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Thread: Contemplating 1st purchase for our student son (Intermediate+ level player)

  1. Just got back from a music store in Redlands that had the Eastman EEP426 non-compensating Euphonium in stock.

    The horn had a very balanced and neutral type of sound. Nothing exciting, but nothing offensive either. In comparison to the Wessex, my son felt the instrument had some wind resistance (especially along the 1st & 4th valves), which required a bit of "strain" for him to play at those registers. As for intonation along the lower registers, the non-compensating Eastman expectedly did not perform as well as the Wessex. However, he thought the Eastman had better mids & highs which surprised me. I'm a bit skeptical on that as I think more time is needed on both instruments to truly determine this. Reflecting back, he said there were a few keys that were "pitchy" on the Wessex, but the biggest culprit on the Eastman was a mid-range 'D' (if using the 1st & 2nd valve) which he thought was considerably out of tune.

    The valves were a bit noisy. Similar to how the Wessex was but not as severe. I now realize this is merely an issue of maintenance and not an aspect to unfairly judge the instrument itself. The silver finish looked fine. Not quite as glossy as the Jupiter, but almost. I'd give the instrument a 9/10 on appearance, an 8/10 on mid-upper intonation, and maybe a 6/10 on lower intonation. My son indicated the Eastman was more difficult to play compared to the ease of the Wessex. Furthermore, the Wessex seemed to handle a variety of ranges more smoothly all around. In comparing tone quality, I still prefer the Wessex over the neutral Eastman and brassy Jupiter but my son seemed to like the sound very much. Granted... if a professional was to play this Eastman with vibrato and feeling I'm sure my opinion of the Eastman could be very different.

    As of now, the Eastman is out of the running. The 426 is out because it isn't compensating, and the 526 is out because of its $3,800 price tag. We were given an offer to purchase the like-new "C-Class" (an instrument used for touring trade shows) display model for $200 off the MSRP. But since it's the non-compensating model, the offer didn't really entice me much. I was not in love with its tone, and the instrument didn't seem to get off the ground like the Wessex model did at times. Even with the Wessex's perceived "pitchy" nature across a few notes, it was the best instrument we tested so far. At least to my ears. The store said they were going to look into obtaining a JP274. If they are able to do that, it would be wonderful. In the meantime, I'm hoping we can drive down to The Horn Guys next week for a demo on their JP374.
    Last edited by EyeInSky; 05-25-2019 at 10:13 AM.

  2. #42
    It did not seem like the right situation to mention this before, but maybe I should have. Here is an article I wrote about choosing a euphonium, which has tips on how to audition horns and compare them. Not all will apply as you go from music store to music store, but maybe something will be helpful:

    http://www.dwerden.com/eu-articles-choosing.cfm
    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. #43
    Quote Originally Posted by EyeInSky View Post
    Her store is out in the U.K. though, isn't that right? Wouldn't that make the cost and shipping more expensive?
    Another user also raves about this company and Jenny's service - so it's worth looking into.
    Yes, unfortunately she's in the UK, so you won't be able to test it out. Shipping wise, she quoted me an acceptable shipping rate to South East Asia, so maybe it isn't too bad to the US? I am not sure how the whole tax thing will work though for used items going into the US.

    But yes, I've heard nothing but praises for her service and the rare gems she carry.


    And regarding the non-compensating Eastman, it's probably not worth considering at all. The principal euph in my community band uses a non-comp Besson for years without issue. But he's probably an exception to the rule. He bought his back when the stencil horn industry was still young and unreliable. That said, isn't Eastman made in China too, or am I mixing it up with another brand? I am surprised by the cost of the horn.
    Last edited by ChristianeSparkle; 05-22-2019 at 07:36 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/

  4. Hi Christian,

    Yes - it is also made in China as well. Probably another JINBAO brand I'm guessing. It's one of the more expensive (if not most expensive) Chinese Euphoniums. I just didn't see the value for its price. Maybe the Eastman has better longevity? I'm not sure, but the overall performance was pretty standard, and there wasn't anything special about the tone quality IMO. I may do a search for Eastman on here to see if others had the same impression. This brand doesn't get a lot of discussion on here, despite that I’ve generally heard good things about them.

    Dave - Thanks for the link. I'm checking it out right now!
    Last edited by EyeInSky; 05-25-2019 at 10:06 AM.

  5. Quote Originally Posted by ann reid View Post
    Speaking of outdated opinions, if your son will be taking lessons with a particular professor it might be a good idea to check Professor’s preference before purchasing.

    When I entered college (middle Stone Age), the clarinet majors who came with brand new top line Selmers were told that they would need top line Buffets or wouldn’t be allowed to take private lessons.
    Things may have changed, but it never hurts to check.
    I sure hope that's not the case with CBU, but I do know many band directors can be quite egotistical. :-\
    Last edited by EyeInSky; 05-25-2019 at 10:06 AM.

  6. I was also curious about this brass instrument cleaning video:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2Ki5dZ6oPw

    The results from this clip look fantastic. Is there any reason to suspect this is not a good idea?

  7. #47
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    West Palm Beach, FL
    Posts
    3,853
    Most of the video is good but I would never use a hammer to loosen a valve cap - although he does cover the cap with a towel first. I wouldn’t use Brasso on the slide legs too often. Brass is soft and doing this could eventually make the slides to fit loosely. Hagerty spray silver polish is good but I never get all of it out of the can before the can gets clogged up. It’s not the nozzle either but the can itself. I’ve switched to the pump spray bottle.
    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)

  8. Quote Originally Posted by RickF View Post
    Most of the video is good but I would never use a hammer to loosen a valve cap - although he does cover the cap with a towel first. I wouldn’t use Brasso on the slide legs too often. Brass is soft and doing this could eventually make the slides to fit loosely. Hagerty spray silver polish is good but I never get all of it out of the can before the can gets clogged up. It’s not the nozzle either but the can itself. I’ve switched to the pump spray bottle.
    The pump spray bottle sounds like a great idea. Aerosols can (and do) get clogged. At least the pump heads can either be soaked in water to unclog, or simply taken off.
    A pump seems to be the perfect compromise between the aerosol can and a liquid bottle.

    High marks for your caution with Brasso. Over time I see the potential of eroding the outer layer of metal (thus making them a hair smaller), and you certainly don't want slides slipping down on their own.
    Is there a less abrasive solution he could primarily use instead? The poster of the video was cleaning a Besson, and claimed to have success doing it this way for 10 years - so maybe he used it sparingly.

    Any concern about the springs or other parts of the instrument rusting? Is there a process to FULLY & COMPLETELY dry the main bulk of tubing? The video showed the smaller slide sections brushed out with a tool, but I wasn't sure how the instrument itself could be dried.
    Last edited by EyeInSky; 05-25-2019 at 10:01 AM.

  9. #49
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    West Palm Beach, FL
    Posts
    3,853
    Drying the outside of the instrument with a towel works fine for me. I just let the insides air dry out for awhile after blowing through the horn to get most of the water out. As far as springs go I've never seen any of them rust. They're usually brass, copper or stainless steel. When using brushes to clean the insides I use some that don't have any exposed metal. H&W Brass Savers are a good choice for cleaning the insides.
    Last edited by RickF; 05-24-2019 at 08:20 AM.
    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)

  10. So if the instrument is soaked under water, it shouldn't be an issue since remaining water droplets will evaporate by way of open air?

    Maybe give the instrument a strong blow to push out most of the water first before letting it air dry? Is it normal for brass owners to submerge their instrument in a tub of water?

    Thx in advance.
    Last edited by EyeInSky; 05-25-2019 at 10:02 AM.

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