TubaForum.net

Hi guys, I’m a tuba player from Singapore who wants to start learning the euphonium and maybe join some community bands in the future. Looking for an intermediate euphonium within my budget and stumbled across stores selling these few models. Ideally wouldn't want to break the bank, but also don't want to face problems with the instrument 1-2 years down the road and regret not forking out a bit more for a higher quality / smooth playing one that I can comfortably bring to concerts.

(all prices below are converted from SGD to USD)

Models which are available brand new in a physical store in my country:
Yamaha YEP321S - USD$3,066
Yamaha YEP621S - USD$4,859

Models which are available second hand in a physical store in my country:
Miraphone 1255L - USD$2,222
Yamaha YEP321S - USD$1,333

After some researching on this forum, I also saw some recommendations for models I could purchase online (Ebay / Wessex):
Wessex Dolce - USD$2,197 (from Wessex website. inclusive of USD$365 shipping)
John Packer JP274 - USD$2,889 (from Ebay. inclusive of USD$400+ shipping and import charges)
Yamaha YEP621S - USD$3,372 (from Ebay. inclusive of USD$129 shipping)

Would appreciate some recommendations on which to get considering their prices (Singapore has quite low demand/supply of euphoniums so the prices are pretty wacky here).

I'm thinking of heading down to the physical stores to try the euphoniums in the first two lists just to form an opinion of my own as well. As for the online listings, I feel pretty uneasy buying such a big ticket item on Ebay without trying it first - wondering if any of you have similar experiences / advice regarding this (eg. how's the quality control of the JP and Yamaha listings on Ebay, euphoniums from the Wessex site etc.)

Thank you! Really looking forward to play but pretty bummed out with all these choices, high prices and QC concerns :(

Hi, and welcome! If you are a tuba player and want to learn euphonium as a second instrument, that makes you a “doubler”. For years now the classic choice for the player who doubles on euphonium is the Yamaha 321. It has quite good build quality and it is a known and sought after instrument. The one at your store is silver plated (“S”), not my favorite but many like it. You could not go wrong by choosing the Yamaha.I’m not familiar with the other models, but it’s difficult to imagine you would go wrong with anything made by Miraphone. The used price on the Yamaha 321S at $1333 sounds like a fair price to me, if it is in excellent condition

I did some looking and saw that Eastman and Shires instruments are available in Singapore. Those might not be bad options either if you can try them.

The JP274 seems to be a good choice in terms of offering good playability, features, and price. It’s surprising that these aren’t locally available to you as they are manufactured in mainland China. Would be terrible to ship it all around the world, but that may be your best price.

As a tuba player, I liked the old King Legend series stuff, which would be the 2280 and 2268. The 2280 is top action and the 2268 is front action. I always felt these sounded like little tubas more than a euphonium (basically in between the sound of a euphonium and baritone) and are fun to play. The old Conn stuff is similar to the King in terms of playability. Problem with most of the American made stuff is that they are getting up there in terms of age and might have valve problems or other issues.

I love freak jury questions.