I am selling a Besson Sovereign Euphonium: 966. I purchased it in October 2008. Please check the photos for the exterior condition. There is some silver plating peeling on the back of the bell near the mouthpiece pipe, but this does not affect playing at all. The main tuning slide piston and pitch change system was modified, but it was very useful. (Please check the photos) There is a piston between the 3rd slide, and it operates with that piston. When you push it down, the main tuning slide moves down, lowering the pitch. After pushing it down, it returns to the original tuning slide position with a spring. When matching the normal tuning pitch, you can use the butterfly screw linked to the tuning slide to stop at any tuning position. I apologize that the photo is upside down. Although it may be difficult to see in the photos, there are a few small dents about the size of a grain of rice, but these also did not affect playing at all. For this sale, I had a repair technician I work with perform the following: chemical reaction rust removal inside the tubes, all piston adjustments, cleaning of all slides, chemical reaction rust removal inside the tubes, and balance adjustment. Overall cleaning was also performed. The quietness of the piston operation has improved dramatically. The slides also all operate without any problems. The water key cork and piston springs have been replaced. The piston felts have been adjusted so that the holes align when the piston is pressed down. (You will immediately understand this by removing the compensating tube on the back of the first slide and pressing the piston) The original soft case was in bad condition, so I have replaced it with a Protec soft case (new). Please consider this and I look forward to your purchase. Please feel free to leave comments. (I am willing to consider some price reductions!) Thank you very much.