Per the recommendations of many on this board, along with extensive research, I made the decision to purchase a Dolce. I felt sure about the decision after only a day and a half rather than the inordinate 3-4 months I would normally take for kinda-big-but-not-really decisions. I'm as relieved by the decisiveness as I am excited to own my own euphonium for the first time ever! I wanted to share my first impressions with you, but I've debated how to structure this. If you'll indulge the slightly stream-of-conscious style, I'll try a pro/con list in no particular order.
I played an old but good Yamaha 321 for 7 years ending 15 years ago. The Dolce arrived 8 days ago.
Pro: Steve's customer service
I was not particularly enchanted by the wyvern on the valve buttons, and despite my efforts to be logical, I just wasn't getting over it. Sunday evening two weeks ago (before ordering), I asked Steve if there was an alternative. Before noon the following Tuesday, he let me know that they had found four black valve buttons and would include them at no extra charge. When the horn arrived, the black buttons were already installed and the original wyvern buttons were included in the pocket of the case.
Con: Steve's accessibility
But consider the circumstances! - relocating is a big deal. Plus, considering he called me on a Sunday evening, the man is clearly working nonstop. Still, it took over a week of emails, voice messages, and Facebook messages before we made contact. I don't blame Steve at all, but it would be helpful if they had 1-2 more Steves to meet the demand.
Pro: The ordering process
Simple, straightforward, efficient.
Pro: Extraordinary shipping logistics (FedEx)
Steve told me that while some people do receive their horn in two days as I had read in other reviews, 7-10 days is common and expected. I submitted my order at 11:03 Tuesday morning; received shipping notice at 4:28 Wednesday morning; FedEx tracking predicted delivery by 10:30 Thursday morning; delivery arrived in central U.S. at 10:17 Wednesday morning. And this from Great Britain! I'm as much impressed by the accuracy of the delivery estimate as I am with the speed of it. Kudos to FedEx!
Con (resolved): Messy buttons
The custom black buttons, though much better than the wyvern and greatly appreciated, were kinda gummy on top. Is that a fair criticism? It looked like they had used a glue to hold them in, and then didn't wipe off the excess glue. Maybe they shipped it so fast that some squished out the sides in shipping. Anyway, it's since come off and they look great, so it's not a big deal. It just didn't make an awesome first impression. I'm glad I waited a few extra days to write this.
Con (inconsequential): Customer service via Facebook messenger
Steve was not the first person to respond to my inquiries. Whoever responded to my Facebook inquiries was decidedly unhelpful and approaching rude.
Con (but fair): Imperfect finish
The silver finish looks really nice, but **it isn't perfect. Is it supposed to be on a $1400 horn? There are light buffing swirls in the silver. There is a plainly visible but non-textured mar in the silver on the outside of the bell, just above the first valve. Is the inside of the bell usually finished?* It's been so long that I honestly don't remember, but the inside of this one is dull. No one in an audience would ever notice any of this, and it's a budget horn, aand I remember Jonathan posting a blog about the balance between perfectionism and cost, aaand as a business person I can appreciate that, aaaand a less detailed person probably wouldn't notice even up close... but I noticed, and this is about my first impression.
*Update 2/23/19: Thanks to John below for informing me that this is perfectly normal. While the OCD tendencies would like a more perfect finish, rational thinking must prevail. Rational thinking requires me to accept the quality of the finish as "good enough" and very good for the cost.
**Update 3/18/19: I think the finish is fairly thin. It seems to scuff very easily even though I am uber-careful. There are no actual scratches yet, but I see more circular pattern than in some of the other horns in the section.
Pro: Tone is warm and rich
The talented section leader in our community band plays an Accent something or other. His tone is significantly brighter, like a scratch instead of a rub. Compared to him, the Dolce sounds smooth and sweet, warm, like extra marshmallows in your hot chocolate. I get that it's largely a matter of personal preference and style, but the smooth, gentle tone of the Dolce by this unpracticed, mediocre player sure warms my cold bones better than his polished but brighter tone.
Con (resolved): Problematic valves
They arrived dry. I wouldn't have known whether that was good or bad, but I think I recall Jonathan replying to someone here a while back to say that it wasn't expected. Worse, the included valve oil only helped a little. Even after fully lubed, they were slow and clunky. I wiped it all off and tried the stuff that I bought a year or two ago for an old trumpet, yet they remained sluggish and even noisy. On day 2, my Blue Juice arrived from Amazon, so again I wiped it all off and started over. I'll agree with those who opine that it's like slurping jet fuel, but I'll also attest to its efficacy. After a few days of very frequent Blue Juice application, the valves were consistently moving quickly and quietly. By day 5 or 6, I could go a whole day or two between application. How much of that improvement would have come with continued usage regardless of oil, do you think? *It did seem like the Blue Juice made an immediate difference.
*Update 3/18/19: I used Blue Juice very frequently for the first couple weeks, but then it's like me and the horn and the oil all hit our stride. I haven't had to open the valves in over a week, but they are smooth and fast. (I don't play every day.) After this dramatic improvement, and I am now MORE than satisfied with the operation of the valves.
Con: Problematic valve screwer-inner*
What's it called? - the round top of the valve that you unscrew to remove it? - must not be threaded very well on the third valve. **All four valves were really hard to screw in at first. After several repetitions, I can now put in 1, 2, and 4 pretty quickly. That third valve though - it's making me crazy! I spent a literal four minutes just trying to get that valve back in the other day. SURELY that's not right, is it??
*Update 2/23/19: Google calls it a "cap." Yep.
**Update 3/18/19: This actually has gotten better. I'm not sure if this is entirely because I've gotten used to it and therefore better at setting it just right, or if the threads have also deepened through repetitive action. I still spend about a minute on that third valve sometimes, but that's a lot more tolerable.
Con (to me): Silver mouthpiece
The picture showed a gold mouthpiece with the silver option, and I expected gold. I get that this is kinda petty, kinda like the valve buttons. I'm pretty sure that if I'd specifically requested gold, they'd have sent gold no problem. But I didn't think about it because I assumed I'd get the color shown. Does it affect the music? Not in the slightest. Does silver look better anyway? Many would say yes. It just isn't what I expected, and *I personally would have preferred the gold.
*Update: A very kind member of this board sent me a gold Wessex mouthpiece that wasn't being used. First, it really does look pretty! Second, I maintain that this is one of the best forums on the Internet.
Con (resolved I think): Second valve rattles or something
*I haven't noticed it the last few times I've played, but there was a definite rattle every time I used the second valve. I tried to make sure nothing was loose or out of place. I confirmed the sound was coming from the instrument and not my children or other mischievous presence. I can't even guess what it was, but it was really bothersome at first.
Update 3/18/19: I'm not gonna like, you guys... I still hear it! It's definitely coming from the horn, but now it's less of a rattle and more of a vibration, like how the cymbals across the room sometimes sound if you play just the right pitch. I only hear it with the second valve, and not even with second in combination with another. Only the second valve. It doesn't bother me anymore, though, since it's less rattley.
Con (to me): Uncomfortable reach
I expected the 3+1 to take some getting used to. But besides the utter lack of coordination with my left hand, it's hard to reach all the way across to that compensating valve. I don't think there are any better options that I could afford, so trying before buying probably wouldn't have altered my decision. It is kind of a hardship to me, however, that most (usually male and taller) players wouldn't share.
Con: First valve is hard to remove
It isn't hard to open the valve and pull it out to oil, but pulling it all the way out is really hard to do without banging it into the bell. When the valve is all the way out of the casing, there is very little clearance above the button and the bell. Is that normal?? I don't remember this with the Yamaha. I appreciate the general compactness of the instrument, but this seems like a little much. I'm guessing y'all will tell me I'm being unfair (about several things here), and if you do, I'll trust you. It's annoying though.
Pro: Position of the lead pipe
I used to use a pillow to prop up the Yamaha to reach my mouth since I wasn't strong enough to hold the instrument comfortably. I believe the Dolce is lighter than the Yamaha (does anyone know for sure?), but even more helpful is that the lead pipe is positioned so that I don't need a pillow. I don't believe I've gotten shorter or taller. The angle of the lead pipe to my body is quite comfortable. I wonder what a taller (average) person thinks about it?
Pro: Playability
I've been very pleased with the ease of output compared to the Yamaha. I easily played down to the B without even thinking, and only later realized: huh... I guess I'd never done that before. And I easily played up to the high Ab4, and only later realized: huh... it took me years to work up to the G below it. By the second day, I hit B4 without too much effort. I mean, it wasn't pretty! But it was a lot better than I expected so soon after so long. I haven't hit it again since, but I know it will come again. The point is that besides just being compensating, the instrument must be more free-blowing than the Yamaha.
Con: Zipper on case
I didn't expect it to bother me, but it's a lot slower to open and close than the three buckles.
Pro: Grime gutter
Well I'll be. I never really knew I needed one, but now that I have it, I don't want to be without it. This may be the exception, but I don't remember having drip and grime problems with the Yamaha. But the gutter looks very nice, and I do my own laundry now.
Neutral surprise: Instrument is turned 180° in the case
You don't realize how much muscle memory affects everything you do. I keep wanting to lay the bell down to the left, but this one lays down to the right.
Unsure (somebody please help me): Intonation
Last time I checked, probably 4-5 days in, literally every single note was blowing 30-50 cents sharp. I tried to adjust with slides, but I only got down to within 15 cents at best. Is that me because my embouchure is so undeveloped? I would expect some notes to blow a little sharp and others a little flat, but all the same amount sharp? What is that?
Conclusion:
I've been reluctant to write this because I don't want to seem negative about it. Truthfully, I don't want to feel negatively about it either. I wasn't sure what I expected after so many years, and transitioning to a 3+1 at that. A very deep part of me loves it in ways inexpressible, and not just because it's a euphonium, but because it's a wonderful euphonium. We are still getting to know each other, and I'm still finding the music, and the music is still finding me, and I'm still finding that part of myself again. I knew this would be emotional, but it's hard to separate the depth of feeling toward the music from the discomfort of change from the 321 and all the little details I didn't expect. I don't want to be unfair to Wessex. As a whole, I'm very impressed with the transaction and I'm trying to be very impressed with the instrument. I learned when I dated my husband that the best loves sometimes come slowly. I welcome your counsel (about the Dolce, not about dating). And I'll try to keep you updated as we work on our relationship (the Dolce, not my husband).