Wisemann 900SP review

[thetubawizard]

I was lucky enough to be offered a chance to play and buy one of these horns 2 weeks ago and for lack of a better words... WOW! Having a budget of around $5K, I never thought I would own a 5/4 horn. Especially one that plays this good!

Having played a few PT6 horns, both rotor and piston, I have never been a big fan. When I was offered a chance to test trial this horn from a colleague, I went into it with a mind set that I was going to hate the horn but from the first note I knew that this was different. The horn plays much more freely in my opinion. The low range is not as resistant and unlike the other PT6 horns I've tried, particularly the low G set in nicely. The horn produces a very full and lively sound in all registers. This is a great horn that I have now used in brass quintet, symphony, wind ensemble, symphony plus choir, and a tuba quartet (got to love the holiday gigs!). It is the best all around horn I have ever owned.

PROS:
Full and even tone in all registers
easy low register
all-around horn
Overall good tuning

CONS:
4th line F is pretty sharp like on PT6 horns.
Horrible threading job done on piston caps....
Pistons don't have extra vent hole for slide pulling

I highly recommend you try these horns if you have not already!

[Worth]

Just shy three fingers pull on the main slide here with my 900 (about two inches) using a PT50

[namisloc]

PROS:
Full and even tone in all registers
easy low register
all-around horn
Overall good tuning

CONS:
4th line F is pretty sharp like on PT6 horns.
Horrible threading job done on piston caps....
Pistons don't have extra vent hole for slide pulling

I've owned my Wisemann for a little over a year now and I feel like Wiz's review really hits the nail on the head. I'm a junior Music Ed major in a pretty competitive tuba studio and I really can't say it enough, purchasing this horn has been one of the best decisions I've made since the day I decided to pick up the tuba in the first place. Tom was a pleasure to do business with, at no point did I feel pressured to purchase and even after I purchased the horn, he's been of great assistance any time I needed him.

The biggest issue I've had with the horn is the threading on the valve caps, it's absolutely horrid. In another thread, someone mentioned that since the top caps are double threaded and the bottom caps are quad threaded, they're essentially interchangeable and it makes more sense to have the caps with more threading on top since they see a lot more use. I swapped mine a while back and it definitely makes a difference, unfortunately, I feel that this is by far the weakest area of the horn's construction (arguable, not the worst issue to have).

Additionally, when I got the horn, the slides were almost impossible to move, I eventually had a repairman lap them for me a bit to get them smoother, a relatively easy fix, but it would have been nice if the manufacturer would have done this prior to shipment.

Finally, I've noticed in a few places where the plating has deteriorated and the brass can be seen. I have a spot on my bell (I'll try and get a picture later) where the plating has just worn down to the brass. It started as a pretty small spot (the size of a dime) and now it's about 2" wide. Also, I've recently noticed a bit of spotting, almost light pitting, forming around the more high traffic areas on the horn, not really surprising though I've done my best to really limit how much bare skin comes in contact with the horn.

Overall, I feel like all of these issues are pretty minor and superficial in the grand scheme of things. I've heard a few people use the saying "It's 2/3 the horn for 1/3 the price", I think the latter part of the statement is true, but I think most folks would have a hard time telling the difference between a genuine PT6 and these clones. But don't believe the hype, try one for yourself.

[brocktorock]

I noticed on my Wisemann, the main hole thst the valve stems go into is a little off. In other words, my piston stem and button are tilted off to the side slightly. Is anyone else noticing this issue? It's also very "wobbly". The whole valve block moves sometimes if I try even lightly to pull a slide. I guess it could just be something loose, I'm just afraid that metal is bending somewhere. It doesn't feel like the build quality is great. I love the sound though. Neat horn.

[thevillagetuba]

At my university, we actually have two Wisemanns and a PT6P and decided it would be great to do a sort of blind test/comparison. Whereas the Wisemann is a close copy and a fantastic horn, the PT6P was preferred by 2 of the three players (the third was thrown off by how free-blowing it was compared to his Wisemann). I will be posting a detailed review of the test with audio for comparison as soon as I get the time.