Elliott Euphonium - Lyndon Baglin Endorsement!

[davewerden]

I saw that Lyndon Baglin sold his Sterling and is now endorsing this horn:

https://brass-toffsales.co.uk/produc...ofessional-929

Looks like a similar horn, but I know next to nothing about it! (Nice-looking case, though)

[TheJH]

I'm looking on the site at the pictures and some of the specs are... damn.
5kg (most professional euphoniums are around 4.5-4.7kg), 310mm bell (advertised as 'largest available on the market'... well not the only ones, but yeah that's very big), and the tubing between the main tuning slide and the top bow seems to have the same kind of 'bend' in it that Bessons have as well, I don't know if Sterlings have that as well but I thought it's an interesting design choice, since Yamaha and Willson just have a straight, non-bent tube between the top bow and the main tuning slide.

So yeah, very big and heavy horn, I'm curious to how it sounds.

[dsurkin]

I saw that Lyndon Baglin sold his Sterling and is now endorsing this horn:

https://brass-toffsales.co.uk/produc...ofessional-929

Looks like a similar horn, but I know next to nothing about it! (Nice-looking case, though)

I did a quick Google search - it looks like the horn is manufactured in Hong Kong.
http://www.elliottbrass.com/index_to...d=3&didpath=/3

Interesting that a Sterling artist is now playing a Chinese horn. Does this mean that the Chinese factories are now producing some really high-end euphoniums?

[ChristianeSparkle]

No way, it's a Hong Kong brand? Wow, now I am curious, anyone heard of Elliott as a brand before or this is the first time this brand appeared on the news?

[graeme]

Tried finding an Elliott being played on utube etc. No luck.

[bbocaner]

Looks like standard Jin Bao fare to me, perhaps made with heavier gauge metal and the bell cut larger to Elliott's specs? I'm sure it's a nice playing instrument, but if this is the case it seems overpriced to me.

[bbocaner]

correction -- the first photo, the one that was copied to the thread here, looks like a jin bao. The studio photo with the white background. The other ones on the "brass toff" web site, the photos on the red sheet, are a different design instrument altogether. weird.

[ChristianeSparkle]

This is the photo shown on Elliott Brass's website.

http://www.elliottbrass.com/index_ep...products_id=15

Which is the same white background.

I'm starting to wonder if there are any obscure brands from Taiwan and HK now that might actually be well made, like the Empereurs brand i mentioned before. I recently saw a trombonist in my band having an Empereur case, planning to ask him if he's using their trombone and what he thinks about it.

[Jasonium]

The Steve Mead travel mute on that site shows 0 dollars. It was also 0 dollars when I added it to cart. Someone should purchase it and see what happens.

[Clayton M.]

You didn’t make it to the shipping quote page...that’s where they get ya.

[TheJH]

On their facebook page they answered to comments addressing the 'registered in Hong Kong' stuff, saying that the instrument is only assembled in Hong Kong but that the parts themselves are made in Europe. So if we can believe them, it is a European-made horn, just assembled in China to reduce costs.

[davewerden]

On their facebook page they answered to comments addressing the 'registered in Hong Kong' stuff, saying that the instrument is only assembled in Hong Kong but that the parts themselves are made in Europe. So if we can believe them, it is a European-made horn, just assembled in China to reduce costs.

Interesting. I know when Sterling first experimented with Chinese involvement, the parts were made in China and the horn was assembled in England.

It's an interesting choice in any case. To me, assembly is a key ingredient in a good horn. In the old days of Bessons, retired Marine Band euphoniumist Karl Humble has a repair business in New Mexico, and he would sometimes produce an amazing improvement in Bessons by taking them apart and putting them back together. Something about all the joints fitting well and mating the ends of the tubes.

[RickF]

(Snip) To me, assembly is a key ingredient in a good horn. In the old days of Bessons, retired Marine Band euphoniumist Karl Humble has a repair business in New Mexico, and he would sometimes produce an amazing improvement in Bessons by taking them apart and putting them back together. Something about all the joints fitting well and mating the ends of the tubes.

I understand that Mr. Humble assembled horns with a “relaxed fit”. No strain on any joints during soldering.

[Simes]

I had a lesson with Mr Baglin last week and had a look at the euphonium. He played on the original Sovereign and still makes the biggest noise I have heard on a euphonium but curiously we didn't play or hear the Elliott.

[davewerden]

I had a lesson with Mr Baglin last week and had a look at the euphonium. He played on the original Sovereign and still makes the biggest noise I have heard on a euphonium but curiously we didn't play or hear the Elliott.

Wow - what a great opportunity. I wish I had had a chance to study even one lesson with Lyndon. He's my hero!

It's hard to beat the sound and power of the original Sovereign 967. For full-out band playing it is a force to be reckoned with! Its downfall in my experience was in more delicate playing, or in a chamber setting. The huge sound that was so nice in band playing became a bit hard to manage in smaller settings. And some of today's horns have a much more even note-to-note response and better intonation.

It seems I keep going to cars for comparisons! The "Detroit iron" of the 50's and 60's were terrific cars in many ways. And some of the "muscle cars" were astounding in the brute force they could offer. But they were not so hot in handling twisty New-England-style back roads, and of course they are not as smooth, safe, and economical as today's autos. I have fond memories of my 1955 Olds and my 1959 Buick Electra (both bought used, as they were my first 2 cars). I could take my bike (27" tires, set up like some of today's road bikes) and just lay it in the trunk of that Buick. I could also put the seat back so far I had trouble reaching the pedals (I was 6'2"); and if hats had not been considered nerdy for teens back then, I could easily have worn a hat.