Re: Euphonium for HS Freshman


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Posted by Euph Advice on October 25, 2003 at 19:42:09:

In Reply to: Euphonium for HS Freshman posted by Tim I on October 25, 2003 at 17:15:37:

I would suggest considering the Yamaha 642, Besson 967 or 968, or the Willson 2900. These are the "standards" in the euphonium realm. These instruments are basically, large bore .580 (Willson requires euro shank mouthpiece), silver-plated, 4-valve, Compensating euphoniums with 11" or 12" bells. At this stage in the game I would not suggest going all out and purchasing a Besson Prestige or Yamaha 842. I would also suggest staying away from some of the other instrument makers that have recently (in comparison to other brass manufacturers) included a pro-line euphonium in their inventory. I'm not sure of your situation, but I would suggest either going to the music store and test playing a few of the instruments. Compare brands and compare individual instruments within a brand. Like cars, there are lemons out there as well as some instruments that have been touched by some supernatural force. If you can, have a local euphonium expert play test the instruments and then have suzy-q play them. Here's a few questions you should answer when shopping around.
1) Does the instrument have a characteristic tone quality?
2) Are the ergonomics of the instrument right your you?
3) Does the instrument have good basic intonation?

Hope this helps,
Euph Adviser


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