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Thread: [sold] FS: Hirsbrunner 4-Valve Compensating Euphonium in Silver

  1. #11
    Thanks for all the detail, Barry. In this case, I would need to see it in person to know if I would have come to the same conclusion - the pictures just don't do it for me. But if I were a potential buyer I'd take Barry's observations seriously.
    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

  2. #12
    For what it's worth, it may be a great playing instrument despite the cosmetic damage. But there are lots of other instruments available in the same price range which haven't had such a hard life. Unless I had played this one and knew it played great, or unless I really wanted a Hirsbrunner and this were the only one available, why chance it with an instrument that hasn't been well cared for?
    --
    Barry

  3. #13
    I definitely scrutinized the bell after reading your comments and noticed the rippling, mottled quality near the rim you refer to. There are a number of photos that indicate that the bell has had a hard life, but I'm honestly willing to chance it on the Hirsbrunner name alone (and the 30 day return policy).

    Personally, this horn is how I'm reuniting with the euphonium, and I played quite a broad spectrum of horns in my more active years. I became very discerning about how the design of the horn impacts its playing, and this model checks all my boxes. Should it be an absolute brick, I'll cry for a few weeks over $200+ in shipping costs and probably reinvest in the non-comp 3+1 Kanstul model 985-L

  4. #14
    Looks like it's a vintage 1984. Call Custom and get the receivers, if it doesn't come with all 3. I really like the medium one for these horns. Glad to see it went to a good home, and hopefully it ends up in a good shop for a makeover. Congratulations!!

  5. #15
    A follow-up post (not sure whether this should be in another topic, as this thread seems to give the best context)

    The horn plays incredibly well. There are a few dents I'd like to get taken out of the leadpipe and the bell doesn't sit flat, but the only glaring problem is that the leadpipe receiver doesn't want to come out. As stated earlier in the thread, the horn has had some pretty extensive work done on it; the third valve brace has been replaced entirely, and the 4th valve lock and bell brace have been moved.

    I owned a Besson 967 as my main horn for a while and had an old-as-dirt Yamaha 641 as my backup, while my instructor at the time had a Yamaha 842 Custom (which I was a bit too vocal about my distaste for). Overall, it smacks of the rich Besson sound, but with a lighter, more flexible tone. I've been playing on a Rath L5 mouthpiece and my Wedge 5G (in delrin) just came in today to really push for a brighter, more centered tone, and I couldn't be happier. Now I just need to put in the hours getting my high range back...

  6. #16
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    The Netherlands
    Posts
    191
    I think the most important thing in playing an instrument is the way it plays and how well it sounds. Of course I did cry a little when I dropped my until then mint-condition Kalison with its bell against the corner of a table, but I still played it with much Joy afterwards.

    Sounds like you have a great instrument, though not much of a looked.

  7. #17
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    West Palm Beach, FL
    Posts
    3,854
    Congrats DaTweeka on getting this horn. Hope everything works out well with it.

    I'll mark this one sold.
    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)

  8. #18
    Just curious here, what shank receiver are you using with the horn?

  9. #19
    Quote Originally Posted by DaTweeka View Post
    I owned a Besson 967 as my main horn for a while and had an old-as-dirt Yamaha 641 as my backup... Overall, it smacks of the rich Besson sound, but with a lighter, more flexible tone.
    That is VERY close to my impressions of the HB when I was testing them during my Besson years (my Besson was a 967, also). It was a great euphonium sound, but I liked the Besson sound a bit more. But the HB had better response and intonation.
    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

  10. Congrats on the new horn, DaTweeka! The receivers tend to get stuck on my Hirsbrunner also even though I keep the threads greased. A few gentle taps with a rawhide mallet can help or a brass tech can get the job done easily if it's really stubborn. As mentioned above, if you don't have the other two sized receivers, custom music sells them for $30 a piece (as of last spring, anyway). Enjoy!

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