Advice Please

[Ellwoodtheeuph]

When I was younger and playing a lot more and had a lot more spare money I was fortunate enough to have my own Sovereign and then life takes over, I stopped playing and it got sold to buy a house etc.

I am now getting back into playing and albeit not seriously, enough to want my own instrument again. I have a top budget of £1000. I know it’s not a lot but with family etc, it’s the most I can muster.

Thanks in advance.

Ki

[John Morgan]

Welcome to the forum! And welcome back to playing the greatest instrument of all time!

Get a Wessex Dolce. Look them up at wessex-tubas.com. Hard to beat that euphonium at that price. Fully compensating and a really nice horn.

[highpitch]

^This.

DDG

[davewerden]

I second John's advice. The Wessex fits your needs perfectly and they have U.K. distributorship. The Dolce model is not a Sovereign, but it comes brand new for a fraction of the price of a new Sovereign. You can find a lot of comments about Wessex in the Euph Brands section.

[Ellwoodtheeuph]

That’s a good looking piece. Great reviews too. May have to look second hand or try and stretch the budget. Starting from £1495 in the U.K. from what I can see.

[davewerden]

That’s a good looking piece. Great reviews too. May have to look second hand or try and stretch the budget. Starting from £1495 in the U.K. from what I can see.

I had neglected to check the UK price, so I see what you mean. So I have to retract my statement that it matched your goal in that way. It's still about the best bet, though.

You might find a used Wessex or JP Sterling around 1k, but that is hit or miss. Also, it's good to keep in mind that Wessex is a fast-moving brand and is constantly improving things, so the new ones could have improvements that a used sample wouldn't. But the ones made a few years ago were well reviewed, so you can think of that option like buying a used car vs. a new one.

I would say that the best option is to try to expand the budget enough to spring for a new one (but I find it very easy to spend other people's money!).

[ChristianeSparkle]

A JP274 might be what you're looking for then!!