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Thread: 1966 Besson euphonium and Wick 4AL mouthpiece

  1. 1966 Besson euphonium and Wick 4AL mouthpiece

    I have a Besson Model 181 4-valve compensating euphonium purchased in 1966. It came with a Besson 10 mouthpiece, something about which (the mouthpiece) I can find little on the internet, as far as specifications are concerned. From what I gather the shank is a Euro shank. My question is whether or not a Wick 4AL mouthpiece would fit this instrument? Thank you.

  2. #2
    Join Date
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    4AL's come in three shanks: small, medium (What you want), and large.

    DG

  3. #3
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    Actually the Euro size is 4AM.
    Last edited by RickF; 02-04-2022 at 01:22 PM.
    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
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  4. Thanks to both for your responses. Re the 4AL/4AM, I was sort of wondering inasmuch as on the Wick website there didn't seem to be subsets (small, medium, large) of the 4AL. Will the 4AM play similarly to the 4AL?

    Again, thanks for your thoughts.

  5. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by kranbridge View Post
    Thanks to both for your responses. Re the 4AL/4AM, I was sort of wondering inasmuch as on the Wick website there didn't seem to be subsets (small, medium, large) of the 4AL. Will the 4AM play similarly to the 4AL?

    Again, thanks for your thoughts.
    The 4AM is exactly the same as the 4AL other than the shank size.
    JP374 Sterling + Mercer and Barker GW3

  6. The 4AM is the correct mouthpiece for the medium shank Besson 181 (New Standard/Imperial). The Besson 10 mouthpiece is really a miserable excuse for a mouthpiece shaped object. Back in the day, I replaced my Besson 10 with a Bach 6 1/2AL and the medium to small shank adapter that was included with that horn (in addition to the Besson 10).
    Adams E3 0.60 Sterling bell - Prototype top sprung valves
    Concord Band
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  7. Thank you for your input, DEF1.
    Last edited by kranbridge; 02-04-2022 at 02:48 PM.

  8. Thank you, daruby, for your thoughts, especially about the Besson 10 mouthpiece. Yikes, it's the only one I've ever had. What makes it so lousy, if I may ask. Thank you.

  9. Quote Originally Posted by kranbridge View Post
    Thank you, daruby, for your thoughts, especially about the Besson 10 mouthpiece. Yikes, it's the only one I've ever had. What makes it so lousy, if I may ask. Thank you.
    Of course this is based on my experience, but I first played "your horn" in spring of 1969 as a senior in high school and then again from Fall of 1971 to Spring of 1974 at UC Berkeley. Both of these horns came with both the Besson 10 and an adapter that allowed the use of a Tenor shank mouthpiece. In early 1969 I played a Bach 12 (!!) and in later 1969 I switched to a 6 1/2AL. I found the Besson 10 restrictive even when compared with the tiny Bach 12. I recall a somewhat sharp rim which made flexibility difficult for my embouchure. Note: that I played a Conn Connstellation prior to the Besson, and found similar characteristics with the OEM Conn 3 mouthpiece.

    For me, at the time, the Bach 6 1/2AL was perfect. In 1980, I purchased my first Sovereign 967. It came with the Wick 4AL which took me several years to transition to after so many years of playing the 6 1/2AL. I switched between the two until the 4AL became my "go to" in the mid 1980s. I have been playing a 4AL ever since.
    Adams E3 0.60 Sterling bell - Prototype top sprung valves
    Concord Band
    Winchendon Winds
    Townsend Military Band

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Feb 2020
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    277
    Suggest also considering the Alliance line - they offer a DC3M (euro shank).

    https://www.alliancebrassltd.com/pro...24353027343750
    David Shinn
    Peninsula Concert Band
    Yorktown, Virginia



    1971 Besson 181 ‘New Standard’ Euphonium (3+1 compensating) ~ Alliance DC3M
    1971 Besson 176 ‘New Standard’ Euphonium (3 compensating) ~ Alliance DC3M
    1979 Besson 755 'New Standard' Baritone (3 compensating) ~ Alliance DC5S
    1894 Besson ‘Doublophone’ Euphonium (3 + 1 changeover) & Original Leather Case


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