Thibaut De Bondt first played the baritone on an old Besson Sovereign with four valves, kindly borrowed from Brass Band Willebroek. When he later sought his own instrument, he was determined to keep that fourth valve—a choice that ultimately led him to the Besson Prestige 2056 Baritone, an exceptional instrument capable of producing a rich and captivating tone. The fourth valve also opens up an extensive range, making advanced musical studies more accessible and allowing the vast repertoire originally written for the euphonium to be fully playable on the baritone. For this outstanding instrument, he found the perfect mouthpiece—the BSM5, developed by Denis Wick in collaboration with Steven Mead.