Shires euphonium

[guidocorona]

For completion's sake, here is the link to Demondrae Thurman's performance of the concerto by Kevin Days:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYcTV3lS6Fg

Fine version in itself, although I prefer Hiram's almost etherial interpretation of this work.

Regards, G.

[mbrooke]

Hi all! I wanted to share a link to my performance of the Kevin Day euphonium concerto on the Shires Q41. Enjoy, and please let me know if you have any questions! Mouthpiece is an Ivan Giddings creation, so good I decided to use it for the concerto just 3 weeks before.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GIwpAMblpL8

Hi Hiram,

Is this new motuhepiece similar to a 51D? Ivan said it should be on his website mid March.

Thanks,

Mike

[JakeGuilbo]

Q41 First Impressions:
My local CA dealer happened to have a Q41, Med Shank in stock and was gracious enough to let me borrow it for a week. My first impression does not remind me of a Willson, as much as I liked the Willson sound the few times I've played on one. It reminds me a lot of the Geneva Cardinal I had, with a beautifully singing, resonant and compact sound.

I've run through the gamut of horns and the last E3 I had I sold so I could buy a cornet for our new brass band. Well, the brass band is preparing for NABBA and I don't like the Neo sound (or what I make with the Neo sound) and feel my voice gets lost in the texture, a problem I never had with the Adams. People have echoed this sentiment with the Neo and I had hoped the trigger would have added enough mass to fix the issue. Based on the band recordings though, I need to be able to float on top of the 2nd Euph without straining so I'm going to try the Shires.

It's medium shank, and the only MP the dealer had that fit is a SM4U M. I like this MP and it feels to pair well with the horn. Interestingly so far don't get the tired chops I'm used to with my large shank SM4U. Brandon Jones and Bente both play the large shank model - if this horn pans out in rehearsal I may want to order one with large shank so I can use the K&G MP I love so much.

Valves are really nice, the horn is built well and feels compact in your arms. A person smaller in stature who struggles with some of the larger horns should be able to hold this horn with less of a problem. It doesn't feel like it weighs any less than my Neo although lots of people (who are used to holding featherweight Adams E1 horns) tell me the Neo is built like a tank.

[bbocaner]

What's the center-to-center distance between the first and third valves on the Shires valve block? It looks really far apart. I notice on Bente Illevold's social media videos her third finger is not staying put on the third valve and she has to move it there when she needs to use it, which is something I do not see in her older videos with the Willson.

[JakeGuilbo]

The center to center distance is exactly 7cm.

[Nbnarcisi]

Barry & Jake,
The Q-40 is the same as well, I do find the valve block to be further away from the right hand bar guide as compared to any other euphonium I have had, that could also be a factor.

[JakeGuilbo]

Yeah - just measured my Neo and it's 6.3cm center to center. I feel like the springs in the Shires are also HEAVY - the valves in the Neo are so much better and smoother.

[davewerden]

Yeah - just measured my Neo and it's 6.3cm center to center. I feel like the springs in the Shires are also HEAVY - the valves in the Neo are so much better and smoother.

That puts my Adams right in the middle, then - it's about 6.6 or 6.7. As I get a chance to get to a horn-laden conference I'll gather some more measurements. Those specs might play a part in some folks' decisions.

AND/OR, if other members want to supply their own brand's center-to-center span I'll make these posts part of a new thread.

[Nbnarcisi]

Good idea Dave !!

Funny Jake, I had a Neo with trigger that I sold after getting the 40, I found the valve action on the 40 similar to the Hirsbrunner, very fast and smooth.

By the way Dave, the Hirsbrunner 479 measures 6.35 cm.

[JakeGuilbo]

This Q41 is brand new, the dealer only got it in last week so it hasn't been played at all. The springs just feel heavy, compared to my broken in neo. I used to own an 842 that was the worst valves ever, but that was in the mid 2000s before Yamaha made them 3000% better. I'm borrowing the Q41 so I can compare it side by side to the Neo. The recording at Brass Band rehearsal on Thursday will seal the deal.

[bbocaner]

Shires had a large shank Q40 and Q41 at the Army Band's American Trombone Workshop this past week. I liked them both. I think I'd prefer the Q40 which I felt had a little more focus and easy response despite the larger bell.

[guidocorona]

Hello Barry,

How did Q40 and Q41 differ in tone color?

Which mouthpiece were you using with them?

Regards, Guido

[bbocaner]

Doug Elliott EUPH103N/I/I9S

As far as I could tell in the loud room there they were pretty darn similar. Q40 had a bigger *and* brighter sound, but the difference was very subtle. The difference in feel was more pronounced than the difference in sound.

[guidocorona]

That's interesting, Barry... I wonder why they were not featuring the Shires 5MB, which is the standard mouthpiece shipped with Q-40 and Q-41.

Guido

[stevevaughn]

I’ve got both a Shires Q40 and Q41 (large shank) on trial right now. I’m hoping to do a video of the horns and also comparing it to my Besson 2052 once I can get into a space worthy of doing some videos. Was hoping to use all 3 horns in brass band rehearsal before we got shutdown, but alas...

So far I’m noticing the Q41 sounds more similar to the prestige than the Q40, which was surprising. I find the Q41 to be warmer and richer than the Q40. The compact sound that is advertised is not compact at all compared to other smaller bell euphoniums. To me, it feels like the difference in bell weight (the Q41 is heavier) is more noticeable in sound differences than the bell size. I’m using a DC3 mouthpiece FYI. Hopefully there is some interest in hearing someone play these 3 horns side by side!