“What made you prefer Shires euphoniums over their established competitors?”
Before deciding on the Shires, I tested many other horns. My favorite was the Wilson 2900 that I played at Baltimore Brass. At the time, there was no way we could afford the horn. Flash forward about a year, I see numerous established players in military bands and overseas switching to the Shires horns. I was very impressed with how they sounded, compared with the Wilson horns. I also looked at the value aspect. We were able to find a display model, bringing down the price to a little less than $5000; this was a very good deal for a test-driven professional horn. With other brands, especially Wilson, you’d be hard-pressed to find a heavily used horn for less than that! I believe the Shires holds it’s own very well against the Wilson. I can’t find much that I would change about the Q41.
“What made you prefer and adopt Q41 over its Q40 brother?”
Exposure to the instrument. I haven’t actually had the chance to play a Q40. I’m sure it’s a great option for those who want a slightly larger horn.
“Have you tried the factory-supplied 5MB mouthpiece with your Q41.... How do you like it.... The good/bad/different/etc... And what makes you still prefer 51D on Q41 over 5MB?”
I did try the 5MB when I unboxed the horn, and the 51D came in the mail a few minutes after. I was much more used to the 51D after having used it on the JP, and it felt even more at home on the Shires. I have given the 5MB a try a few other times, but I always went back to the Schilke. Perhaps I could do a more in-depth comparison. I’m pondering the idea of doing a full comparison video of my JP and my Shires.
I hope this helps. I might make a thread soon about the full comparison.
Best
Joseph