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Curious if this strategy makes any sense. Looking to do this over a few years. So no rush.

Disclaimer: I know my money is my money, and that I'm asking for opinions on the internet. *can of worms opened.

Horn I have:
52J

Things I'm Playing In:
-Good community band
-Good local brass band, currently on Bb, looking to play Eb part in the future
-Tuba/Euph 4-tet
-Interested in starting Brass Quartet at some point, possibly to replace said Tuba Quartet.

Tuba end goals:
I like my Conn, but I feel I like I could optimize more and own more shiny things.

Step 1.
Purchase Eb Wessex Besson clone. Never played one, but would this horn work well in stated chamber situations or are they a bit too hefty compared to a 4/4 Bb or C as to not be worth it to have 2 horns?

Step 2.
Sell Conn, buy larger CC.

Step 3.
Possibly sell Wessex and purchase Besson Compensating Eb If I end up going elbow deep in brass band.

Step 4. Profit. I'd also like to be fluent on Eb fingers on the occasion that an Eb sousaphone or Helicon would save lugging a few feet of tubing around.

*braces for impact

Voisi1ev wrote: Tuba end goals:
I like my Conn, but I feel I like I could optimize more and own more shiny things.

Be done with it and get the Besson.

Wessex makes good horns that will service you quite well. You seem to be headed for the Besson as a goal. I'd suggest you skip all the steps and go for the Besson. There may be some on the used market that would work for you. (place a wanted ad on this board) I play an Eb in quintet, quartet, and community band. It serves all those situations. If you have the Conn BBb, that would work nicely for community band as well.

Pretty fair to say then that an Eb Sovereign would compliment like a Thor or 1291 pretty well?

Yeah I get that. No horn is going to solve all the problem in my life. Not sure I'll be ready to buy that quick. But I'll think about it for sure.

I haven't yet owned an Eb. I have played F for a long time and will assume it's about the same. Good used F tubas make a good situation. There are some very nice used ones on the market much of the time. You have to be secure enough to be small in the size department, but when it comes times to carry it all over creation that is convenient. After buying and selling a couple of them, the cost of owning the current one is favorable.

Two of my classmates that played CC in college are doing everything on Eb now and they are thriving. So there's more than one way to skin a cat...

bloke wrote:Am I being a bu-ho by mentioning here that I have an older UK-made Besson comp Eb that I could have ready for sale in a few weeks?
- lacquer on bell...pretty good
- lacquer on lower parts...fairly worn
- bell...never creased, and 19"
- denting...minimal
- receiver...changed out by some previous owner to "standard"
- valves...good (not worn)
- tuning...built just before they began making these tubas shorter (for easier A=440), so I need to shorten it (back side "J" bow) before shipping it to a new owner

$3200 (plus shipping or local pick-up) - in nice ready-to-play condition (when I have time to go over it...currently involved in time-sensitive school repairs)

Bloke, I will be in touch with you very soon regarding this.

Is this E flat a front action 4 valve or 3+1 or what? Thanks, Phil

3+1. I think I have a pretty good idea of what I want now. I'll probably try and play on some stuff first. I'm like an hour and a half from the Wessex show room in Michigan, so I can always road trip it over and see what is up. A used Besson sounds like it would be pretty comparable in price. But who knows, maybe I'll go there in a month or two and fall in love with one of the new helicons

Is Bloke's E flat front action valves, 3+1 or what?