Sovereign 967 & 968
Originally posted by: bbocaner While I'm sure the lottery rush caused a droop in quality, the late '80s and early '90s instruments had pretty disasterous quality, too. My high school got four 967s in 1990 and they were all dogs -- I remember braces on crooked, weird gaps and misalignments between tubings, valves that NEVER worked properly, etc. I brought what I felt were the best two to Dr. Bowman one lesson and he was exasperated because he thought they were both terrible!
Remember also that in 1993 the euphoniums were redesigned. New valves, new leadpipe tapers, free-floating leadpipe, new second branch taper, and new manufacturing processes. It is my opinion that even a bad so-called "GS" series from this time period is a better instrument than a good one from just before this time.
I had a 967 that I bought in 1995 that was built in the late 80's. I must've been lucky - it was a good horn, though I did have a lot of trouble seating the valves. It took several technician-level lappings to calm those boys down and get 'em dancin'.
I sold that horn last year when I bought my Virtuoso.
U.S. Army, Retired (built mid-1950s)
Adams E2 Euph (built 2017)
Boosey & Co. Imperial Euph (built 1941)
Edwards B454 Bass Trombone (built 2012)
Boosey & Hawkes Imperial Eb tuba (built 1958)
Kanstul 33-T lBBb tuba (built 2010)