TubeNet

I think the best horn I played on at TMEA was the Willson 3100 BBb. I loved that horn and for some reason kept coming back to it. I want one By the way..does anyone know anything about the Conn/Pan American 58K? I found one at a good price.

i already am. Im just at Tyler junior college now..im lookin at NSU though after this

No i havent played on that one. I really dont know what I want though, I already have a BBb. so either a C or Eb is probably what i'll end up getting. Or who knows maybe another BBb

TUbajohn20J wrote:I think the best horn I played on at TMEA was the Willson 3100 BBb. I loved that horn and for some reason kept coming back to it. I want one By the way..does anyone know anything about the Conn/Pan American 58K? I found one at a good price.

I you go to Dan Oberloh's website, he has one for sale. Scroll down to the fourth horn for sale:
http://www.oberloh.com/sales/tubas.htm

BTW, don't let anyone else make up your mind for you. If you like this BBb horn and feel the most comfortable with it, so be it! You don't have to be playing a CC horn in order to make great music.

Wow thats a beautiful horn. I could hit some good pedal tones with that 5th rotor. And yes I'm way more comfortable with a BBb than a C tuba just because I grew up playing them, and very rarely do i get a chance to play a CC. But i guess everybody has to make the switch sometime right? People keep telling me if I'm going to perform I need to buy a C or Eb, and if I'm going to teach than a BBb will do. But teaching is pretty much out of the question for me. But i still think i could perform on a BBb (I did play the Vaughan williams mvmt. 1 and 2 on my 20J and got a first division at state my senior year)

yeah I'll check Dillons out

good point

I play the 3100 regularly in solo and orchestra settings, and I absolutely love it. I use the 3400 Eb as a small horn, and they complement each other nicely. If you like the BBb, and it's OK with your teacher, stick with it. A good horn is a good horn. Easy comes with practice!

Hi,

Willson Band Instruments have re-launched their web site at;

http://www.willson.ch/

click on 'news' to see my latest pics.

Best wishes, Chas

i noticed there are different versions of the 3100. The rotary, the front action, and the top action. Does anyone know anything about the top action? or ever played one? just wondering. I like top action horns, call me old fashioned. I also noticed the 454 RZ4. anyone ever played this one? and whats the difference in that than the 3100 rotary?

I've only played on the 3100 front action as well. But it looks to me that all the versions have the same bore size/bell. just different valve configurations to satisfy the needs of different people. That would be my guess. I wouldn't mind playing on that top action horn though..

The 2-454 RZ-4 BBb is also interesting. It seems to be the same as the 3100 RZ-4, but the valves are turned differently. It looks like the rotors are under the valve spatulas, and are turned so that the valve tubing is to the player's left instead of the right.

It seems to make access for slide pulling quite a bit easier, plus you can reach the 2nd valve pullring and the main tuning slide both with the left hand. I don't think I've ever seen a tuba with valves and slides arranged that way. I just wonder if it would make the ends of the tubing on the side away from the bell more vulnerable to denting.

The 3100 DOES have 5 valves

The 3100FA-5 front action piston horn has 5 valves, but both of the new 3100 models, the TA (top action compensating) and RZ (rotax rotary) are 4-valve instruments.

JCR: since you are in contact with the Willson folks, lI'd like to ask a few questions.

Do you know the prices of the new instruments?

Are they currently available, and if not, when will they be?

Who is their US jobber?

And of course, the comp version of the Eb doesn't need 5 valves with the comp loops doing what a 5th valve would do.

GETZEN Company

Mr. David M. Surber
Sales Manager

530 S. Hwy. H
Elkhorn, WI 53121 tel: +1 262 723 4221
fax: +1 262 723 4245

e-mail: davesurber@getzen.com

Willson are launching 4 new models at Frankfurt, 2 F tubas (XS & XL) the 420 cornet and a 2960 Celebration euphonium.

Pics of these are on the news section of the website, but no details will be up until after the show, along with an English version of the pages too.

That's all I could find out.

CB

That one with the 2nd valve slide and tuning slide going to the left looks to be a carbon copy of Sam Green's back-up Sander. It was subsequently owned by Dave Borzvold and Dave Freedy, though the order escapes me. Perchance is the current owner a Tubenetter?

The pictures are straight from the Willson web site, and these are production instruments.