Anyone play a Wessex XL or the Schiller Symphonic Tuba?

[MartyNeilan]

This seems to check many of the boxes I am interested in, but I seem to remember someone who bought an early version had trouble with the octaves lining up.
Anyone else have actual face time on one of these specific horns?

[Wyvern]

Intonation of these is actually pretty good. There are a few out there being played professionally in Europe. But the big problem with the design is the tuba is very top heavy. As a result Wessex has now discontinued from stocking and now only gets made to special order. Therefore I authorized Jinbao to sell to other companies and Schiller have obviously taken that up.

[MartyNeilan]

Would still love to hear from someone with no horse in the race who has actually played one.

[jtuba]

I know someone, I'll ask if he wants to chime in.

[Dan Tuba]

I owned one for a few months. Overall, the tuba plays well. Intonation is pretty good. The Bb at the top of the staff is a little low. Other than that, the tuba plays very much like the Hirsbrunner clones, with a little more weight in the sound(Same quirks). The rotary valves were fast, smooth, and quiet. The tuba is equipped with solid nickel paddles, and the linkages were higher quality than what's on standard JinBao tubas. Why did I sell it? My wife gave me permission to spend a little extra on one tuba if I sold all of my tubas. So, I sold everything and purchased a BMB J765 BBb tuba. The Schiller Symphonic \ Wessex XL just doesn't compare...Decent tuba, good value, half the price, half the awesomeness...

Here's a short clip that I recorded on this tuba before I sold it:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xb6oYp ... p=drivesdk" target="_blank

[WC8KCY]

Based on the shoddy customer service I've received from Schiller/Jim Laabs music, I'd advise buying one of these from another reseller.

[CadillacFleetwood75]

How would one of these horns compare to an old BAT with a front facing bell? I'd like a horn with a forward facing recording bell and have limited playing experience. I have played on an old Conn with a front facing bell and enjoyed it quite a lot, but I'm guessing the experience on this horn would be very different.

[Wyvern]

How would one of these horns compare to an old BAT with a front facing bell? I'd like a horn with a forward facing recording bell and have limited playing experience. I have played on an old Conn with a front facing bell and enjoyed it quite a lot, but I'm guessing the experience on this horn would be very different.

The XL is not a BAT - at most 5/4 size, so is not comparable to an old Conn.

What is a modern BAT is the TB692 Grand. That would provide the kind of sound you are looking.
https://wessex-tubas.com/collections/tu ... rand-tb692

[Lebowitz]

Hi all, new guy here. I know this is an older thread but wanted to chime in. I got this horn about a month ago from a member here off of Ebay and am loving it. It is the Schiller version. That being said, I am no where near a professional so my thoughts might not bear much weight. It is 43" tall with the upright bell and 46" with recording bell. Both bells are 20", weighs almost 30 lbs so it's big. It definitely is top heavy but it balances well. I am on a strict budget (got a kid starting college and two still at home), and could never make up my mind of which style of tuba I wanted. I have always liked the massive old Conn's with the recording bell's but also like the German upright styles. This horn allows me to switch around. The horn seems well built with quiet and quick valves and sounds very good. Does it sound as good as some of the high end horns? In the hands of a capable player (which I'm not..yet) I'm sure it is close. I haven't played for a very long time and getting muscles back in shape. It plays very easily through the registers and I am able to hit some of my pedals already again (It's me..not the horn). It has good compression, can't hear any leaking, and the fifth valve is a plus. Also, having both bells is a very nice added bonus and the case is pretty good having wheels on it. IMO it is a great horn for those who are wanting a big BB on a budget. I know I will never play professionally in an orchestral setting, so the justification of spending $5000+ on a horn just isn't feasible. You wouldn't have any issues for playing in community bands and such. I know Wessex doesn't carry these anymore, but if you lookup Wessex XL it can give you more specs. Thanks