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Thread: Older western euphoniums vs. Newer Chinese euphoniums

  1. #1

    Older western euphoniums vs. Newer Chinese euphoniums

    Good evening, I am a college student going into my second year, and I've decided to buy a euphonium so that I can play in the campus band (they don't have any good instruments to lend out, I checked). I'm not going professional, it's just to play in the band and to make multitrack recordings. My budget is around $1000-$2000, and I've been eying up the non-compensating 4-valve Besson 700 series euphonium, which hovers around $1200 from what I could see. I really like the Besson sound, and I've heard good things about their older models. Alternatively, I've also seen a number of Chinese stencil horns at around the same price range. These are compensating and seem to be much newer, but I've heard mixed things about their quality. I am also looking at the Wessex Dolce model which I can only find brand new at $1700. My point is, which option should I go for? I have some anxiety for the quality of Chinese instruments over time with the materials they use, they may be great at first but what about 2, 5, or even 10 years down the line? I also would rather not get a brand new instrument, both out of fear of causing minor scratches and dents to the perfect finish as well as the idea of paying the same amount of money for an older horn that plays better but doesn't look as great. Again, I'm not going professional so I don't care very much about compensating valves or extremely accurate tuning.

  2. #2
    Welcome to the forum!

    Your basic question, whether to buy a new Chinese instrument or a used name-brand instrument, has been discussed in other previous threads, and you might benefit from poking around the Euph Brands category a bit. But, basically...
    The good examples of clones are well managed by companies that try to improve the breed and that stand behind them. Two examples discussed directly here are the Austin Custom Brass "Doubler" and the Wessex Dolce. The latter has been around for more than 10 years and has seen several improvements since first introduced. I just played one briefly at a convention last month and it was very nice. On these 2 horns you will have a more modern tone, which may blend better with a typical euphonium section these days. The playing response is typically smoother and easier than, for example, and older Besson. But the older Bessons are tough and can stand up to heavy use without seeming to mind very much.

    Regarding your phrase: "I'm not going professional so I don't care very much about compensating valves..."
    A non-compensating horn can do fine in a concert band setting for 99% of the literature, and they will inherently be lighter to carry and easier to blow. However, you may wish you had it if you try to play some of the more advance solo literature.

    Hope that helps a little!
    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

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    SF Bay Area, CA, USA
    Posts
    102
    I prefer the Besson sound, too, and during my sporadic playing days cycled through many used Yamahas (availability, playability, price). I'd invariable sell them when the euph requirement ended, because they were adequate, but never fulfilling.
    I also played a couple of the Jim Laabs clones & owned a Wessex Dolce, and I believe that they're modeled on the Yamahas (642, maybe), because they play great, but never with the sound I wanted - too 'pure', crystal, sterile - ineffable, but definitely not what I was after. I wanted a touch of the Besson woody, textured 'scrape' to my sound.
    I was going to try the John Packer line, because I'd heard they're modeled after the Bessons, but I bought a Sterling, and although it's not quite the 1970s/80s Besson sound I remember from the 967 I bought then, it's close enough.
    You might want to look at the Packers clones.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2019
    Location
    US East coast
    Posts
    193
    I’m totally committed to my amazing and beautiful non-compensating, large bore “senior citizen” horn and I paid somewhere within your price range for it.
    If you have time to follow the sales on eBay and FaceBook see what shows up there.

    Editing to add “TRY BEFORE YOU BUY”!

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