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Thread: Thanks to the group!!

  1. #1

    Thanks to the group!!

    I would like to say a big thank you to members of this group. Some months ago I posted an ask about what kind of euphonium to pick up for an college euphonium major who is starting up again after 20 years of not playing.

    The group's advice was great. A special thanks to Dave, John and Doug amongst others.

    What I ended up doing was getting a Mack Brass euph as my practice horn, to see if the chops and wind were there and I had the discipline to rebuild them after a couple decades.

    It's a decent horn, better in some regards than most Chinese made euphs, I like it better than the Schiller or Wessex.

    After a number of months of daily practice and chop/air building, I'm happy to announce I think I've outgrown the horn. I've managed to obtain great deals on a used Besson Sovereign and a used Sterling Virtuoso. I'm going to play them side by side for a while and see which I prefer. Today was my first intro to them.

    Before you ask, I prefer the British sound of these horns to Willsons or Adams, just my listening preference.

    My initial reaction is that the Sterling plays rings around the Sovereign. Perhaps the Prestige is just a lot better than the Sovereign, I don't know. No one I knew was selling a Prestige for the ridiculous price I got the Sovereign for.

    The Sterling is another step up wind wise though, the air just GOES through it. This particular Sterling has the trigger of course and a heavy valve cap on the 2nd valve. Not sure why. But I love the way it plays. I obtained it from the UK.

    So, again, thanks to all of you with the sound and great advice. If were up to me I'd probably have not gone in this direction.

    Loving playing again!

    Jeff Stratton

  2. #2
    Hearty congrats on your progress. I have both a Sterling Virtuoso and a Besson New Standard. I'd heartily recommend that you keep both. I agree that the Sterling has a richer sound overall, but the Besson has a nice focus, quirks aside, that continues to draw me in. PLUS, if you're going to be pursuing a music major you can keep one horn at the school and one at home... save the trouble and risk of hauling your only horn around for home and school practice.

    I'm in a similar boat. Just retired from my prior day job and I'm headed to college in the spring to pursue a music major that I put on a back burner 45 years ago. I plan to take the Sterling to school and leave the Besson at home. My immediate challenge is prepping for the audition... quite a task for a previous "hobbyist" euphonium player!

    Best luck,
    Pat
    Sterling Virtuoso Euphonium, Denis Wick 4AL

  3. To all my friends here. It is entirely possible that a VERY nice Sterling Virtuoso, hand picked at the factory with the help of Trevor Groom, might become available sometime in the next few months....My preference would be to sell it to someone here....More information in a few months....
    Adams E3 0.60 Sterling bell - Prototype top sprung valves
    Concord Band
    Winchendon Winds
    Townsend Military Band

  4. #4
    Doug, please reach out if you do sell it.
    Mike Taylor

    Illinois Brass Band
    Fox Valley Brass Band

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    SF Bay Area, CA, USA
    Posts
    102
    Quote Originally Posted by daruby View Post
    To all my friends here. It is entirely possible that a VERY nice Sterling Virtuoso, hand picked at the factory with the help of Trevor Groom, might become available sometime in the next few months....My preference would be to sell it to someone here....More information in a few months....
    Intriguing - I like a lot about my Sterling Virtuoso, but it has some quirks that have had me wondering whether there might be options . . .
    My son plays a hand-picked Prestige that I would gladly take off his hands, so I'm biased toward the "hand picked" aspect. I'll be keeping an eye on the forum :-)

  6. #6
    What quirks? Mine's pretty solid across the board. I bought it as "new old stock" at some big box music store a few years ago.
    Sterling Virtuoso Euphonium, Denis Wick 4AL

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by Pat View Post
    What quirks? Mine's pretty solid across the board. I bought it as "new old stock" at some big box music store a few years ago.
    A specific example from tokuno might be interesting. However, I'm sure we all agree that NO horn is perfect; they all have quirks.
    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

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