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Thread: Needing A Horn For Undergrad Studies

  1. Needing A Horn For Undergrad Studies

    Hey everyone! I'm currently a freshman in college on a premed track but plan to switch over to a music major since it's what I'm more passionate about. The issue is that the horn I have to work with is an old early 1970's besson 967, I think, owned by the music department, and it doesn't quite feel as normal as compared to my high school playing career on a school-owned Yamaha Neo. I would really like to go out and purchase a horn for myself and my undergrad studies, but I live in Texas and attend a rather expensive private university, making travel to go test horns rather complicated.

    After doing some research, especially through these forums, I've gotten the general consensus that a Wessex Dolce is a relatively decent horn, and one that's particularly nice due to its accessible price for me. However, I've a buddy here that owns a Besson Sovereign and would hypothetically be willing to part with it for around $3,000. Is this worth the price, or would the $1,200-$1,4000 Wessex be a better choice? Keep in mind that I am a new college student, so my budget is essentially restricted to about $3,000 or less.


    Thanks in advance for the advice!

  2. #2
    Welcome to the forum!

    That's a tough question to answer without knowing more about this particular Sovereign, and perhaps knowing what you disliked about the 967 you played. If it was truly a 967, then it was an early Sovereign. Or it may have been a New Standard. Either horn had a .580" bore and were made with traditional tooling. The Sovereigns were assembled by the more experienced workers at Boosey & Hawkes, but most of the parts were the same (except leadpipe, bell, and some trim).

    If you buddy's horn is a new, German-made Sovereign, then it is made with more modern tooling and a .590" bore.

    The Neo you played would have a .591 bore and is made with modern tooling.

    Wessex is also modern tooling and a bore of .590.

    So, if you liked the Neo, a newer Sovereign or the Wessex would probably give you more of what I think you liked in the Neo. Older Bessons had a wonderful tone that many feel is unmatched by new models, but they were a bit more stuffy to play. The newer Bessons and Wessex have the more open feel (less stuffy).

    The Sovereign, old or new, will have some intonation issues, but so does the Wessex. In either case there are tons of players using them who have learned to deal with intonation (it was a proud tradition among(st) players of the old Bessons!).
    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. Thank you for the quick reply and the help!

    Also, my apologies for not being specific enough. My friend's Sovereign is a newer one, being only 5 years old.

    For the 967, I truthfully do not whether it's an early Sovereign or New Standard. All I know for certain is that it requires a medium shank mouthpiece and is either losing its lacquered look or just rather old and worn out. I think my issue with it is would be just how small it feels compared to, say, the Neo that I'm used to playing on, which I'm sure there's a size difference that has something to do with it. As well, I think the instrument itself is just in rather poor shape, as it leaks far too often, has a rather nasally sound above the 6th partial + top space G, and generally just sounds airy. I appreciate the school for allowing me to play on it, though it's clear the previous users weren't too kind to it.

    So, back to my original intent. Is my friend's Sovereign worth the extra $1,800, albeit with financial hesitation from my parents, or would a Wessex suffice? I suppose it's important to add that I hope mainly to go into music education, at least as of now because I haven't looked into career opportunities for euphonium performance majors.

  4. #4
    If your friend's horn is in good shape, then $3k is a very fair price, and you could probably re-sell it for that if you ever chose to. For my own playing tastes, if I could afford the 3k I'd go for the Sovereign. The Wessex is a fantastic horn for a smaller budget, but it is not quite at the level of a horn like the Sovereign.
    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

  5. #5
    If the Sovereign is a large-shank 967 (either B&H Round Stamp or Besson), plays well, and it is in good condition, then I would go with that. A good Sovereign will definitely get you through undergraduate studies.

    The Wessex Dolce's are very good from what I have heard, and they are cloned after the Yamaha 642's. So it would be an easy progression from the Yamaha Neo you are using. However, you may find as you progress that it won't meet your needs for undergraduate study.

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