Wessex "Solo" Eb compensating tuba
Posted: Fri Dec 23, 2016 11:15 pm
A little over seven years ago I purchased a Schiller tuba that was a clone of the 186. It was a good tuba, not great, but good; I sold it to a student less than a year later. Yesterday I received a lightly used Wessex solo Eb via Greyhound. I was pleasantly surprised with the quality. A lot has changed with Chinese horns, much of it due to Jonathan Hodgetts' work. If the bell didn't say Wessex Custom on it, I would have thought it was a Yamaha. Many things, both big and small, remind me of the Yamahas from the 90's. This is not a "good" tuba. It is a very very good tuba. Maybe even a great tuba (still getting acclimated).
I pulled all the pistons to oil, and there were no issues with the threads on the caps. The compensating system takes a little adjustment, but much less than I had expected. I did not experience the dreaded "stuffiness" that plagues some compensators. The low F on this tuba was surprising once I figured it out. I think the 17" (16 3/4") bell works better on this tuba for the intended use. It still has a fatter, darker sound than many F tubas but the high register can sing when need be. I wouldn't want anything darker - I have heard some 19" Besson Eb tubas sound almost "bland" but this tuba is not. There were no glaring pitch issues to be found on this horn - it is nice not to have to pull slides. I have been using my Baer CC (second gen) but will probably go with something a little smaller for solos. A Wessex helleberg was included with the horn. I haven't tried it yet but it is just a little deeper than the Baer, so I probably wouldn't use it regularly. It appears to be a good quality mouthpiece unlike the mouthpiece shaped objects that used to come from China. I definitely like their gold coating more than a true gold plate which wears off if you look at it funny.
My initial impression of this tuba is very positive. I haven't played Eb in a while but I am getting adjusted to it quickly. I pulled out some old recital lit including the first page of the Gregson, the first movement of the VW, and some transcriptions including horn works by Mozart and Strauss. The tuba worked well for all of them and sounded fatter on the bottom notes of the Gregson and VW than most F tubas would.
I am not going to lie and say this is the greatest tuba I have ever played. Nor would I say it is absolutely flawless. But it is a very good instrument that plays well and should last a long time if taken care of. Once I am 100% comfortable with the horn (and maybe have a different mouthpiece) I might put up a few recordings. I would be fully confident taking this instrument to a medium sized or smaller ensemble, bass tuba rep, quintet, or solo literature. I really could have used it a few months ago on Berlioz vs my 6/4 CC. I probably wouldn't want to use this as only tuba in a very large ensemble, but as part of a section it would work fine especially on the top of split parts.
I pulled all the pistons to oil, and there were no issues with the threads on the caps. The compensating system takes a little adjustment, but much less than I had expected. I did not experience the dreaded "stuffiness" that plagues some compensators. The low F on this tuba was surprising once I figured it out. I think the 17" (16 3/4") bell works better on this tuba for the intended use. It still has a fatter, darker sound than many F tubas but the high register can sing when need be. I wouldn't want anything darker - I have heard some 19" Besson Eb tubas sound almost "bland" but this tuba is not. There were no glaring pitch issues to be found on this horn - it is nice not to have to pull slides. I have been using my Baer CC (second gen) but will probably go with something a little smaller for solos. A Wessex helleberg was included with the horn. I haven't tried it yet but it is just a little deeper than the Baer, so I probably wouldn't use it regularly. It appears to be a good quality mouthpiece unlike the mouthpiece shaped objects that used to come from China. I definitely like their gold coating more than a true gold plate which wears off if you look at it funny.
My initial impression of this tuba is very positive. I haven't played Eb in a while but I am getting adjusted to it quickly. I pulled out some old recital lit including the first page of the Gregson, the first movement of the VW, and some transcriptions including horn works by Mozart and Strauss. The tuba worked well for all of them and sounded fatter on the bottom notes of the Gregson and VW than most F tubas would.
I am not going to lie and say this is the greatest tuba I have ever played. Nor would I say it is absolutely flawless. But it is a very good instrument that plays well and should last a long time if taken care of. Once I am 100% comfortable with the horn (and maybe have a different mouthpiece) I might put up a few recordings. I would be fully confident taking this instrument to a medium sized or smaller ensemble, bass tuba rep, quintet, or solo literature. I really could have used it a few months ago on Berlioz vs my 6/4 CC. I probably wouldn't want to use this as only tuba in a very large ensemble, but as part of a section it would work fine especially on the top of split parts.