I finally got my bari back from the shop.
Quick recap:
* Ed's former horn.
* Damaged in shipping.
* Repaired neck crook dents, all altissimo pads replaced, octave mech bent back into place (picture isn't from my horn). Repairing the crook required unsoldering the neck and two posts (one for the altissimo F vent and another for something else that escapes my mind).
* Missing the chromatic F# keyguard (no big loss and doesn't affect playability).
Again, I'll say it's not a pretty horn. It also has a couple lingering problems:
* While The Band Instrument Repair Shop did check the horn for misc. leaks, there's still something not right around the low D. I say this because the middle D is perfectly in tune (and the horn has stunning intonation), but the low D is out of tune -- flat -- by almost a 1/2 step.
There are variants of this design with a double low C vent, so it may have been that Beaugnier knew that there were some issues with the lower notes and did a redesign.
* The G# key sticks. I'm not quite sure if the spring is bad, it's a sticky pad or if the key needs to be oiled.
* Oh. Almost forgot. The top of the crook is still a tad flat. Not bad, but it's obvious.
Not exactly a problem, but the horn has a fork Eb fingering. Insanely odd.
Mouthpiece: Sigurd Rascher hard rubber.
Reeds: Rico 2.5 (yes, I wimped and got these; I shoulda got the 3.5).
Anyhow, overall, the intonation is fantastic -- other than that D. Even C# plays in tune. A lot of the notes are EXACTLY in tune, according to my electronic tuner, and the others are varying flat by a few cents. Even the altissimo. I might try pushing in my mouthpiece a tad more, but I'd want some better cork grease.
The horn takes a lot of air for me -- mind you, I a) haven't played in 10+ years and b) I broke 7 ribs and had 1.5 collapsed lungs since I last played bari. In other words, I'm a tad out of playing shape, so I don't know how much of this is the horn or me. I have heard other folks say that Beaugniers need a lot of air.
The tone is very French and very focused. I also think the horn could be quite loud, if I was in shape and/or had a different mouthpiece. It makes me think a little more of "Buffet-like" sound than "Selmer-like" sound, and that's not necessarily a bad thing (hey, I liked my Dynaction alto).
Now, there are a few things I don't care for.
1. The low A is "inline" on the G# cluster (also not my horn and doesn't have a low A) -- it's to the right of the low Bb, as you're playing. This makes for a huge G# cluster and it's a bit difficult to reach. Again, my standard disclaimer: I've had my left hand pinkie broken for me TWICE, so I have a bit of a problem with the G# cluster anyway.
My YBS-52 had a low A under the octave key thumberest, as God intended. I think that's way more convenient.
2. The horn has very spread keywork and I'm unsure if I like that or not. I've got big hands and a big reach, but my last bari was a YBS-52 and I've been playing with my wife's Selmer Omega alto since then, so I may have trained myself to like the close-in keywork better.
3. I don't particularly like the placement of the neckstrap hook. It's waaaay too low on the horn.
Overall, very nice.
Quick recap:
* Ed's former horn.
* Damaged in shipping.
* Repaired neck crook dents, all altissimo pads replaced, octave mech bent back into place (picture isn't from my horn). Repairing the crook required unsoldering the neck and two posts (one for the altissimo F vent and another for something else that escapes my mind).
* Missing the chromatic F# keyguard (no big loss and doesn't affect playability).
Again, I'll say it's not a pretty horn. It also has a couple lingering problems:
* While The Band Instrument Repair Shop did check the horn for misc. leaks, there's still something not right around the low D. I say this because the middle D is perfectly in tune (and the horn has stunning intonation), but the low D is out of tune -- flat -- by almost a 1/2 step.
There are variants of this design with a double low C vent, so it may have been that Beaugnier knew that there were some issues with the lower notes and did a redesign.
* The G# key sticks. I'm not quite sure if the spring is bad, it's a sticky pad or if the key needs to be oiled.
* Oh. Almost forgot. The top of the crook is still a tad flat. Not bad, but it's obvious.
Not exactly a problem, but the horn has a fork Eb fingering. Insanely odd.
Mouthpiece: Sigurd Rascher hard rubber.
Reeds: Rico 2.5 (yes, I wimped and got these; I shoulda got the 3.5).
Anyhow, overall, the intonation is fantastic -- other than that D. Even C# plays in tune. A lot of the notes are EXACTLY in tune, according to my electronic tuner, and the others are varying flat by a few cents. Even the altissimo. I might try pushing in my mouthpiece a tad more, but I'd want some better cork grease.
The horn takes a lot of air for me -- mind you, I a) haven't played in 10+ years and b) I broke 7 ribs and had 1.5 collapsed lungs since I last played bari. In other words, I'm a tad out of playing shape, so I don't know how much of this is the horn or me. I have heard other folks say that Beaugniers need a lot of air.
The tone is very French and very focused. I also think the horn could be quite loud, if I was in shape and/or had a different mouthpiece. It makes me think a little more of "Buffet-like" sound than "Selmer-like" sound, and that's not necessarily a bad thing (hey, I liked my Dynaction alto).
Now, there are a few things I don't care for.
1. The low A is "inline" on the G# cluster (also not my horn and doesn't have a low A) -- it's to the right of the low Bb, as you're playing. This makes for a huge G# cluster and it's a bit difficult to reach. Again, my standard disclaimer: I've had my left hand pinkie broken for me TWICE, so I have a bit of a problem with the G# cluster anyway.
My YBS-52 had a low A under the octave key thumberest, as God intended. I think that's way more convenient.
2. The horn has very spread keywork and I'm unsure if I like that or not. I've got big hands and a big reach, but my last bari was a YBS-52 and I've been playing with my wife's Selmer Omega alto since then, so I may have trained myself to like the close-in keywork better.
3. I don't particularly like the placement of the neckstrap hook. It's waaaay too low on the horn.
Overall, very nice.
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