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Thread: Clueless Mom looking for a euphonium for daughter

  1. Hello Lucy’s very overwhelmed Mom,

    As I mentioned in my private message to you, I think that your effort to find your daughter a great Euphonium is very admirable. She is very lucky. I have a Besson Sovereign 968 (Silver) in excellent condition if you are interested. Please see my pm to you, and I am happy to answer any questions you may have. I provided my contact information.

    Regards,

    Edgar

  2. #12
    A new J P Sterling would be way under your $5,000 budget, and would be a euph in the British tradition like the Besson she wants. Nothing wrong with idealizing Mead and his choice of instrument, if it is part of her motivation!

    https://austincustombrass.mybigcomme...se-in-lacquer/

    John

  3. With all due respect, the longer this thread gets, the more overwhelmed Mom will be. That said, I mirror the advice of Dave and KKORO: living close to the Wessex USA shop, go and play test them all. That gives daughter some "buy-in" that she had something to do with acquiring the horn, and as a result will probably retain playing interest and take better care of it in the long run.
    Last edited by iiipopes; 12-26-2017 at 01:54 PM.

  4. Thank you, all of you, so much! We took daughter to try a Besson 4 valve non-compensating, a Besson sovereign and a used sterling. Next we are hoping to road trip to Michigan to try the Wessex Dulce this week. I appreciate the direction and insight. I will let you know where we shake out. Thanks again!

  5. Make sure you call Andy at the Spring Lake, MI location. Make an appointment and he'll have everything set up for you. It's mainly a warehouse with a showroom. He's not always in, so it's good to make an appointment.

    KKORO

  6. Thank you for all of your insight. Following the advice here and a little nudge from a friend we tried a new Besson 687, Besson Intermediate horn and a used Sterling this week. Then we were able to make the trip to Michigan yesterday (long 12 hour day - lake effect snow) and we came home with a Wessex Dolce. She is ecstatic! What an experience it was. We arrived at a warehouse and were met by Andy. She tried 4 horns and fell in love with the third one. We left for lunch to "talk things over" and she barely ate, she was so excited. We returned to purchase the horn and were treated to an amazing opportunity to play some very unique instruments. She tried a Travel (Tornister) Euphonium ‘Maly’ and a double bell euphonium. it was so much fun and we learned a lot from Andy about the history of not only this brand but lots of other great information. ! I have to say that after so much research and confusion on my part the very clear direction from this forum was appreciated. I am sure she will be happy with this horn and for the price it by no means has to be her "final" euphonium. I also think the very reasonable reminder that high school students are still kids helped make the decision easier. My husband was quick to remind us that over the years there have been a number of OOOPS visits to have a kid related accident banged out of the bell of a horn, ours or the school's. Even the most mature responsible student is still a kid, is surrounded by kids and will likely test the strength of the instrument and their parent's patience, sometimes it is just good to be reminded - so thank you. And finally last evening i also realized that the MUTE i had given her on Christmas Day was a really great gift................for me and our neighbors! Being able to play her new euphonium late into the night without complaint from the rest of us was great!
    Thank you for the advice, I really appreciate the direction! She is one happy kid - practicing again this morning!

  7. #17
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    West Palm Beach, FL
    Posts
    3,853
    Congratulations! Glad you got a new horn for your daughter - and didn’t break the bank. Sounds like you had a good time too. Many happy years of your daughter making good music.
    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
    THANK YOU for sharing your story with such fine description! It was truly fun to read about the experience, and I'm glad the whole process worked out well for you. It really sounds like you are "in the right place" for now.
    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

  9. #19
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    Anderson, Indiana
    Posts
    270
    One suggestion that I would make is to give your new instrument a bath in the near future. This is to clean out any remaining manufacturing chemicals left in the horn, especially the "lapping compounds" used on the valves. Usually this means completely disassembling the instrument, being careful to put identify each valve to prevent mixing them up. Most people put a rubber mat in their bathtub (to prevent scratches), fill it with tepid water (never hot, as this might damage the lacquer) and some Dawn dish detergent and letting it soak. Then rinsing and reassembling. Most of us use "Pledge" furniture polish and a soft cloth to keep the finish shiny.
    Here are a couple of links on how some forum members clean their instruments (as well as advice on what not to do):
    http://www.dwerden.com/forum/showthr...h#.WkfAMTdG3IU
    http://www.dwerden.com/forum/showthr...2#.WkfBJTdG3IU
    A brush kit might make this process easier. Below is a link to one that is well like by many. Your local music/repair shop may have this or other brands: https://www.amazon.com/HWP-H-BSBA-Br...+baritone+horn

    For more inspiration and education, the International Tuba and Euphonium Association is holding their regional conference in Ft. Wayne, Indiana in April, 2018. Here is the link:
    http://www.iteaonline.org/conference...2018_index.php
    There should be updates on artists and events as the date approaches.
    Hope some of this information helps.

  10. #20
    Quote Originally Posted by enhite View Post
    One suggestion that I would make is to give your new instrument a bath in the near future. ... Usually this means completely disassembling the instrument, being careful to put identify each valve to prevent mixing them up. Most people put a rubber mat in their bathtub (to prevent scratches), fill it with tepid water (never hot, as this might damage the lacquer) and some Dawn dish detergent and letting it soak....
    That's good advice, but let me advise caution in one area. Once taken apart, the main body of the instrument is obviously open in a lot of place and would not hold as much water as when assembled. BUT it can still be pretty heavy when you add the water to the large branch (that part after the tuning slide, going toward the bell). Also, it will be wet and may be particularly slippery because of the Dawn! So handle carefully because it is heavy, and be very alert because as you move it, the water can move inside and suddenly change the weight distribution. I suppose wearing rubber gloves might help grip it better.

    (I say this because I dented my Coast Guard marching horn when cleaning it, for the very reasons I described above.)
    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

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