WTB: Advice for" senior" player.

[djj]

At 74 y.o., I am an intermediate trumpet player having just joined a community band, but there are too many trumpets! 10-12 of 30 members. The band needs bass brass. Answer: a euphonium, 4-V compensating.

Problems:
1. Small city offers zero horns.
2. Wife’s illness precludes visiting large city with plenty of horns for trial.

I probably will have to buy from an online retailer, used via this forum, or eBay auction from a seller with a sterling feedback, obviously without a trial. Foolish? Helpful ideas?

[davewerden]

Welcome to the forum!

The easiest, safest solution is to buy a new Wessex Dolce or Wessex Festivo. The latter is compensating, but made like the traditional American horns, with the valves in front of you and the bell pointing to the left. That is more comfortable for many players (assuming you are sitting while playing). The Dolce model is like the horn I use, with 3 valves for your right hand and 1 for your left hand, with a bell pointing right. The Dolce starts around $1,300 and the Festivo is about $500 more.

https://wessex-tubas.com/collections...m-and-baritone

If that is too much money, here is an ugly-ducking Yamaha 321 that probably would be a very nice, playable horn. They are typically easy to blow and have a nice tone. Price is about $850 from a seller with lots of feedback and a 100% positive rating:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Yamaha-YEP3...D/292732141902

[ghmerrill]

Or the Mack Brass analog of the Wessex Dolce is $995: http://www.mackbrass.com/MACK-EU1150_Comp.php.