Greetings Everyone,
New member here! I was referred to this site by Dave Werden, and this forum has been a great resource to help us decide which direction to take in purchasing our son's 1st Euphonium. He's graduating high school, and CBU is in need of a Euphonium player. The purchase will not only allow him to get a partial scholarship, but will likely become an instrument he uses throughout his life. There are a lot of brands & models out there (too many, actually), so discovering this forum has been a blessing. The largest chunk of this decision rests on what sounds/feels best to our son, but I'm hoping we can narrow down the options to help guide him towards a manageable handful of choices. I was hoping the experienced members on this site can chime in on the findings I discovered, and if we're leaning towards sound choices... considering this will be his first owned instrument.
Below is what is currently on the "short list" ranked from most-favored to least-favored choice (ALL are still in the top 4). The comments I make are just my initial impressions from online research. We don't have any "hands-on" experience with these instruments yet, and the short list below is probably not going to be a big surprise:
#1) John Packer - JP274 ($1600 shipped, and my most preferred)
- Sounds close to an $8,000 Besson Sovereign. I LOVE the dark & rich tone this has.
- This unit is not manufactured from JINBAO, but through another Chinese company under JP's specs.
- People who own this model report the finish is virtually flawless and blemish free like higher end models.
- Out of the gate, there doesn't seem to be issues with the valves or slides.
- JP has been around for 40 years, but is more of an "underdog" company.
- Their business appears to spend more resources towards quality engineering over marketing.
- I watched Matonizz's YouTube comparison with the Schiller Elite and was shocked how quiet the valves were.
- The JP274 fits the perfect bill for price + tone quality + silent valve operation.
- Correct me if I'm wrong, but the only downside may be that it's the heaviest of the bunch (over 10.25lbs).
- I believe it comes with a 1 year warranty, but hope there is a return window if we're unhappy with it.
#2) Wessex Dolce ($1570 shipped)
- I read comments how the business owner openly stated this was not a JINBAO unit.
- Although I do suspect some PARTS might come from the JINBAO factories.
- Each instrument is Q/C'd and tested before it ships to the customer - something I value.
- However, there have been comments about units shipping with black smudge around the valve caps.
- Many users have also seen blemishes on the finish (possibly before they updated their finishing process).
- I really like the silver plated finish w/gold accents - it's quite attractive!
- I haven't heard what it sounds like yet, but am thinking the tone might be comparable to JP
- Our local Sam Ash has this model in-house that we can use for testing.
- I believe Wessex comes with a 3 year warranty.
#3) Yamaha - YEP641 ($4,000 used)
- A well respected and sought-after instrument.
- This is the only true "professional grade" (or near pro-grade) model, would you agree?
- Or is any compensating Euphonium considered advanced/professional grade?
- Resale value is likely the best with this Yamaha over the other instruments listed.
- I suspect Yamaha will have the best quality and reliability over time.
- I have concerns the Chinese models may need more tweaks and repairs over time.
- I'm speculating the Yamaha was built around the late 1980's, and was rarely used.
- Is there a concern about valves rotting with this model (compared to other brands)?
- The downside is that it's above our comfort zone of affordability.
- I'm not sure if $4,000 is a good or just a fair price for a near-mint condition unit.
- I believe I read on this forum a good price point is around $3,500, but that was a few years ago.
- We prefer to keep things around $1500, but also realize best value often requires more funds up front.
#4) MackBrass - EU1150S ($995 shipped)
- If the JP274 is a clone of Besson, this unit is a clone of the Yamaha models.
- As such, it should sound close to the Yamaha in tone quality - even if it doesn't have the same performance.
- The finish is reported to be very thin - causing areas to rub off after only months of ownership.
- Using gloves is strongly recommended, and may be the case for most Chinese models.
- It's hard to argue the MackBrass Euphonium is possibly the GREATEST value for its price!
- The next comparable compensating silver finish instrument costs 50% more.
- I'm not sure if there is a warranty, but I can check their website.
For financial reasons, we can't be looking at a new Hirsbrunner/Adams, Besson Prestige/Sovereign, or Sterling Virtuosos. I also considered Eastman, but thought they were over priced considering what you can get with other Chinese brands. The used Yamaha YEP-641 is at least ALMOST affordable, but still costs $2500 more than I would like to spend. I can't throw it out completely, as it's still an opportunity to get a pro-grade instrument that would likely be an investment over our son's lifetime. The Yamaha's case and instrument are both in XLT/Near Mint condition, and it also has a "mystique" quality of being owned by a Hollywood film score musician. It's also within a reasonable driving distance - which allows us the chance to thoroughly examine and test it out in person. Our current financial constraints may still push us to walk away from the Yamaha even if our son loves it. The seller is fairly firm on the $4,000 price tag.
My apologies for the long-winded post, but I wanted to give as much information as I could.
Best Wishes,
~ Sheldon (EyeInSky)