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Thread: Looking into the cheaper baritones

  1. Looking into the cheaper baritones

    I need to pick up a British style baritone for a concert in early December. My budget is around $1000. I have some experience playing Besson, York, and Yamaha horns. My favorite was the Yamaha 4 valve non-compensating horn. It felt easier to switch back and forth to euphonium and the extra valve gave some alternate fingering options.

    I looked in the normal places and didn't see a used compensating Besson or York. Plan B was to buy a Wessex BR140. I played one at a convention and I was pretty pleased with how it played. Unfortunately, they are out of stock until late November.

    Where do I look next? John Packer seems like a step up from the other Chinese horns. On the other hand, I have read complaints about tuning due to long valve slides. People have mentioned cutting as many as 4 slides to get the horn to play in tune. I am less familiar with the other brands like Schiller and Mack Brass.

  2. #2
    I was in a similar situation, and I ordered a 3-valve comp bari from a Chinese vendor on Ebay. It shipped free, but there was a small customs charge that brought the total up to a hair over $600. The horn itself has been quite satisfactory.
    David Bjornstad

    1923 Conn New Wonder 86I, Bach 6 1/2 AL
    2018 Wessex EP100 Dolce, Denis Wick 4ABL
    2013 Jinbao JBEP-1111L, Denis Wick 4AM
    2015 Jinbao JBBR-1240, Denis Wick clone mouthpiece of unknown designation
    Cullman (AL) Community Band (Euph Section Leader)
    Brass Band of Huntsville (2nd Bari)

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Mar 2017
    Location
    Sacramento, CA area
    Posts
    309
    Agreeing wholeheartedly with Dave here. What I found when I was researching the same question (and budget), was that Wessex, Schiller, Mack Brass, and Jinbao are all made in the same factory in China, to basically the same specs. The Wessex BR140 and the Jinbao JBBR-1240 are both modeled after the same Besson Soveriegn. I ended up going with the Jinbao JBBR-1240 from a Chinese vendor on Ebay. I had no problems with the transaction and I love my horn (grin).

    That being said, feel free to contact Jonathantuba in this group as he is our resident Wessex representative.
    - Sara
    Last edited by Sara Hood; 06-08-2018 at 10:02 AM. Reason: Took John Packer out of my list of stencils because I discovered that they are made in a different factory/brand in China.

  4. Thanks for the information on the stencil horns. I haven't bought an instrument in years and I am impressed with how much the Chinese horns have improved.

    I am looking at the Schiller horns on Jim Laab's website. The two reasonable looking options are the 3 valve compensating Brass Band Baritone and the 4 valve Brass Band Baritone. The 4 valve horn is marked as compensating but I don't see any compensating tubing on the back of the valves. With the 8.5" bell, does that make it more of a Yamaha 621 clone than a Besson clone?

    The last baritone I spent significant time playing was a 3 valve compensating York. It was hard to adjust because 2/3 and 1/3 combinations had to be lipped up instead of down. I am wondering if the 4 valve non-comp Schiller would be a better doubling horn with a compensating euphonium because the tuning tendencies will be closer together.

  5. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by ojannen View Post
    *snip*

    The last baritone I spent significant time playing was a 3 valve compensating York. It was hard to adjust because 2/3 and 1/3 combinations had to be lipped up instead of down. I am wondering if the 4 valve non-comp Schiller would be a better doubling horn with a compensating euphonium because the tuning tendencies will be closer together.
    That is also true of the 3-valve Chinese clones.

    Forgot to mention that shipping time from China was about 45 days.
    David Bjornstad

    1923 Conn New Wonder 86I, Bach 6 1/2 AL
    2018 Wessex EP100 Dolce, Denis Wick 4ABL
    2013 Jinbao JBEP-1111L, Denis Wick 4AM
    2015 Jinbao JBBR-1240, Denis Wick clone mouthpiece of unknown designation
    Cullman (AL) Community Band (Euph Section Leader)
    Brass Band of Huntsville (2nd Bari)

  6. Wessex has the best value-for-money on a 3-valve compensating baritone that is in the OP's budget. Yes, it may cost a little more, but the Wessex QC and warranty is well worth waiting for.

    Link: https://www.wessex-tubas.com/shop/eu...tone/baritone/

  7. Wessex was my first choice. I already sent them an email. They won't be able to get a horn to me until late November and the concert is the first week of December.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    West Palm Beach, FL
    Posts
    3,853
    I subbed in a local brass band last year and they provided me with a John Packer 273. The 3rd and 2-3 fingerings were flat so I never used 3. 2-3 was barely lippable. The other baritone player had his 3rd slide shortened to fix it. Since he worked in a music store with a good brass tech, it was easy and cheap to do.
    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)

  9. #9
    Where are you located? Maybe you can borrow a horn for a few weeks until your horn arrives.

  10. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by RickF View Post
    I subbed in a local brass band last year and they provided me with a John Packer 273. The 3rd and 2-3 fingerings were flat so I never used 3. 2-3 was barely lippable. The other baritone player had his 3rd slide shortened to fix it. Since he worked in a music store with a good brass tech, it was easy and cheap to do.
    Filing that away for future reference.
    David Bjornstad

    1923 Conn New Wonder 86I, Bach 6 1/2 AL
    2018 Wessex EP100 Dolce, Denis Wick 4ABL
    2013 Jinbao JBEP-1111L, Denis Wick 4AM
    2015 Jinbao JBBR-1240, Denis Wick clone mouthpiece of unknown designation
    Cullman (AL) Community Band (Euph Section Leader)
    Brass Band of Huntsville (2nd Bari)

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