Jim tests the doubler--part i--intro

[1Cor13:4]

It might be too late, but a Wessex maly travel euphonium is 5.5 lbs I believe if that's something you'd consider

[tokuno]

I have an Olds Ambassador 3-valve, front-action, removable-bell "baritone" euphonium (1970's euph/bari American hybrid) that I bought relatively inexpensively on eBay many years ago for use in rougher environments - specifically, alumni marching band day.
Great valves (rugged, fast, short-throw), lightweight, good ergonomics (since the bell rotates, it fits in a slimmer case), would work in a community band with a larger sound than my baritone or tenor trombones (I.e. distinctive voice), supports a deeper-cup without wonky intonation, and blends with the other low brass while cutting through nicely when necessary (I don't use it for band work, but I've played with folks who do, and it's fine).
It's a much better-playing instrument than a marching baritone (I own the Yamaha version - terrible playing-experience, but it is an attractive, showy horn, which is unfortunately a priority for one of my groups) for evenness of scale, attack, range, dynamic control, valve throw - you name it, hands-down the Olds.
It's also ergonomically superior for me, because one can hold a flip folder in the left hand, cradle the horn on the left arm, and dynamically move the music to the best distance to reduce glare, catch light, and adjust up/down, in/out to accommodate my worsening cataracts, the glasses I forgot to bring, or the right spot in my progressives, etc. The horn also hugs close to my body, so very easy on the lower back. The nature of its wrap also offers a lot of different, usable hand-holds.
I don't use it a lot, and I'm sometimes tempted to declutter it, but it fills a niche. Incidentally, It had been several years since I Christmas-caroled my English-style Yamaha baritone (ybh-103 - 3 valve), but my eyes have degraded since the last time, so the lyre offset made my music into a blur, and despite my best efforts to sandwich the horn between my left upper arm and body to liberate my left hand to hold the music, it just didn't work - I ended up making up parts on the fly, because I can't play it without support from my left hand. The Olds Ambassador in all its antediluvian beat-up, old-tech glory, would've been a much better functional tool, albeit that shiny, silver Christmas-ornament Yamaha attracts the hoi polloi's attention.
in short: I endorse the recommendation to try an old-timey, 3-valve, front-action, "it just works" euphonium.

[ann reid]

I still think the best balance point is a King or Conn as I mentioned above.
They're not terribly heavy, and the front-action valves are more ergonomic than any
3+1 IMHO.
A King or Conn will also be better than ANY baritone at fitting in with trombones and
euphs.
Honestly, if you are neither the solo euphonium nor the solo trombone, almost any
baritone or King/Conn will blend into the section sound, so you may well be overthinking the
whole deal. If you are the only "trombone" or euph, that might be another story.
So my vote would be a Conn/King with a mouthpiece in the 6.5AL range.
If you use the Wessex baritone, try the mouthpiece that comes with it. If you don't like it, try
a Wick 6.
You might recall that I also own a Yamaha 621 Baritone. If I use it at all, I use it for French Horn
parts in small or large groups when my Yamaha 321 too present in the horn register. I use a home-
doctored mouthpiece sized roughly between a Wick 5 and 6 with an enlarged throat...but that's for
playing horn parts.
Again, these are my thoughts based upon many years of playing experience. Others may offer different
possibilities.
Big Jimmy

Have you played both the King AND the Conn? How do those 2 instruments compare? I love my Conn and I’ll never part with it, but I’ve wondered about differences in overall sound and volume between the Connstellation and the King 2280 because of the larger bore?