Cheap Euphonium Shootout
Posted: Thu May 27, 2021 4:01 pm
Aging after a wild and reckless youth is a terrible thing. I had a big bicycle accident in my early 30s, and it compressed a couple of disks in my neck. Over time it led to numbness and eventually pain in my arms. I have a lot of strength, but very little endurance, and some positions are impossible. Trombones, especially basses, are really hard for me to hold for very long. 3 Easters ago I had a gig playing bass where I wound up sweating profusely because of the pain caused by just playing a single tune (4-5 minutes). I've since had a steroid injection which improved things for a while, but holding the horn is still tough. I use Get A Grip and Ergobone, which help, but don't eliminate the problem.
So I'm playing more valves these days. A lot of bone players double on something with valves for tuba Christmas or tuba quartets or just for the added opportunity or challenge. So I thought I'd review some of my experiences with valve instruments.
I've owned a few valve horns (not including tubas):
- Wessex Dolce (traditional 3+1 compensating)
- Wessex Festivo (4v-in-front compensating)
- King 2280 (4v-on-top non-compensating)
- Conn 24i (4vin-front non-compensating)
- Olds/Bach Compact Marching Trombone (3v flugabone type horn)
Wessex Dolce is a pretty traditional British style 3+1 compensator, and it feels, plays and sounds like that. The tuning was pretty good, but as a trombone player, valve tuning is something you have to get used to, using valve combos, slides, lip, and "eyebrow English" to get things to line up. It was a pretty standard instrument, maybe requires more care of cleaning of the valves than other instruments. Getting used to the sound over your head is the first thing a trombone player notices, also how nebulous the sound can be (some call that dark). For me, the 3+1 holding posture was like throwing a baseball and getting something out of your right pocket with the left hand at the same time. Ergonomically for me, it just wasn't going to work. So I sold this one. (.59 bore, 12" bell, ~$1500)
Wessex Festivo is less traditional. It's still a 4v compensator, but all the valves are played by the right hand like a front valve tuba, and you hold it kind of like cradling a baby. The valves on Festivo are a little quieter than the Dolce, and ergonomically it's just about perfect - arms down low in front, not contorted around. The sound is a little brighter with more clarity than the Dolce. Valves also need cleaning I think just part of the Wessex process leaves junk in the horn that comes out over time. It's really nice to play, although I like a brighter sound still. This horn is very easy to use with a range of mouthpieces. I've played from 5G size to 1 1/4G size on it, with varying levels of success. I've found the Wick SM3/SM3U are right in the sweet spot this horn.
It is interesting to me how ingrained certain conventions can be. One thing that concerns euph and tuba players is which direction the bell goes. The Dolce leans to the player's right while the Festivo leans to the player's left. This might mean more to you personally if you have a good or bad eye, or if you sit on the left or right while sharing a stand with another player. Sometimes the concern is bells pointing at one another and sound problems that might create or visual problems in a row of dissimilar instruments. [sarcasm]You know how we all love uniformity.[/sarcasm]
(.59 bore, 11" bell, ~$1600)
King 2280 is even less traditional. I think "real" euphonium players tend to scoff at this model because it isn't a real compensator, although it has a lot of flexibility especially for tuning. It is similar to the Conn 19i. It has 4 top valves with an optional Eb pull on the 4th valve. That's like putting an Eb slide on a trombone trigger. By default it uses the traditional F tuning, but you can use F, E, bE or Eb tuning. Plus in it's complete configuration, it has a sprung trigger for the 3rd valve (which tends to get lost somehow on used horns). Horn Guys has a huge article on this model based on its tuning and other characteristics https://www.hornguys.com/products/king- ... -euphonium. Out-of-the-box tuning is very good. And the valves are good. Conn-Selmer still sell this horn new, so it's easy to get replacement and mod parts for it. And it's relatively very cheap compared to "real" euphoniums.
For me, the 2280 is easier to play, meaning that even low levels of sound speak more easily than with the Wessex horns. I tend to get a lot of false attacks or air balls with the bigger horns that don't happen with the 2280. It seems to give more subtle control over volume and sound in general.
The 2280 sounds a little brighter/clearer than the traditional instruments. I think it's nickname is the "Soloist", and that makes sense, as solos would seem to be its strong point over section blending. It has an absolutely raucous low range (which to me means it's loud and powerful). I have a hard time playing pedal G on a bass bone, but I can reliably play pedal C on the 2280 with the SM3U.
One quirk is that the receiver is slightly larger than the typical large shank trombone mouthpiece. Not sure if the mouthpiece it comes with fits, but everything I had required a couple layers of teflon tape to keep it from bottoming out on the receiver. Overall, great horn, fantastic sound, very resonant, great low range, and wildly flexible. The only down side to the 2280 for me is the awkward right hand position. (.58 bore, 11"bell, ~$3000)
Conn 24i Connstellation is a horn I've long wanted to play against these others, and just recently acquired. It is much brighter than the traditional British euphoniums, so much so that you might even be excused for calling it a Baritone. It also takes much less air. Small bore trombone players might like this horn better than the bigger euphs. 562 sounds like a big bore, but for valved instruments with all those obstructions to the air, they need a larger bore than an equivalent tbone. I got the 24i configuration, which is the bell forward instrument. The 25i is a bell up horn. Both are removable bells.
The 24i has a smaller bore (562) than the 2280 (580) and the receiver is smaller than any of my DE small shank mouthpieces would comfortably fit. What is it about American euphonium mouthpiece receivers? For the time being, I'm using a DE XT F4, although I'm trying to get something else that fits it better. This arrangement feels a bit tight (not to say stuffy), but the sound is really perfect, and the more I play it the more I like it.
To me, this is the sound that a baritone is supposed to have. It's lighter, clearer, still plays well down into the pedals, and the overall horn is physically lighter, even with the removable bell. It's maybe not as resonant as the 2280, but much less woofy than the traditional euphs. The ergonomics are not as perfect as the Festivo, but an adjustment to the leadpipe might fix that.
Where does a 24i fit? Some people might cynically say it fits in the 1960's, when it was made. I don't think they'd kick you out of most community bands if it were all you had, but a serious brass band would surely want you to play something else. It won't match the sound of a section of traditional Brit euphs. But for playing at home, it's great. It will also get a trombone player into Tuba Christmas. Great for Christmas caroling. Maybe you can play it in the church band. Dixieland band? I'd say yes. Outdoor band concerts or marching band? Definitely. Just don't take it anywhere where you're going to run into those people who are going to look down their noses at you. You'll sound great, but they'll all be looking at all those dents and how much lacquer you're missing, and WHAT? NO SILVER PLATE?
Two other intonation comments. 24i has a spring on the main tuning slide and a ring like a trumpet 3rd valve slide, which to me makes more sense than the 2280s sprung 3rd valve slide because it allows you to tune any note, whether it uses the 3rd valve or not. And it seems to be very mouthpiece dependent. Big mouthpieces seem to flatten the lower partials. I've read reports of people using 6 1/2AL with this. That's close to the size I've been using (DE XT F4).
Olds/Bach Compact Marching Trombone is a lot of fun to play. I've had 2 of these, you can sometimes find them cheap. Like under $200 kind of cheap. It's not a very ergonomic instrument, and it's not crazy in-tune with itself, but it's fun instrument to play standards and just noodle on. I kept one of these around the office and would toot whenever the mood struck me. Plus, it fit in my luggage, so it always went on trips with me. And at $200, you're not going to worry much about a scratch or a dent. Typically I think these were around .510 bore and take a small shank mouthpiece. Definitely another small bore trombonist instrument.
So anyway, maybe this summary helps you pick out valves to go along with your slide. Learning about which horn to select requires that you play a lot of horns, which is at least time consuming, and can be expensive, if you can find the horns at all. So if you're not really a traditional Brit euphonium or brass band sort of person, maybe give one of these alternative horns a try. They can be a lot of fun.
If you can't tell, my favorite moves back and forth between the 24i and the 2280, although I do love the ergonomics of the Festivo.
So I'm playing more valves these days. A lot of bone players double on something with valves for tuba Christmas or tuba quartets or just for the added opportunity or challenge. So I thought I'd review some of my experiences with valve instruments.
I've owned a few valve horns (not including tubas):
- Wessex Dolce (traditional 3+1 compensating)
- Wessex Festivo (4v-in-front compensating)
- King 2280 (4v-on-top non-compensating)
- Conn 24i (4vin-front non-compensating)
- Olds/Bach Compact Marching Trombone (3v flugabone type horn)
Wessex Dolce is a pretty traditional British style 3+1 compensator, and it feels, plays and sounds like that. The tuning was pretty good, but as a trombone player, valve tuning is something you have to get used to, using valve combos, slides, lip, and "eyebrow English" to get things to line up. It was a pretty standard instrument, maybe requires more care of cleaning of the valves than other instruments. Getting used to the sound over your head is the first thing a trombone player notices, also how nebulous the sound can be (some call that dark). For me, the 3+1 holding posture was like throwing a baseball and getting something out of your right pocket with the left hand at the same time. Ergonomically for me, it just wasn't going to work. So I sold this one. (.59 bore, 12" bell, ~$1500)
Wessex Festivo is less traditional. It's still a 4v compensator, but all the valves are played by the right hand like a front valve tuba, and you hold it kind of like cradling a baby. The valves on Festivo are a little quieter than the Dolce, and ergonomically it's just about perfect - arms down low in front, not contorted around. The sound is a little brighter with more clarity than the Dolce. Valves also need cleaning I think just part of the Wessex process leaves junk in the horn that comes out over time. It's really nice to play, although I like a brighter sound still. This horn is very easy to use with a range of mouthpieces. I've played from 5G size to 1 1/4G size on it, with varying levels of success. I've found the Wick SM3/SM3U are right in the sweet spot this horn.
It is interesting to me how ingrained certain conventions can be. One thing that concerns euph and tuba players is which direction the bell goes. The Dolce leans to the player's right while the Festivo leans to the player's left. This might mean more to you personally if you have a good or bad eye, or if you sit on the left or right while sharing a stand with another player. Sometimes the concern is bells pointing at one another and sound problems that might create or visual problems in a row of dissimilar instruments. [sarcasm]You know how we all love uniformity.[/sarcasm]
(.59 bore, 11" bell, ~$1600)
King 2280 is even less traditional. I think "real" euphonium players tend to scoff at this model because it isn't a real compensator, although it has a lot of flexibility especially for tuning. It is similar to the Conn 19i. It has 4 top valves with an optional Eb pull on the 4th valve. That's like putting an Eb slide on a trombone trigger. By default it uses the traditional F tuning, but you can use F, E, bE or Eb tuning. Plus in it's complete configuration, it has a sprung trigger for the 3rd valve (which tends to get lost somehow on used horns). Horn Guys has a huge article on this model based on its tuning and other characteristics https://www.hornguys.com/products/king- ... -euphonium. Out-of-the-box tuning is very good. And the valves are good. Conn-Selmer still sell this horn new, so it's easy to get replacement and mod parts for it. And it's relatively very cheap compared to "real" euphoniums.
For me, the 2280 is easier to play, meaning that even low levels of sound speak more easily than with the Wessex horns. I tend to get a lot of false attacks or air balls with the bigger horns that don't happen with the 2280. It seems to give more subtle control over volume and sound in general.
The 2280 sounds a little brighter/clearer than the traditional instruments. I think it's nickname is the "Soloist", and that makes sense, as solos would seem to be its strong point over section blending. It has an absolutely raucous low range (which to me means it's loud and powerful). I have a hard time playing pedal G on a bass bone, but I can reliably play pedal C on the 2280 with the SM3U.
One quirk is that the receiver is slightly larger than the typical large shank trombone mouthpiece. Not sure if the mouthpiece it comes with fits, but everything I had required a couple layers of teflon tape to keep it from bottoming out on the receiver. Overall, great horn, fantastic sound, very resonant, great low range, and wildly flexible. The only down side to the 2280 for me is the awkward right hand position. (.58 bore, 11"bell, ~$3000)
Conn 24i Connstellation is a horn I've long wanted to play against these others, and just recently acquired. It is much brighter than the traditional British euphoniums, so much so that you might even be excused for calling it a Baritone. It also takes much less air. Small bore trombone players might like this horn better than the bigger euphs. 562 sounds like a big bore, but for valved instruments with all those obstructions to the air, they need a larger bore than an equivalent tbone. I got the 24i configuration, which is the bell forward instrument. The 25i is a bell up horn. Both are removable bells.
The 24i has a smaller bore (562) than the 2280 (580) and the receiver is smaller than any of my DE small shank mouthpieces would comfortably fit. What is it about American euphonium mouthpiece receivers? For the time being, I'm using a DE XT F4, although I'm trying to get something else that fits it better. This arrangement feels a bit tight (not to say stuffy), but the sound is really perfect, and the more I play it the more I like it.
To me, this is the sound that a baritone is supposed to have. It's lighter, clearer, still plays well down into the pedals, and the overall horn is physically lighter, even with the removable bell. It's maybe not as resonant as the 2280, but much less woofy than the traditional euphs. The ergonomics are not as perfect as the Festivo, but an adjustment to the leadpipe might fix that.
Where does a 24i fit? Some people might cynically say it fits in the 1960's, when it was made. I don't think they'd kick you out of most community bands if it were all you had, but a serious brass band would surely want you to play something else. It won't match the sound of a section of traditional Brit euphs. But for playing at home, it's great. It will also get a trombone player into Tuba Christmas. Great for Christmas caroling. Maybe you can play it in the church band. Dixieland band? I'd say yes. Outdoor band concerts or marching band? Definitely. Just don't take it anywhere where you're going to run into those people who are going to look down their noses at you. You'll sound great, but they'll all be looking at all those dents and how much lacquer you're missing, and WHAT? NO SILVER PLATE?
Two other intonation comments. 24i has a spring on the main tuning slide and a ring like a trumpet 3rd valve slide, which to me makes more sense than the 2280s sprung 3rd valve slide because it allows you to tune any note, whether it uses the 3rd valve or not. And it seems to be very mouthpiece dependent. Big mouthpieces seem to flatten the lower partials. I've read reports of people using 6 1/2AL with this. That's close to the size I've been using (DE XT F4).
Olds/Bach Compact Marching Trombone is a lot of fun to play. I've had 2 of these, you can sometimes find them cheap. Like under $200 kind of cheap. It's not a very ergonomic instrument, and it's not crazy in-tune with itself, but it's fun instrument to play standards and just noodle on. I kept one of these around the office and would toot whenever the mood struck me. Plus, it fit in my luggage, so it always went on trips with me. And at $200, you're not going to worry much about a scratch or a dent. Typically I think these were around .510 bore and take a small shank mouthpiece. Definitely another small bore trombonist instrument.
So anyway, maybe this summary helps you pick out valves to go along with your slide. Learning about which horn to select requires that you play a lot of horns, which is at least time consuming, and can be expensive, if you can find the horns at all. So if you're not really a traditional Brit euphonium or brass band sort of person, maybe give one of these alternative horns a try. They can be a lot of fun.
If you can't tell, my favorite moves back and forth between the 24i and the 2280, although I do love the ergonomics of the Festivo.
