new instruments

Euphoric Kiwi · Post by **Euphoric Kiwi** » Thu Jan 01, 2004 5:48 am

Hi, I was just wondering if I could get some opinions.
I am the Band Manager for a Brass Band in New Zealand, and we have recently gotten a money grant to buy new instruments for our band. I know probably not too many people here are overly familar with Brass Bands and their instruments, but up until now, the band has been mainly playing on Besson instruments, and King Troms (which I play). We are getting reps from companies like Besson, Yamaha, Courtios, Bach, Getzen, and Rath to bring some of their instruments out for us to try, but obviously all reps think their product is the best. I was just wanting to get an overall feel on how you guys out there rate instruments, and perhaps give another perspective to some of the rumours about various makers. Any help would be great.

Thanks.

Highams · Post by **Highams** » Thu Jan 01, 2004 10:08 am

Don't forget Willson from Switzerland (If they are available where you are), probably the best euphoniums made and the Amsterdam Staff Band have just re equipped with a complete set of tubas !

http://www.swissprofi.ch/willson/repres.html

CB
www.euph9.freeserve.co.uk

david · Post by **david** » Thu Jan 15, 2004 7:23 pm

Don't forget to buy a Shilke soprano. Anything else garbage.

Euphoric Kiwi · Post by **Euphoric Kiwi** » Sun Jan 18, 2004 6:16 am

thanks, don't know where to get Shilke Sop's from down here but i'll look,

Post by **David Sheedy** » Wed Jan 21, 2004 5:51 pm

david wrote:Don't forget to buy a Shilke soprano. Anything else garbage.

To be honest I can't agree there. I have just changed from a shilke owned by the band and gone over to the Courtois and found it a much better instrument to play.

Euphoric Kiwi · Post by **Euphoric Kiwi** » Thu Jan 22, 2004 5:12 am

David, have you tried a Sterling soprano at all?

Post by **David Sheedy** » Thu Jan 22, 2004 5:47 pm

Yes I have tried a Sterling in the past and to be honest I wasn't very keen on it. I didn't trust the tuning intonation in the high upper register

David

tigger908 · Post by **tigger908** » Mon Jul 11, 2005 6:12 pm

Ive heard good things about the curtwa soprano, and have played both a yamaha and a shilkie.

Someone told me that the curtwa was an easy soprano to play, while many concider the yamaha difficult to blow through and the shilkie easier to blow through.

Despite its faults I do like to play my little yamaha, though the band insist i use their shilkie for contests.

Don't buy yamaha meastoso cornets, we had loads of problems with ours. Water keys falling off, laqour peeling etc etc. The whole thing seemed to rot with sweat too

Tiggs

suzie_day · Post by **suzie_day** » Wed Jul 20, 2005 2:29 am

besson sovergine. thats what our whole band uses. the're great, and pretty cost efective.

john · Post by **john** » Fri Aug 26, 2005 9:03 pm

UK is mainly Besson sov's for everything except

Yamaha trombones and sop......possibly shilke sop.

Its the sov 928 cornet that is the preferred model amongst the Besson cornet range.

:::
A side note I would be interested to learn of any bulk supliers (from anywhere in the world) who can kit out a junior band........ Talking cheap but tuneful, sturdy kit. Would have to be cheap but obviously not the sort of instrument that only be fit for decorating a pub wall.