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Thread: Some positive thoughts

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Indianapolis area
    Posts
    1,003

    Some positive thoughts

    The two testing opportunities I had the pleasure to conduct have left me with very positive experiences:

    *I enjoyed playing two very different styles of euphonium.
    *We should all be enthusiastic about the explosion of instruments available to us as performers at ANY level.

    *I was excited to work with TWO manufacturers--ACB and WESSEX--who are consumer-oriented and vitally involved in serving the needs of their customers by LISTENING TO THEM and trying to meet their wants & needs.

    *Trent and Jonathan are entrepreneurs who deserve our support...if not by buying from, then by recommending friends, colleagues, and students to consider them. I have suggested both manufacturers to colleagues and students.

    *The fact that these and other manufacturers offer OPTIONS within models is superb. If we can buy Adams euphs at .50, .60, .80, etc. it is a tremendous opportunity to fit buyers with diverse wants & needs. If we can get a yellow-brass, gold-brass, or silver bell, that is a tremendous opportunity to fit buyers with diverse wants & needs...so if a company offers two tuning slides, that is also a tremendous opportunity to fit buyers with diverse wants & needs. The tuning slide issue is quite common these days. My purchase of a Miraphone 5050 a few years ago was delayed until Miraphone sent me a shorter tuning slide out of their stock (I guess that meant other people also wanted one) and then the sale was completed. I have had to have the MTS shortened on EVERY horn I have owned except two.

    *Not only are there more people making more horns, but they are also offering more options on the horns. That has to reduce economy of scale in manufacturing, but allows every player to get an instrument that suits their needs. I would not look at inclusion of a second MTS as a flaw; I would rather applaud any manufacturer who realizes that players are very diverse in this aspect of playing.

    *The recent increase in quality of the "cheaper horns" has been a boon for musicians in community bands and student musicians. It allows them to own a quality instrument without breaking their bank. More people playing euphonium is good, isn't it?

    *Testing the two horns has allowed me to get to know the other three guys a bit better--I have learned from all of them and enjoy their wisdom & humor.

    I have exceeded my daily quota for positivism. You do not HAVE TO get off my lawn, but I would appreciate it if you did ;-)

    Jim
    Jim Williams N9EJR (love 10 meter CW)
    Formerly Principal Euphonium in a whole
    bunch of groups, now just a schlub.
    Shires Q41, Yamaha 321, 621 Baritone
    Wick 4AL, Wessex 4Y, or whatever I grab.
    Conn 50H trombone, Blue P-bone
    www.soundcloud.com/jweuph

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    West Palm Beach, FL
    Posts
    3,853
    All great points Jim. I think many of us can benefit from players’ reviews.
    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)

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    Hidden Valley, AZ
    Posts
    1,034
    A good player can sound better on a good horn.

    A great player can sound fine on a crappy horn.

    I need all the help I can get LOL.

    Then again, horns are like underwear: One gravitates to what works for you.

    Dennis

  4. ACB does try really hard.

  5. #5
    Well said, Jim!! I think you and I are both old enough to remember when our choices were not so rich! It's a great time to be looking at euphoniums and ANY price level.
    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

  6. #6
    Been enjoying the different reviews of these horns. Thank you Jim and everyone who put time into it.

    *steps off the lawn*
    "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/

  7. #7
    Just out of curiosity, how much shorter are the alternative tuning slides? Short enough to go from c442 to c438?
    Nowt

    Retired

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