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Yesterday I picked up a Wilson 3200s F tuba. I’m very happy with it, and for the price I paid it was an absolute steal. I got to bring it to a quintet rehearsal today and I realized that I’m not sold on the intonation of the horn, particularly not having access to the 4th valve slide. I wanted to ask, has anyone found a good solution to this? I’m looking into a grab bar or tuning slide trigger. Not ready to spend any more money at the moment, but am thinking for the future.

I would play the horn a bit longer than one day before you start thinking about modifications, just to get used to the horn and its tendencies. After a few months with it, you may find that things are slotting better and you will find better solutions for slide placement and splitting differences.

The biggest issue I had with my Willson F was the second partial being a bit flat.

Yes like I said I’m not going to rush out and do any mods today, but I can tell that not having access to the 4th slide is something I will always be annoyed about. I like have access to the 4th slide for working into the low register. I probably use it more than my 1st slide on my CC tuba.

I’ve owned and played this model for over a decade. It is my go-to horn for everything . . . I’ve never needed a tuning trigger on mine, but I do need to listen carefully to the intonation going on around me, as with any other tuba I own. Give it a little while . . .
As far as the fourth valve, I find I can adjust it just fine with my left hand with the lower left-side slide.