My experience
Until the mid-80s of the last century I played on a 3- cylinder bonbardino ( a real disgrace) owned by the band. After school and military obligations, with the money earned from my first job, I could to buy a proprietary instrument. At the time there was no internet and this forum, I didn't know anything about euphonium brands and so I relied, for my purchase, on the euphonium owned by the best player of the band, a Courtois 165, 4 uncompensated in line pistons. I played with this for 20 years and I had no particular difficulty in operating the 4th with the little finger ( I never thought I could do it with the left hand). When, in 2007, I bought the Besson Prestige, I had to activate the 4th with the index of the left hand. I took me a while to get used to ( the hardest thing was to find the synchronization between the right hand the left hand). Now I have no problems to play indifferently with both configurations.
Last edited by franz; 11-17-2019 at 08:16 AM.
2007 Besson Prestige 2052, 3D+ K&G mouthpiece; JP373 baritone, 4B modified K&G mouthpiece; Bach 42GO trombone, T4C K&G mouthpiece; 1973 Besson New Standard 3 compensated valves, 3D+ K&G modified mouthpiece; Wessex French C tuba, 3D+ K&G modified mouthpiece.