Blog Post: Selecting a New Euphonium

On Friday 3rd July 2020, I had the opportunity to test a wide range of Euphonium's at Rosehill Instruments and I wanted to share some of my thoughts from this very special visit.

Over the course of the past few months, I have been thinking about updating my Besson Prestige 2052-2 Euphonium which I have had since Wednesday 1st July 2015.

After a journey of just under two hours, we reached Rosehill Instruments and were taken to a room where six Euphonium's were laid out for me to test. I had bought my father along with me to be an extra pair of ears and to act as someone with an independent ear.

The Euphonium's which I tested are listed as follows.

A Gold Lacquer Besson Prestige Euphonium made in 2019.

A Silver Plated Besson Prestige Euphonium made in 2018.

A Silver Plated Besson Sovereign 967T Euphonium made in 2020.

A Silver Plated Willson 2960 TA-UK.

A Silver Plated Willson 2900 TA.

A Silver Plated Yamaha Custom Euphonium.

My approach to testing each Euphonium followed a questionnaire sheet which I had put together which explored the Aesthetics, Mechanics and Performance aspects of the instrument.

To further enhance this experience and for a more direct comparison, I had taken two pieces along to help me test the instrument which included The Paul Mealor 'Euphonium Concerto' and a brand new piece written for me entitled 'A Celtic Rhapsody'.

With these test conditions in place, I began to test the instruments starting with a Silver Plated Besson Prestige Euphonium made in 2018, I carefully looked over the finish of the instrument paying special attention to the positioning of the stays and leadpipe and looking at the general finish of the instrument. Moving on from this I began to test the operation of the valves and the operation of the trigger and movement of the slides. The instrument felt very familiar to me and I could resist playing the instrument.

After playing a few long tones across all ranges, I started to play the opening movement of Paul Mealor's 'Euphonium Concerto' exploring the tonal qualities of the instrument, I was suprised how open the instrument was with it's classic singing voice. I then moved on to play a technical passage from 'A Celtic Rhapsody', as expected the instrument performed well.

After a break to write down my notes, I moved on to a Euphonium which I have been excited to test for a long time! The Gold Lacquer Besson Prestige Euphonium as played by Steven Mead, as with the previous Besson Prestige Euphonium, I followed the same approach ensuring that the test was fair and consistent. I was honestly suprised with the open flowing sound of The Gold Lacquer Besson Prestige Euphonium, the sound was slightly more responsive than The Silver Plated Besson Prestige Euphonium, and I noted that the stay had been removed from the leadpipe. The instrument again performed as I expected and I was beginning to feel that the decision may not be as easy as I first thought.

The next instrument that I tested was a Silver Plated Besson Sovereign 967T Euphonium. Again following the same approach as with the previous two instruments, I looked over the Aesthetics noting the all silver finish and the addition of a trigger. Upon playing the first note, I was absolutely amazed by it's immediate response and lighter sound, it felt as thought a Besson Prestige Euphonium had been fitted with a sports mode. The response was lively and I actually spent quite a bit of time just playing the instrument and was really quite suprised by the instrument as a whole. The only thing I disliked on a personal level about the instrument was the positioning of the leadpipe.

At this point in the testing process, I felt very torn between each instrument. Each instrument was of equal quality and in all honestly, I would have been quite happy performing on each instrument. I decided to adapt my tests and record each instrument being played. I went back through each Besson Euphonium recording each instrument in turn before listening back to the sound which helped to put these instrument into an order based on my own preference.

I then moved on to the Willson Euphonium which I was really quite excited to test. I started by testing The Willson 2960 TA-UK. I noted that the stays were located in different positions when compared to the Besson Euphonium's. I was interested in the Heavy Valve Cap feature located on the 4th Valve. As soon as I began to play the instrument, I was very aware of the dark sound being produced which suprised me. The positioning of the leadpipe felt a little strange and having played through my slow melody piece and technical piece, I felt as though I needed more time to fully explore the instrument. My initial thoughts were that the instrument was a little unresponsive in the lower register and that I had to work slightly harder in the higher register although the instrument was of a top build quality.

I moved onto the next instrument which was a Willson 2900 TA. The instrument was overall lighter than the Willson 2960 TA-UK with the leadpipe positioned slightly lower in the Willson 2900 TA. Upon playing the instrument, I immediately noticed the lighter sound however I didn't form that immediate personal connection with the instrument and did not feel that this was an instrument for me.

The final instrument that I had the opportunity to test was a Silver Plated Yamaha Custom which really impressed me. The sound of the instrument was immediate and I felt quite similar to the response of The Besson Sovereign 967T. I enjoyed playing this instrument and was pleasantly suprised by the sound of the instrument and the operational mechanics on the instrument.

After a short break to discuss each instrument with my father, I decided to play all instruments in succession just to confirm my initial thoughts before putting them into an order which at this point was as follows.

1. Besson Prestige Gold Lacquer Euphonium and Besson Prestige Silver Plated Euphonium.

2. Besson Sovereign 967T Euphonium.

3. Yamaha Custom Euphonium.

4. Willson 2960 TA-UK.

5. Willson 2900 TA.

I finished my testing session by exploring each of the Besson Euphonium's again which allowed me to finally settle on an instrument which I shall be ordering with a few minor changes in October 2020 or November 2020. I look foward to revealing the instrument that I chose in the very near future.

I would finally like to add my thanks to Rosehill Instruments for making my selection of a new Euphonium such a pleasant and memorable experience.