the 751

    Tubadome information
    Rick Floyd
    Miraphone 5050 - Warburton BJ / RF mpc
    YEP-641S (recently sold)
    Doug Elliott - 102 rim; I-cup; I-9 shank


    "Always play with a good tone, never louder than lovely, never softer than supported." - author unknown.
    Symphonic Band of the Palm Beaches
    El Cumbanchero (Raphael Hernandez, arr. Naohiro Iwai)
    Chorale and Shaker Dance
    (John Zdechlik)

  3. #3

    Meinl-Weston Euphonium 751 Phoenix

    As an aside, it's still hard for me to fathom all these manufacturers doing so much development on euphoniums!! It's great for us, but how can they make money with so much competition?

    Dave Werden (ASCAP)
    Euphonium Soloist, U.S. Coast Guard Band, retired
    Adams Artist (Adams E3)
    Alliance Mouthpiece (DC3)
    YouTube: dwerden
    Facebook: davewerden
    Twitter: davewerden
    Instagram: davewerdeneuphonium

  4. Meinl-Weston Euphonium 751 Phoenix

    Truly! Go back and revisit, on this topic page, an older thread titled "artist euphs proliferate".

  5. #5

    Meinl-Weston Euphonium 751 Phoenix

    I had the opportunity to try the 751 for about 15 minutes at TUSABTEC, before the exhibits opened on Sat. morning. While, admittedly, nowhere near enough time to conduct a thorough play-test, it was certainly adequate to gain a general impression.

    Despite having relatively small hands, I didn't find the fourth valve reach noticeably easier than the reach on my Sterling.

    In terms of playability, while I did find it an improvement over the 451 and 551, I found it stiffer (less responsive) and not as free blowing in either the pedal or the altissimo registers than the other premium euphs I tried (Miraphone 5050, Willson 2960, Besson 2052, Hirsbrunner Stealth and Exclusive, and the various Sterlings). While I was able to make the 751 sing, I felt I had to work harder to do so than I do with my Virtuoso .

    To my ear, the sound was pretty much middle-of-the-road: neither particularly dark nor bright. While not unattractive, there was nothing particularly attractice or interesting about the sound.

    Overall, I found the 751 to be a solid, but not spectacular, horn. While no glaring problems or deficiencies were apparent, I found nothing compelling about it, as I did with the Sterling Virtuoso and B&S Perantucci P37 at the '08 USABTEC or the Miraphone 5050 on the occasions I've had to try it, that would induce me want to spend more time with the 751. As always, however, YMMV.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    West Palm Beach, FL
    Posts
    3,853

    Meinl-Weston Euphonium 751 Phoenix

    I'm curious about this statement...

    "The bottom bow and the first branch are made of sheet metal for enhanced response."
    I have trouble picturing sheet metal being used in a musical instrument.
    Rick Floyd
    Miraphone 5050 - Warburton BJ / RF mpc
    YEP-641S (recently sold)
    Doug Elliott - 102 rim; I-cup; I-9 shank


    "Always play with a good tone, never louder than lovely, never softer than supported." - author unknown.
    Symphonic Band of the Palm Beaches
    El Cumbanchero (Raphael Hernandez, arr. Naohiro Iwai)
    Chorale and Shaker Dance
    (John Zdechlik)

  7. #7

    Meinl-Weston Euphonium 751 Phoenix

    Dave, I agree with you, and can't understand the pace of development and introduction of new pro-level euphoniums. Somehow, I feel it must be connected with the brass band market in the UK and the rest of Europe, but do not know enough about it to make an educated guess.

    One person in the know (not Demondrae, though) told me that Miraphone said they had to make a brass band friendly horn with the 5050 to stand a chance of success.

    John

  8. #8

    Meinl-Weston Euphonium 751 Phoenix

    Originally posted by: RickF I'm curious about this statement...
    "The bottom bow and the first branch are made of sheet metal for enhanced response."
    I have trouble picturing sheet metal being used in a musical instrument.
    As near as I can tell, what they mean is that the tube doesn't start as a tube. It starts as flat metal, which they cut and force into the shape of the bow. This will lead to different stresses on the metal than the more typical way, which is to start with a tube and then use hydraulics to force it into shape. It is all part of the design process. It's sort of like the difference between a one- and a two-piece bell. Each has advantages. What matters is the end result. Perhaps they thought it easier to get the result they wanted this way, but others might say that it constrains you to using metal thin enough so that you can work it this way, which may be thinner than with other methods.

    Personally I don't care much either way as long as the response and sound are what I want when I play it.

    Dave Werden (ASCAP)
    Euphonium Soloist, U.S. Coast Guard Band, retired
    Adams Artist (Adams E3)
    Alliance Mouthpiece (DC3)
    YouTube: dwerden
    Facebook: davewerden
    Twitter: davewerden
    Instagram: davewerdeneuphonium

  9. #9

    Meinl-Weston Euphonium 751 Phoenix

    Here's a YouTube video that shows you forming a tube from sheet metal:

    Making a trombone

    Dave Werden (ASCAP)
    Euphonium Soloist, U.S. Coast Guard Band, retired
    Adams Artist (Adams E3)
    Alliance Mouthpiece (DC3)
    YouTube: dwerden
    Facebook: davewerden
    Twitter: davewerden
    Instagram: davewerdeneuphonium

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