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Thread: New Horn - no tuning trigger

  1. #1

    New Horn - no tuning trigger

    I'm currently doing research to replace a euphonium for the Army band I'm currently assigned to. Cost is not a major factor, but we do enough marching performances that a tuning trigger would be a bit cumbersome for my needs. I'm trying to compile a list of the top end horns that can be had without a tuning trigger to (hopefully) try out before purchasing. Here's what I have so far:

    Yamaha 642II/842
    Willson
    Adams
    Miraphone
    Besson 967

    Does anyone have any other recommendations of horns to try? I'm planning on attending the TUSAB Tuba/Euph conference at the end of the month, so hopefully I should have a chance to try most of the offerings before putting in a purchase request.

  2. #2
    On the Sterling Virtuoso the trigger is optional.

    I think you might find the Adams the most satisfactory horn to play without a trigger because the intonation is so good without it:
    http://www.dwerden.com/Intonation/
    That's one of the reasons I'm playing on the Adams!
    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

  3. #3
    Oh, and I applaud your choice to avoid the trigger for your situation (or what I assume it is). They are handy implements sometimes (and necessary on some horns), but in addition to making the horn more awkward and heavier when standing, they are more susceptible to damage. At ITEC 2010 I had to play a world premier piece with a borrowed horn because my old horn's trigger/slide had gotten bent in the case on the airplane. It was just enough to make the trigger useless. And it is possible for some triggers to break and leave no way for you to even set the tuning slide in one position and leave it. A triggered slide is too loose to stay in place.

    I assume you do a lot of travelling and that conditions are not always ideal. And I assume that you would not want to explain to the boss why your horn doesn't work at a gig. When I had the triggered horn, I used to tell people that if I had still been in the CG Band I would have ordered the horn without the trigger because of the vulnerability factor.
    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. #4
    Not to hijack the thread, but it occurs to me that the weight added by the trigger might mess with the response of the horn, aside from the obvious intonation tweaking. I haven't found anything either way about the trigger, but I think the frailty and price tag would be enough to dissuade anyone that does more than around town gigs.
    Last edited by DaTweeka; 01-14-2013 at 07:45 PM.

  5. #5
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    Might I suggest trying the XO 1270??? :-)

  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by davewerden View Post
    Oh, and I applaud your choice to avoid the trigger for your situation (or what I assume it is). They are handy implements sometimes (and necessary on some horns), but in addition to making the horn more awkward and heavier when standing, they are more susceptible to damage. At ITEC 2010 I had to play a world premier piece with a borrowed horn because my old horn's trigger/slide had gotten bent in the case on the airplane. It was just enough to make the trigger useless. And it is possible for some triggers to break and leave no way for you to even set the tuning slide in one position and leave it. A triggered slide is too loose to stay in place.

    I assume you do a lot of travelling and that conditions are not always ideal. And I assume that you would not want to explain to the boss why your horn doesn't work at a gig. When I had the triggered horn, I used to tell people that if I had still been in the CG Band I would have ordered the horn without the trigger because of the vulnerability factor.
    Given the amount of time I spend on the parade field standing at attention, I couldn't help but think that a tuning trigger would be a disaster waiting to happen. Also, the horn it will be replacing (a Willson 2950 I'm not particularly fond of) is being replaced due to wear and tear from two tours in Afghanistan; that's not a repair I'd like to make in that environment.

    Quote Originally Posted by BrandonJones View Post
    Might I suggest trying the XO 1270??? :-)
    I'll have to check how the government bidding process works to ensure I am able to get one of the newer models I've heard so many good things about.

    You wouldn't happen to know if Jupiter is going to have a booth at the TUSAB Convention at the end of the month?

  7. #7
    Try contacting Lee Stofer. He's a retired Army Tuba player, and he is an outstanding instrument repair guy. Tubameister.com .
    Cost may not necessarily be an issue, but this purchase is considered "stewardship" of the taxpayer's money.

    It's no secret they're going to cut more money. So, it should be about performance, durability, and cost. One could suggest otherwise, and that's fine, but consider the number of canned military band officers over the last five years. Good luck!

    In my military band experience, I've seen them leave the horns in the grass not to long after spraying, overuse of Brasso, and some clown taking a pair of vise grips to a Willson Euphonium valve cap.

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