Round stamp boosey and hawkes euphonium

[Elow]

I’m more of a nerd on trombone gear and don’t really know much about euph which is my main instrument. So i was wondering what the characteristics of booseys round stamp sovereign and why so many people like them.

[Finetales]

They have a singing, colorful sound. Compared to the broad, dark sound of a Willson or the in-between sound of a something like a Yamaha, B&H/Bessons have a traditional British euphonium sound that is more soloistic and less tuba-like. Plus they just play great, with a clear and easy high register. All top-model euphs from that lineage of companies share these characteristics, but the round stamps I guess are like Elkhart Conns in that they are from a particularly desirable vintage. Old B&H/Besson euphs are addicting to play...they're so easy to play expressively.

[Elow]

They have a singing, colorful sound. Compared to the broad, dark sound of a Willson or the in-between sound of a something like a Yamaha, B&H/Bessons have a traditional British euphonium sound that is more soloistic and less tuba-like. Plus they just play great, with a clear and easy high register. All top-model euphs from that lineage of companies share these characteristics, but the round stamps I guess are like Elkhart Conns in that they are from a particularly desirable vintage. Old B&H/Besson euphs are addicting to play...they're so easy to play expressively.

Got it, i’m interested in one but also interested in your kanstul.

[mrdeacon]

I’m more of a nerd on trombone gear and don’t really know much about euph which is my main instrument. So i was wondering what the characteristics of booseys round stamp sovereign and why so many people like them.

So there are a few eras of Besson Euphs. The most common are the 50's-70's embargo horns the Besson New Standard horns. These were import horns from the U.K. Besson New Standard and Boosey and Hawkes Imperial Euphs are identical except the Boosey and Hawkes horns were sold in the U.K and the New Standard were sold internationally. Rumor is they would pick the good horns and stamp those Imperial and stamp the leftovers New Standard. I haven't played enough of the Imperials to confirm this but a lot of the New Standard Euphs are DOGS... barely playable. I've played maybe a dozen and I think only 4 of them had the partials line up correctly. They all got a great sound though. These horns are hefty. Have 11" bells and had a euro shank. Great sound!

The Besson round stamps were sold in the 70's-80's. The special thing with these is they finally started to modernize the horns. Large shank receivers slightly lighter construction. I think the bell is 11" could be 11.25" I can't remember... These horns were made famous by the British Brass Band stars of old. Lyndon Baglin, Childs brothers etc. Despite them being special horns they are definitely old school. If you're in a British Brass Band they are absolutely perfect... if you're trying to blend in a wind ensemble... ehhh that's another story. Very good solo instruments but they aren't as dark as modern Euphs even modern Bessons get a wider and darker sound.

And of course, there are the modern 967 and 968 Sovereign Euphs. They don't really don't much of an introduction. For what it's worth the round stamps are very similar to the modern Besson 967 Sovereign Euphs (the 11" bell model).

If I were in the market for a Besson Euph today I would either buy the 967 or a Shires Q series Euph whichever the Besson style one is. I adore these older model Bessons but they are difficult to blend with sometimes if you're playing next to super dark sounding Wilsons or the much larger Besson 968 cousin. Great for solos and they can cut right through a wind ensemble if you know what you're doing.