My new Backup Euphonium

[daruby]

Ok, I pull back the curtain as it arrived today...

Now that I have the wonderful/glorious Adams E3 with lots of bells and whistles as my primary (and until today only) euphonium. And also after updating my instrument insurance based on full replacement value (!!!) I decided a "backup" horn is in order. And here it is:

A very nice 1976 Boosey & Hawkes Imperial that I purchased from John Sefton Powell from North Wales, UK. Being a 1976, this was a large shank horn from day 1. While there are some scratches inside the bell and the valves show some wear, it is a decent player and will be great for my outdoor holiday concerts and playing from the back of flatbed trucks in parades.



I will provide more feedback as I get used to the horn. I can say that the DC4 doesn't appear to be the best choice so I will use my 4AL tonite.

Doug

[RickF]

Congrats Doug! Looks a lot newer than ‘76 vintage. I love the frosted finish too.

[iMav]

John sure sells a lot of gorgeous horns!

Looks like you got a good one…

[davewerden]

That's a fine instrument!

[John Morgan]

That horn looks an awful lot like my own B&H Imperial from the mid 50's. Didn't change too much. Congratulations on a great looking horn!

[TheJH]

That is a beauty alright!

[Shinn]

Absolutely wonderful, Doug!!! Congratulations!

[euphdude]

Looks amazing Doug! Well done sir!

[Eupher6]

Looks a lot like the matte-finish horn I had in the late 70s, but Doug's looks a ton nicer. Good for you!

[highpitch]

Doug, again a man after my own heart with that horn.

After all the years, B&H/Besson euphs are still making great music.

Satin Silver rules!

[daruby]

Update....

So after a few hours playing the 1976 Imperial both at home in practice and at rehearsal on Monday night, I have a few observations...

1. While my Adams E3 is easier to play and sounds perfect using the David Childs DC4 (smaller rim size), that mouthpiece does not work well on the Imperial. I found that the old reliable Wick 4AL is the way to go with the Imperial. Interesting to note that Besson/B&H started shipping 4AL's with the Sovereigns in 1974-ish and the large shank Imperials would have probably also shipped with that mouthpiece. Older medium shank Imperials (pre-1974?) would have shipped with a Besson 10 mouthpiece and an adapter that would support tenor shank mouthpieces like the 6 1/2 AL I used back in the day.
2. The pitch on the horn is MUCH better than any Sovereign I have ever played. The G in the staff works better with 3rd valve than 1-2. The 6th partial is sharp, but not quite as bad as an equivalent Sovereign. Using 1-3 for Eb and 1-2 for F as alternates brings the notes in pitch. I had no problems playing in tune with the band and my seat mate in Monday's rehearsal.
3. This horn is heavy! I didn't weigh it, but even with the 11" bell, it is heavier than the Adams E3. Built like a TANK! Despite 47+ years of use with minor wear to the satin finish and some scratches inside the bell flare, there are NO dents of note anywhere on the horn. It is also the original finish which has held up remarkably well.
4. The sound of the horn in a larger auditorium is focused and dense, but infinitely smooth and clear. A lovely sound, but clearly not as broad and "surrounding" as the E3.
5. Response at both ends of the range (high Bb and above/low B-natural and below) is not as good as the E3, but still not bad. I am still having to get used to the 4AL and the different characteristics, but it plays quite well.
6. Valves on this horn are worn, but still serviceable. I am not feeling noticeable leakage, but I can tell that the horn prefers Hetman (slightly thicker) to Blue Juice. John Sefton Powell did a good job updating the felts and using nylon replacement guides, but I also added ring felts to the top valve caps and a new set of piston felts. Valve action is very quiet and feels good.

Overall, I am really pleased with the horn. Shortly I will put the horn in bathtub and do a complete QHR/Spitball/Dawn dishsoap washout of the horn. Then a fine tune of the satin silver finish using baking soda and water with focus on the areas that still show a bit of tarnish. Then all of the slides and valves will get a final cleaning and lubrication, as part of the re-assembly.

I am pleased to say that so far, the horn meets my expectations and sounds and performs about as I would expect of a New Standard/Imperial.

Doug

[anadmai]

Excellent review Mr. Doug!

[davewerden]

The pitch on the horn is MUCH better than any Sovereign I have ever played. The G in the staff works better with 3rd valve than 1-2. The 6th partial is sharp, but not quite as bad as an equivalent Sovereign. Using 1-3 for Eb and 1-2 for F as alternates brings the notes in pitch. I had no problems playing in tune with the band and my seat mate in Monday's rehearsal.

That has been my observation as well. When I got my NS with the large receiver, it was slightly harder to play in tune. And the Sovereign 967 even harder, so on that horn alternate fingerings on the 6th partial were a must.

[John Morgan]

To see the similarity of your horn (a 76 model) with mine (a 56 model) here is the link with my review and pictures. They really look alike!

http://www.dwerden.com/forum/showthr...s#.ZBIuDRTMJD8

[John Morgan]

...Older medium shank Imperials (pre-1974?) would have shipped with a Besson 10 mouthpiece and an adapter that would support tenor shank mouthpieces like the 6 1/2 AL I used back in the day.

The 1956 Imperial shipped with a Kosikup mouthpiece which came with my horn when I bought it. Brian Bowman makes a copy of it with his BB2 mouthpiece.