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Thread: First time shopper--please advise.

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  1. First time shopper--please advise.

    I've been lurking for awhile, first time posting. Hopefully I'm in the right spot.

    The time has come for my son to move from a school-owned instrument to a euphonium of his own. He's played a Willson 2900 all through school. We plan to check out the vendors at ITEC next month. Any advice on brands he should be trying? Or just test them all? It would be great to find something that will last him through college and beyond. Thanks in advance for any insight!

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Sep 2017
    Location
    Harrisonburg, VA
    Posts
    11
    I would say to test them all! Check out the high-end brands like Willson, Miraphone, Adams, Besson, etc. and see what he likes! There's also plenty of less expensive options that are of great quality too, like Jupiter XO, Wessex, and the Eastman. I might also recommend to have him bring his horn too, to do some side by side comparison. If he likes what he has now, the new Willsons are nice, but it would be good to try them all out just for the experience and to comparison shop!

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jun 2018
    Location
    Summerville (SC)
    Posts
    483
    According to what I heard some months ago, Wessex, in addition to its current lower cost Dolce and Festivo euphoniums, might be displaying at ITEC the prototype of a new higher end hand-made model, probably called EP600...

    I have no idea of its specs and playing characteristics yet, but it might be worth while play-testing this new Wessex, along with the Miraphone M5050, Besson, and various iterations of the Adams E3, E2, and E1.

    Regards, Guido
    M5050L - DC2&3, SM2&4U, BT16, Carbonaria Heavy & New
    Wessex EP104 Festivo - available
    Carolbrass CCR7772 Bb cornet - Available

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Location
    Summerfield, Florida Sturgis, SD (summers)
    Posts
    1,870
    Quote Originally Posted by EuphoniumMom View Post
    I've been lurking for awhile, first time posting. Hopefully I'm in the right spot.

    The time has come for my son to move from a school-owned instrument to a euphonium of his own. He's played a Willson 2900 all through school. We plan to check out the vendors at ITEC next month. Any advice on brands he should be trying? Or just test them all? It would be great to find something that will last him through college and beyond. Thanks in advance for any insight!
    Make sure he brings a large shank mouthpiece along, I think the Willson 2900 takes a Euro shank sized piece where most of the other top end horns and lower priced ones like Wessex take a large shank mouthpiece. Also, there have been cases where a person is really, really interested in an instrument and wants to buy it, but can't quite decide. Some vendors may allow you to take a horn home for the evening (after the display closes) as long as you have it back right when the display opens the next day. This might give your son a chance to play the horn somewhere away from the large amount of noise you may encounter in the vendor hall. Not sure how many do that, but I have heard this happening before.

    And welcome to the forum!!
    John Morgan
    The U.S. Army Band (Pershing's Own) 1971-1976
    Adams E3 Custom Series Euphonium, 1956 B&H Imperial Euphonium,
    1973 F. E. Olds & Son Studio Model T-31 Baritone
    Adams TB1 Tenor Trombone, Yamaha YBL-822G Bass Trombone
    Year Round Except Summer:
    Kingdom of the Sun (KOS) Concert Band, Ocala, FL (Euphonium)
    KOS Brass Quintet (Trombone, Euphonium)
    Summer Only:
    Rapid City Municipal Band, Rapid City, SD (Euphonium)
    Rapid City New Horizons Band (Euphonium)

  5. #5
    Don't forget to try the Packer 274. Beautiful tone, great intonation, and it's about the same price as the wessex

    Wessex is coming out with a new euphonium model that is very impressive, but I would choose the Packer over the dolce (and did)

  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by 58mark View Post
    Don't forget to try the Packer 274. Beautiful tone, great intonation, and it's about the same price as the wessex

    Wessex is coming out with a new euphonium model that is very impressive, but I would choose the Packer over the dolce (and did)
    Hello Mark,

    I'm so glad I read your post. We are also looking into our first purchase of a Euphonium for our son entering college.
    So far we have looked at the Wessex Dolce and the Eastman models. The next thing (very high on the list) to try is the JP274.
    Unfortunately, it's difficult to find a local store that has one in stock. Thanks to this site we did find a store near Glendale, CA that sells the upgraded JP374 model.
    Biggest difference between the two is the 374 has a trigger and is has the "Sterling" approved name.

    We prefer to save the $1 grand and go with the 274, and are hoping the 374 will have a very comparable tone when we test it.
    The JP274 appears like it could be our favorite choice too. I'll report on our findings once we can demo the upgrade Packard.
    In the meantime, your post gives me good hope that we may have finally found our perfect match.
    Last edited by EyeInSky; 05-23-2019 at 01:32 AM.

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by EyeInSky View Post
    Hello Mark,

    I'm so glad I read your post. We are also looking into our first purchase of a Euphonium for our son entering college.
    So far we have looked at the Wessex Dolce and the Eastman models. The next thing (very high on the list) to try is the JP274.
    Unfortunately, it's difficult to find a local store that has one in stock. Thanks to this site we did find a store near Glendale, CA that sells the upgraded JP374 model.
    Biggest difference between the two is the 374 has a trigger and is has the "Sterling" approved name.

    We prefer to save the $1 grand and go with the 274, and are hoping the 374 will have a very comparable tone when we test it.
    The JP274 appears like it could be our favorite choice too. I'll report on our findings once we can demo the upgrade Packard.
    In the meantime, your post gives me good hope that we may have finally found our perfect match.

    I like the tone and feel of the 274 more than the 374. they are different instruments, and it shows in the way they play

    Before you buy, talk to Joe Sellmansburger at mid south music. http://www.citysearch.com/profile/94...uth_music.html

    I know it's probably not close to you, but he'll beat any price out there. Another place to try is Baltimore brass.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jun 2018
    Location
    Summerville (SC)
    Posts
    483
    Hello 58Mark, what information have you gathered on the upcoming high end Wessex euphonium? ... And have you seen it and perhaps play tested it already?

    G.
    M5050L - DC2&3, SM2&4U, BT16, Carbonaria Heavy & New
    Wessex EP104 Festivo - available
    Carolbrass CCR7772 Bb cornet - Available

  9. #9
    Yes, I played it at the army band conference. It's lightweight, very responsive, and the intonation seems to be good from initial testing

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jun 2018
    Location
    Summerville (SC)
    Posts
    483
    Thank you 58Mark... Sounds promising... Do you have any other info on this upcoming Wessex eupho... E.g. Bell diameter, trigger, brass type, projected pricing?

    Thanks, G.
    M5050L - DC2&3, SM2&4U, BT16, Carbonaria Heavy & New
    Wessex EP104 Festivo - available
    Carolbrass CCR7772 Bb cornet - Available

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