Posted by Alan Herold on December 11, 2001 at 15:19:02:
In Reply to: Best euphonium -- Opinions?? posted by Bob Grimble on December 11, 2001 at 07:33:39:
Bob,
I've played all five horns you list, plus a couple others. I have spent quality time with the HB, Willson, Bessons, and (gulp) the Sterling... with a lot of quality time on the Willson and Besson Sovereign. My preference is the Besson 967. I'm very opinionated about it too. It is the horn that picked me. It is THE BEST horn on the market period... for me. It might really stink for you though. Each horn is different and each person is different. I would go with what sounds best and then get familiar with that valve set up. If you had your hand injured and had to play left handed you'd adjust, so why worry so much about the 3+1 or the inline? You'll get a comfort level going as you get comfortable with the horn.
It is mentioned by the person known as "Anyway" that there are a lot of bad Bessons out there. I've played a couple bad ones myself. In fact, my band just received one last month and I'm sending it back due to bad intonation. Before I bought my Willson, I tried three Willsons before I found "the one." The fact is you need to spend some quality time with any horn before you close the deal.
Good Luck.