Good instrument for playing low

[hyperbolica]

I'm a trombone player, and sometimes like to play euphonium. Is there a particular model that has a better low range than others? Not interested in a tuba (want to stay in Bb, but don't want a contrabass), but might use a euph in the pitch range where you might use a bass bone - say below the staff, down to pedal F or maybe lower. Any suggestions? Don't need anything super exotic.

[lzajmom]

I'm the new kid here, but I'll hazard a guess at what the pros will say: a compensating euphonium will give you the better lower range, and a Wessex Dolce is a great compensating euphonium for the price. I'll be following to see how close I got. I too am interested to learn whether there is a particular compensating euphonium that is especially good in the lower register.

[John the Theologian]

I play both a Mack Brass compensating euphonium and a single trigger Yamaha bass bone and the bass bone is easier in the low range. Maybe it's because I play it with a bigger mouthpiece, but even if put a bass bone mp in my euphonium, I stll don't have the quality of sound inlow range that the bass bone has. Bass bones were designed to favor the low range and I was amazed how true that was when I first got the horn a few months ago.

[davewerden]

In general, ANY compensating euphonium will probably feel stuffier than you would like. The newest examples of these are much improved over older compensating euphoniums, but when you get down to the range between low Db and low B-natural, there is quite a bit of resistance. If you want a compensating horn, I'd go for a newer model. The Adams, Miraphone, Besson, Yamaha, and Willson brands all offer fine models in this regard, but you are in the $7-9,000 range.

The better clones are pretty good for response and much cheaper.

A King 2280 has very fine low register response, but it is non-compensating. That leaves you with a low Eb that is either sharp or flat, depending on the fingering you use, and no good low B-natural options.

[ghmerrill]

For about half a year I played the bass bone parts in a community band on my Mack Brass compensating euph. I have regularly played the tuba (usually Tuba 1) parts in Tuba Christmas on that horn, and also in Octubafest. With the right mouthpiece and practice you can easily play in the bass tuba range (an octave below the staff). It won't sound exactly like a tuba or exactly like a bass trombone, but it works well.

Make sure you get a "large bore" euph (like most are nowadays -- and this includes Mack Brass, Wessex, Sterling, generic Jin Bao, Schiller, Besson, Adams, etc.). With the fourth valve in play, that horn is basically a small bore 3-valve F tuba.

Below pedal F? Get a tuba.

[Snorlax]

Look for a Yamaha Roger Bobo tenor tuba mouthpiece.
It's for tubists to use on euph. It's rather pricey IIRC
Or just get a Bach 1 1/2 G.
Any modern compensating euph will play those notes, but they will be
rather stuffy and somewhat slow to respond, so you will need to anticipate a bit.
Jim

[RickF]

Schilke 60 might work too. I know that Walter Barrett (Yamaha artist in NY area) uses or used one on his YEP-641.

[hyperbolica]

Thanks for the responses. I'll try a Wessex or Mack Brass compensator with a big mouthpiece. Thanks again.

[daruby]

I used to regularly play tuba parts in tuba range in the local community band. I keep a Bach 1 1/2G around for that. Also, I have played bass trombone parts in trombone quintets using my euphonium with some success.

[ghmerrill]

Just for another, and deviant, perspective ...

I'd never use something as large as a 1.5G on the euph. I just don't need anything that large to play the tuba parts or bass trombone parts I've encountered with it. I've tried by DE bass trombone mouthpiece on the euph and for me it's "too big" (it's about the size of a large 1.5 or a small 1.25). My DE euph mouthpiece (see below in the sig) works fine -- thought it's probably considerably bigger than most people use to play genuine euph parts.

I have NEVER got a euph to play in tune with a Schilke 60. Some people apparently can do this. I suspect this is because they have absolutely bodacious embouchures -- which I don't. (In all honestly I can't get a bass trombone to play in tune with a Schilke 60. ) The 60 always plays distinctly flat for me in a euph. But you have to go with what works for you. You don't need a huge mouthpiece to make a euph work like a small tuba. You can get the range. What you're not going to get is the booming tone quality or the volume in that low register.

[dsurkin]

Schilke 60 might work too. I know that Walter Barrett (Yamaha artist in NY area) uses or used one on his YEP-641.

And Walter still uses his Doug Elliott with a 114 rim, which is the same diameter as the Schilke 60. I sit in Walter's section for a summer concert band, and it is remarkable how he has such even tone up to the altissimo range with that size mouthpiece.

[dsurkin]

[snip] You can get the range. What you're not going to get is the booming tone quality or the volume in that low register.

I second that. One year in my community orchestra I was playing the bass trombone parts on my euphonium. As he says, I got the notes but not the required tone (and I don't think my compensating range intonation is as good as that of a good bass trombonist).

[DaveBj]

Dave W. (#4) speaks the truth. I can make the multi-valve notes just above pedal Bb sound, but I have to set my chops and breath support in order to do it (Dolce, and previously an Elite). Fortunately, those notes are rarely used, and not at all (in my limited experience) in fast passages. I do play them a lot, but only in warmups and scales.