Sterling Virtuoso Baritone - NEW vs OLD - Everything I know.

In September this year (2025), it was announced that the Sterling Musical Instruments brand was making a return with the launch of their new euphonium and baritone.

If you attended the British Open Brass Band Championships in Birmingham UK or the Cheltenham National Finals in 2025, then you might have seen or even tried them.

New Sterling Baritone

I had the opportunity to test this instrument and the euphonium in August 2025 and was very impressed. So, now we are at the point where these instruments are a reality, what information can I share to help answer many of the questions that people seem to have?

Let's get stuck into some of the main questions and I will answer them to the best of my knowledge:

Where are the new Sterling Virtuoso baritones made?

The new baritones are made in China and build on a long and strong partnership between Sterling and John Packer. I have recommended John Packer instruments, based on my own experience of them to students for many years. I first came across the brand when I lived in Singapore and I even visited China on one occasion and further developed my understanding of how instrument manufacturing works out there.

Why did Sterling instruments stop being made?

Something that people probably don't always realise about Sterling Musical Instruments is that it was really just the product of one very skilled person. Paul Riggett founded Sterling in 1987 after working with Boosey & Hawkes. He was the manufacturing manager at "Booseys" and was responsible for overseeing the production of, amongst other products, the legendary "round stamp" models.

When Paul left to set up Sterling, he did it without investors or a big bank behind him and through decades of hard work, built a hugely respected brand on a global platform.

In those early years, Paul was buying valve blocks from the Dutch company Bauerfeild (now owned by Adams) and the bells through a UK company, Bellman Brass (which became Taylor Trumpets). Assembling them in his own workshop and distributing the products worldwide. In the US, he sold hundreds of them through the now defunct, Custom Music.

It was never easy for Paul, and without external funding and support it would be fair to say he struggled against the big manufacturers, but was always proud of the products he made.

So, for quite a while now, it has not been possible to buy a new Sterling. This has meant that prices of good used Sterling's has definitely gone up. With the growth of brands like Adams and Besson, it got to a point where you would be lucky to see anyone playing on a Sterling.

Is Sterling owned by John Packer?

Yes, John Packer acquired Sterling Musical Instruments in the same manner that they did with Taylor Trumpets and Rath Trombones. This was a natural thing to happen because there had already been a collaboration between Sterling and JP since as far back as 2010.

Paul has worked closely with John Packer for many years. Paul has travelled more times than he can count to China, with the guys from John Packer and Paul set up the entire production for euphoniums with Packers partners in China.

The JP Sterling range of brass instruments have proven themselves time and time again to be the best in the market at their price range (in my opinion). I have even been using a JP Sterling euphonium for the last month - Check it out here! It is far better than it's price tag and JP logo might suggest. Even the famous Eikanger-Bjørsvik Musikklag euphonium players are now using the JP374ST.

Are Chinese made brass instruments rubbish?

Something else to consider is that a lot of parts for the old Sterling instruments (and many other well known brass brands) actually come from China.

Anyone could make a new company with instruments made in China. You could literally select the cheapest or the highest grade materials and have your own brand made. This is what a lot of companies have done (and tried to keep the 'made in China' part a secret). JP have never kept any secrets and Rob Hanson (the boss of JP) is the nicest, trustworthy person you could meet.

The problem that the old 'made in Great Britain' Sterling instruments had was consistency. Every single one was slightly different. I hated them for a while, before playing my old Sterling euphonium and falling in love with it.

The old instruments had a reputation for being amazing, but not all of them, meaning customers always wanted to visit Paul Riggett in the UK to select one, putting huge strain on manufacturing and often instruments took a long time to arrive to the customer. I've heard many stories of the problems people had with old Sterling instruments.

The new Sterling's will not suffer any of the same issues. Sales, after-sales, distribution and delivery, repair, maintenance, warranty, future designs, planning, promotion etc etc will now all be handled by JP. A company who just won the King's Award for Enterprise for the second time!

The instruments will be made in the same factory as all the JP products in China and will go through extensive consistency checks. But just because the Virtuoso is made in the JP factory it doesn't make it the same as any other products. Meaning, in many ways, the new Sterling's will be far superior to the old ones.

As mentioned, Paul Riggett visited the factory multiple times over many years and set up the euphonium production lines. Prior to any new Sterling's being made, Paul took one last trip out to China to give the handover his blessing and the whole design and manufacturing process has been overseen by a UK based team.

So, to answer the question, in this case absolutely no, these instruments are not rubbish however, many other Chinese made instruments are, if they have been made cheaply without any professional input.

How is the new Sterling baritone different to the old UK made one?

Out of all the Sterling instruments, I think the baritone was the best. Many players who I know that play or have played an old Sterling Virtuoso baritone swear that nothing is better. Solid and sturdy and by far the loudest baritone out there.

Many of the top baritone players avoid the four valve versions or ones with triggers and prefer the standard compensating three valve baritone because it has such a unique brass band tone which cannot be replicated on heavier four valve models.

I have just had the chance to test an old Sterling baritone so it is easy for me to compare it with the new one which I tested only a few months ago.

Old Sterling Virtuoso baritone

The new Sterling baritone will have gold slides and accents. It is the same bore and bell size as the old one and is made from the same high gauge brass. The leadpipe is the same and the feel and shape of the instrument is the same as the old one.

The main difference is that all the old Sterling's had slides which fitted flush into the tubes, with no rings at the openings. Paul Riggett liked the clean look which makes sense but I never liked this as it was not very efficient for slotting the slides back in and was very sharp if you caught your finger while cleaning it. It also meant the plating would chip easily on the old ones. The new ones have rings on the tubes so for me is far better.

Old Sterling baritone

I am no baritone expert but I could hardly tell any difference between the two playing wise. All instruments require some work to play in tune and the baritone (any brand) probably needs more care and skill from the player than any other brass instruments. So, never buy an instrument expecting it to be in tune, no matter how expensive the instrument is.

Here is a video of me playing on the old Sterling baritone.

To hear me playing the new Sterling baritone just follow this link below to the website where you can here it in action from when I tested it.

Sterling Baritone Horn – Sterlingbrass

I think that the new baritone has a bigger sound, plays better in tune, has a clearer tone, has better valves and is generally easier to play on.

How is the new Sterling baritone different to the JP373 Sterling baritone?

This is a question I have been asked a few times about both the euphonium and baritone. Something to realise first of all is that the JP Sterling versions are considerably better than their price tags suggest. Meaning that for most players who want a professional level instrument, the JP Sterling's would be more than enough for you. I have been using the JP374ST in Grimethorpe concerts and as a soloist for example.

But, the new Sterling Virtuoso's are a step up. Made from a higher gauge brass bell with a better leadpipe, they will have a more commanding sound than the JP's. The overall shape and feel is the same, all the slides are in the same places and the bore size is the same.

I don't even know some of how this instrument has been designed but the difference in the way they play is worth the upgrade, but don't take my word for it, just give it a try. If you can justify the extra expense I don't think you will be disappointed.

New Sterling baritone

What is the cost of a new Sterling Virtuoso baritone?

The price is expected to be around £3500 (GBP). To get the most up to date information about prices please contact Sterling directly here - Contact – Sterlingbrass.

Bare in mind that other professional baritones are far more expensive. Here is an example - Besson. With other leading brands being around the same price. The new Sterling will be the best value for money that you can get and will hopefully help change peoples opinion about what is an acceptable cost for a professional baritone.

How do I order one?

For any questions about the Sterling baritone, you can message me directly or use the contact form above. To start with, while demand for the instruments is up or down, it might take longer to get one. As with any new product there will be a settling in period.

What to expect from a new Sterling baritone?

Your new Sterling baritone will be the most shiny and well presented instrument you have ever seen straight out the case. It might need a bit of valve oil and you might consider giving it a complete rinse through before using it properly.

New instruments often have lubrication in them which help keep it in top condition while in transit or storage. Sometimes, if you do not wash them straight away you can expect your valves to get a bit sluggish from time to time, needing frequent oiling. You might also notice the water you release from the water keys is not clear for a while. This is all normal.

What is my involvement and am I only trying to earn a commission?

I have been involved with Sterling Musical Instruments as a euphonium artist since around 2014. I have never been paid to play the instrument but have received some support allowing me to perform more and have always had my instrument looked after whenever needed.

With this new collaboration and take over of Sterling by JP, I am not sure what my role will be yet and how I will benefit from playing the new Sterling euphonium. What I know is that I wouldn't play it and wouldn't recommend it to anyone unless I was 100% behind it.

If anyone asks me questions about what instrument to buy, I always have and will continue to suggest that any player tests instruments first to see what they like. But I will also continue to recommend the new Sterling's and JP products to anyone because I like the company, trust everything they do and hope that my support of them will just aid their support of me as an endorser of the Sterling brand. I will not receive any commission from making sales and should that change, I will edit and explain more in this blog.

Here is the official new Sterling website containing more information and professional pictures - Sterlingbrass.

Updates

As I find anything else, or answer any other questions that come in, I will add new information to this blog post. For example, information about the case, mouthpiece and accessories that will come with a new purchase.

A similar blog for the new Sterling Virtuoso euphonium will be done soon!

Thanks for reading ❤

Mark Glover

16/11/25