5/4 or 6/4 CC tuba recommendations

[bort]

There is a PT7 at Dillons... maybe worth a phone call to Matt?

"Chef recommends!"

[Awegner2]

I saw that and a MW 2155 at Baltimore Brass. I've spoken to Matt recently but I didn't bring up the PT-7. Good suggestion!

[olaness1]

Just a quick addendum to the intonation post above. My PT6 is quite mouthpiece sensitive and some mouthpiece choices send it out of tune and others are much more easy to keep where I want it. For example, using a Schilke Helleberg II gives me two wonky notes (slide pulling needed) compared to none with a couple of copies of the same mouthpiece that I also own. If you are travelling to try out, make sure you bring a decent arsenal of mouthpieces to try.

[Awegner2]

Well, I did it. I bought the Wessex Chicago York. I was able to try out the Chicago Presence as well, but the York spoke to me, and my two colleagues who graciously accompanied me on my trip to Ferrysburg. I got the horn home, gave the slides and valves a light cleaning/ polishing and got everything moving like silk. Boy oh boy does this thing play. It's scary how good the intonation is with my PT-50. The resonance is unlike any other horn I've played (and I've played a second Wessex Chicago York). To anyone on the fence about looking in this direction, I highly encourage you to look past the stigma of the Chinese horn. As an engineer and machnist, I'm very impressed with the build quality of the instrument. You can expect excellent action with the vented pistons, crisp solder joints, and good slide alignment out of the box. There's no doubt that there was a learning curve to this tuba for me (coming from a VMI3301). Now that I've figured out how to control this monster, I can make a huge sound with minimal effort. If anyone in the Chicago area would like to try the horn out for size, feel free to contact me so you can see for yourself what I'm talking about. This is only my opinion, but I stand by everything I said. I'm proud to own this tuba and I'm looking forward to many years of growing as a player with it.

[SousaWarrior9]

When do we get to see pics and hear audio of it?

As someone who was along for the ride on this expedition (and with the OP's permission of course) I'll post some pictures of him playing the horns as well as my own personal thoughts on the horns I got to try:

The York: While I'm not accustomed to CC tubas, I am used to steering 6/4 horns, so I felt right at home on this horn. I was first struck by the build quality (also true of the presence). Chunky valve stems, and excellent solder jobs, etc. The horn also resonates quite well in the cash register and producing a really smooth tone was effortless. Cranking the volume up on this baby filled the warehouse with sound, definitely a lot of fun to crank some air through it, and it will take as much as you can give. The pedals on it were also phenomenal. I've never been able to nail pedals on any horn so accurately and with such good projection. Absolutely outstanding in this regard. Throughout the range, it just felt like the horn was just taking my sound and throwing it out the bell, almost like playing itself. I think it's defiantly worth considering with the many other York copies out there for someone who is in the market for that kind of horn.

The Presence: Much of what I said about the York also applies to this horn (build quality, resonance, mid-register, etc) but it did have its own unique character. This one, as one might expect, had a lot more edge to the sound and more of a bark at louder volumes. When playing softly, it was hard for me to distinguish between the two, but as soon as you crank up the volume, this horn starts to growl a bit, with a more direct, directional sound than its larger-belled counterpart. It's kind of a nice fusion between an 'American'type sound and a 'German' type sound, if you're into that sort of thing. Personally, I prefer the less directional 'foggy' king of sound, so the York has a slight edge in my book, nut this is just preference.

The Berg: I also got to mess around on a Berg for a bit, but I'm not a bass tuba kind of guy, so my perception of how it played was not as in depth. I will say though, that the low register was surprisingly good. On the F tubas I've tried before, I've always gotten a tremendous amount resistance and really have to fight the horn to play, but it was very solid and easy (as far as F tubas go) on this horn, which I was very impressed by. Mid-to mid-upper register sounded ok, but I (and the two others who played it) struggled in the upper parts of the high register. Slotting and accuracy of the notes got pretty difficult as the rage went up, even with different mouthpieces. Luckily, most of the practical register that one would feasibly use is just fine, but any virtuoso solo stuff in the stratosphere might be problematic on this horn.

The Viverna: because I'm a BBb player primarily, I had to get my hands on at least one BBb. Luckily, they had a 4/4 5 valve BBb on hand. First off, this is on the larger size of 4/4, borderline 5/4 in my opinion. It was also HEAVY. Of course it felt heavier compared to the hand-hammered York, but it was particularly heavy all the same. Definitely a sturdy build but I could see it causing some back problems for some folks. Maybe it was because I played this right after the York, but it seemed very stuffy to me, especially in the low and pedal register. Obviously most horns will not seem free blowing when compared to a 6/4 like the York, but something about it seemed restrictive to me. Tone sounded ok, though. Worth looking at for an advanced high schooler or a collegiate tubist looking for a 'bands' horn.

Overall, I'm very impressed in general with he quality of these horns, especially the handmade examples.These do not feel like 'knock-off' horns at all, and after playing these, I think the York style horns deserve to be considered as a legitimate contender with any other manufacturer of a horn of this type, regardless of county of origin.

Had a great time with Andrew on this roadtrip, and I was happy to listen carefully and provide feedback as he tested them out. Always happy to help an old friend out. I got so much second-hand excitement seeing haw happy he was with this horn. Its a good fit for sure.

Pictures of the Chicago York, Presence and Berg Here:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/ ... sp=sharing" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank

[Awegner2]

Doc, I am hesitant to post any audio of the horn as I'm still getting used to "driving" a 6/4 CC but I do have some pictures to share:

[Awegner2]

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id= ... Cw0_nJVWyl" target="_blank

Hope this works!

[BrassedOn]

If you are travelling to try out, make sure you bring a decent arsenal of mouthpieces to try.

olaness1, That last point is some really top top advice. I have been going through several somewhat vintage euphs and was really surprised when my standby mouthpieces were a bad match. I'm glad I went into the drawer to pull out even Bach 4G, Schilke 51, and some Wicks that I had not had on my face for years but kept around for students. And I had an array of European and large shanks in case of surprises. And not just cup depth but for how the piece matches the leadpipe or venturi.

And one advantage of having a couple of sets of ears join you on your roadtrip is that they can add their collections.

Cheers! and Good luck on the hunt.