York Preference

[Fujiifilm]

Hi! This is my first post to the forum, and I'm curious as to what other members think of the York Preference 3067 euphonium. I recently bought one after trying out a couple of different brands, and I love how it plays and sounds. I curious if anyone has tried one out, and if so, what they're thoughts were on it. I also have a concern about getting replacement parts for it (i.e. felts, springs, etc), since York seems to have been bought out/discontinued. Are there any stores that have replacement parts for York instruments, or will Besson parts work? Sorry about the long post, and thanks for any information!

[daruby]

York Preference

The York preference 3067 is essentially the same as the older Besson 967 horns. It can be a wonderful instrument. It uses the same felts, springs and guides as the Besson does. Parts can be gotten on the web from www.windcraft.co.uk I have purchased stuff from Windcraft and actually visited them in England. They do a good job.

Doug

[MikeCT]

York Preference

What is the current working pro's Euphonium of choice? I didn't realize York was no more and that's the brand that Black Dyke Mills Band and the Childs' use (at least it appears so on youtube).

It appears from my position waaaaaay on the sidelines that the best way to insure going out of business is to make the best Euphonium

I know folks like Sterling here, but that's a one at a time custom shop, isn't it?

Just curious.

[daruby]

York Preference

Originally posted by: MikeCT

What is the current working pro's Euphonium of choice?  I didn't realize York was no more and that's the brand that Black Dyke Mills Band and the Childs' use (at least it appears so on youtube).

It appears from my position waaaaaay on the sidelines that the best way to insure going out of business is to make the best Euphonium

I know folks like Sterling here, but that's a one at a time custom shop, isn't it?



Just curious.

Just now, there is no preferred brand for Black Dyke or Cory (the former poster children for York). Grimethorpe is a Besson band.

David Childs (Cory) has switched to Besson (there is a new Besson euph rumored in the works). David Thornton retired from Black Dyke a couple of months ago and has switched to Sterling. Michael Dodd (Grimethorpe) is a Besson artist. Glyn Williams (Fodens) is also a Sterling artist.

[RickF]

York Preference

Another pro who switched from York is Gail Robertson. She's again a Willson performing artist -- this time on the 2950 model. She told me in an email a week or so ago that she just had a trigger installed. She said she got used to 'blowing the center of pitch' with the York and didn't really want to go back to lipping pitches again.

[davewerden]

York Preference

A couple points to offer:

Sterling is not a one-at-a-time custom shop, although it shares some characteristics. They actually do have standard production models, and they offer several variations of those. Custom Music stocks those models. However, if you want one with a shorter valve slide or different position on the hand brace or..., they will do that for you as a special order. They also have a lower-price model, the Royale, that is more of a volume-production model, and there are rumors (rumours?) of an entry-level compensating euph in the not-too-distant future (which will also be a volume-production model).

Artists will change their brand of choice for different reasons, and a few artists have switched to and from York in the past. However, recent changes like Gail's and David Childs' were almost certainly motivated by the demise of the company. So if you are a York owner or are considering purchasing a used York, David and Gail's switches should not be considered a lack of enthusiasm about the qualities of the York. If a person is considering a used York, the only disincentive to buying would be a possible difficulty finding replacement parts when needed.

As far as the current brand of choice, it's interesting but not necessarily decisive when choosing a horn for yourself. Pro's choose a horn for a variety of reasons, and some of the reasons may not be related to the playing qualities. Besides, our own needs are unique. Over the years I've gotten pretty good at choosing and testing horns. I don't lose any sleep over the fact that Brian Bowman chooses Willson, Adam Frey chooses Yamaha, and David Childs (now) chooses Besson. We all have our reasons.

I have not checked out this next part, but I'm guessing that Brian, David, and I wear different brands of shoes. Yet we're all interesting in shoes that are comfortable, look good, and will last well. The marketing folks for each of the shoe brands we wear can probably say why their brand is the best. And each of us as wearers can say why we like them best. But if you bought a different brand from those three, that could still be a good choice.

So use all these opinions as a rough guide, and perhaps glean some things to look for when trying horns. But don't be surprised if the horn you think you want to buy is different from the one that [insert your favorite artist's name here] plays.

[MikeCT]

York Preference

Originally posted by: davewerden I'm guessing that Brian, David, and I wear different brands of shoes. 

 

Hmmmm... so I'm expecting a lively conversation about the best shoe size for the compensating range?     Wonder if colour matters.  (Great example and most amusing once carried to extremes!)

I'd hate to be in the instrument manufacture business right now... so hard to hit the right quality/price mix to get a "winner" volume/production model.  I'd love to see a volume Sterling compensator model, but can't imagine them hitting (or even being in range of) the price-point of the better knockoffs.  With the Schiller Elite weighing in at around $1K, I can't even decide how much "extra" I'd be willing to pay for a more substantial horn from someone like Sterling.

When I started the "looking" (and prior to learning about the Schiller Elite compensator), I was mostly interested in finding a decent ebay YEP-641/2, but my "strike price" for that was only $2k when most of them were selling at $2400-3000 US.

Think the Sterling starter compensator will come in under $2500?  Hope they can hit a winning spot on the market.

 

[davewerden]

York Preference

Originally posted by: MikeCT Think the Sterling starter compensator will come in under $2500? Hope they can hit a winning spot on the market.

That's a very appropriate question; wish I knew the answer! All I can say is that Paul is very aware of the market's price points. We'll see what happens (assuming it does happen), but I have the same hope you do.

[bbocaner]

York Preference

Originally posted by: daruby Michael Dodd (Grimethorpe) is a Besson artist.

Michael Dodd is playing Geneva now.

[bbocaner]

York Preference

Originally posted by: MikeCT What is the current working pro's Euphonium of choice? I didn't realize York was no more and that's the brand that Black Dyke Mills Band and the Childs' use (at least it appears so on youtube).



It appears from my position waaaaaay on the sidelines that the best way to insure going out of business is to make the best Euphonium



I know folks like Sterling here, but that's a one at a time custom shop, isn't it?

I believe York's apparent popularity was due to the fact that their designs were biased towards the specific tastes of the british brass band community and because they had a very healthy sponsorship budget. They were good instruments, but, at least to my taste, far from the "best," and I was never particularly impressed with the build quality of any one I ever laid my hands on.