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Thread: What Euphonium should I buy?

  1. #1

    What Euphonium should I buy?

    Hello, I am a freshman in high school looking to purchase a professional compensating Euphonium with 4 valves (4th valve on the side, not next to the other three.) In the brass band I participate in I play a Besson 967 which is not mine, the brass band owns it. I’ve been wanting to buy a 967 for a while now, but before I do it I thought I should get some advice/info. Are there any other good professional euphs out there that are similar or better than the 967? Or should I just stick with buying a 967? Right now I own a student Yamaha Euphonium and I’ve learned I don’t really like their euphs.

    Some things I like about the 967:
    - How large shank mouthpieces fit into it, like the Dennis Wick 4AL
    - The valves are my favorite part about it. I like how they’re not too big and bouncy like some Yamahas, and I like the speed at which they can move and how they’re not too stiff
    - I like how it’s silver
    - I overall like the tone, the performance, and how big it is

    Should I stick with buying a 967 or get a different Euphonium? Any advice on this or about what to look for when buying a new Euphonium would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

    (Also sorry if I got any information wrong in this.)

  2. #2
    Welcome to the forum!

    For a first step, you should poke around the Euph Brands topic, where you will find a lot of discussion about various brands.

    Everything I mention below will have a large shank.

    The 967 is still a current model. Now they offer one with a trigger, which I would want if I had a 967. Some people think it has the best tone of the current Bessons.

    If you don't like your Yamaha student horn, you might still want to try a Yamaha 642 NEO. I think Yamaha deliberately tried to give that model a more "British" sound and it had many good comments on the forum.

    My favorite is the Adams E3, which is why I play one! For your tastes, you might like the E2 in yellow brass (with silver plating). I always liked the British sound. Previously I played a 967 and then a Sterling. But the Adams gave me the British-color sound with better intonation (I don't use a trigger, although one is available) and better response.

    If you want a really large sound, the two horns I have found to be the biggest sounding are the Cerveny Emperor and the Miraphone 5050. The Cerveny is not one I recommend because it feels clumsy to me, and the sound is not very consistent from note to note. But the Miraphone is a very good choice to consider. You will find many positive comments on the forum about it, the tone very attractive in addition to being very large.
    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. #3
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    Anderson, Indiana
    Posts
    270
    Snorlax has posted a Mach euphonium for sale on this forum. It's not new and not a Besson or Adams but would get you by for awhile. Snorlax is a very skilled player and I'm sure that the instrument has been well cared for (see For Sale post). It seems like a good price. Might be worth checking out.
    Last edited by enhite; 12-13-2018 at 08:47 AM. Reason: grammar

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    West Palm Beach, FL
    Posts
    3,853
    Quote Originally Posted by enhite View Post
    Snorlax has posted a Mach euphonium for sale on this forum. It's not new and not a Besson or Adams but would get you by for awhile. Snorlax is a very skilled player and I'm sure that the instrument has been well cared for (see For Sale post). It seems like a good price. Might be worth checking out.
    Excellent suggestion 'enhite'!! Especially for a Freshman. When and if you wanted another horn you could resell it for nearly the same price. Snorlax has made a lot of improvements to the horn as well. Here's that link:

    Mack Brass compensating euph with enhancements:
    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)

  5. And actual enhancements too, not just fluff and bling. The bang-for-the-buck on this one might be the best I've seen in a long time.

    A few of the repair techs by me heartily endorse the Macks for this type of application. I say go for it, if you can get to Indy to check out the horn.
    Whatever you lose, you'll find it again. What you throw away, you'll never get back.

    -- Kenshin Himura




    1974 B & H Imperial / Bach 3G -- no LTE mouthpieces for me!

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Indianapolis area
    Posts
    1,003
    Thanks, everybody!!
    Jim Williams N9EJR (love 10 meter CW)
    Formerly Principal Euphonium in a whole
    bunch of groups, now just a schlub.
    Shires Q41, Yamaha 321, 621 Baritone
    Wick 4AL, Wessex 4Y, or whatever I grab.
    Conn 50H trombone, Blue P-bone
    www.soundcloud.com/jweuph

  7. And since it is a "Mach" Euphonium, it is REALLY fast!
    Adams E3 0.60 Sterling bell - Prototype top sprung valves
    Concord Band
    Winchendon Winds
    Townsend Military Band

  8. #8
    ...
    Last edited by ChristianeSparkle; 12-14-2018 at 05:43 PM.
    "Never over complicate things. Accept "bad" days. Always enjoy yourself when playing, love the sound we can make on our instruments (because that's why we all started playing the Euph)"

    Euph: Yamaha 642II Neo - 千歌音
    Mouthpiece: K&G 4D, Denis Wick 5AL

    https://soundcloud.com/ashsparkle_chika
    https://www.youtube.com/user/AshTSparkle/

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Indianapolis area
    Posts
    1,003
    That is not correct.
    Jim Williams N9EJR (love 10 meter CW)
    Formerly Principal Euphonium in a whole
    bunch of groups, now just a schlub.
    Shires Q41, Yamaha 321, 621 Baritone
    Wick 4AL, Wessex 4Y, or whatever I grab.
    Conn 50H trombone, Blue P-bone
    www.soundcloud.com/jweuph

  10. #10
    Ohh interesting. I wasn't aware of that.
    "Never over complicate things. Accept "bad" days. Always enjoy yourself when playing, love the sound we can make on our instruments (because that's why we all started playing the Euph)"

    Euph: Yamaha 642II Neo - 千歌音
    Mouthpiece: K&G 4D, Denis Wick 5AL

    https://soundcloud.com/ashsparkle_chika
    https://www.youtube.com/user/AshTSparkle/

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