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Today was a phenomenal Day. Due to schedules we only had the day to experience the exhibits but definitely got to play everything I set out to play. I will go into all the horns and my thoughts but I must say the best part of our experience was the people. Everyone went out of their way to help us and answer questions and accommodate us in everyway. And I cant speak for everyone but I kinda know how other people feel when they meet celebrities. I met Roger Bobo, James Gourlay, Steven Mead the list goes on and on and everyone we came in contact with was so nice and accommodating. So on to the horns. Keep in mind I am an amateur and these are my opinions...

Eb (my main focus)
Willson 3400 Compact.
Willson 3400
Besson 984
Wessex Gnagey
Eastman
Miraphone Norwegian Star
I am not an Eb player so I feel I need to spend time with one before making a final decision However the 2 that I kept coming back to were the Willson 3400 Compact and Besson 984.
What I liked about the Willson ergonomically and aesthetically it ticked all the boxes. It also has a 5th rotor. Sound wise it seemed more dark and did not sing as well in the upper register as the Besson. My issues with the Besson it is four valve and seriously no thumb ring. Yes I can have one added but man. I cant speak to pitch or intonation because it was loud and I was not able to put a tuner on any of them. So my issue is live with the 4 valves and no thumb ring or hope with practice and patients I can get the sound out of the Willson that I achieved on the Besson.
As for the others the Wessex was the most free blowing of the bunch. I really wanted to like the Norwegian Star but if felt stuffy to me. And the Eastman really was disappointing compared to the the others.
BBb
Miraphone Siegfried, Hagen 496/497 191 187
Willson Didnt get the Model number but it was the Big one
For these my Preference was either the Hagen 496 or 191 both had great sound and response

I also played several CC and F tubas but I am not one to offer a qualified opinion for these.
Sleeper of the show...
I am by no means a CC tuba player However the most open and responsive horn I played was Lee Stofers CC tuba this thing was amazing. Pitch was centered and you could put as much air into it as you wanted and it rocked. The valves were fast and smooth and the fit and finish was excellent. It sings in the upper register and I played my lowest note ever on it...
In conclusion We had a blast and meet some amazing People and played some amazing Horns...
I would like to say a special thanks to Dr. Manning for taking the time to respond and accommodate my friend who is Blind. Not only did he email us all the info we needed but he greeted us and made sure we had everything we needed...

JJ

Just a note on the Besson 984. Yes it is a 4 valve horn but is compensating which means that you don't need to have a 5th valve to get a chromatic scale down to the pedal E flat and the double pedal if you can hit it. The Besson 983 has a removable thumb ring that many players do not use. I'm sure that a comparable thumb ring could be made if the one for the 983 doesn't fit. Good Luck, Phil

Phil Dawson wrote:Just a note on the Besson 984. Yes it is a 4 valve horn but is compensating which means that you don't need to have a 5th valve to get a chromatic scale down to the pedal E flat and the double pedal if you can hit it. The Besson 983 has a removable thumb ring that many players do not use. I'm sure that a comparable thumb ring could be made if the one for the 983 doesn't fit. Good Luck, Phil

Hey Phil thanks I appreciate it I just played so many horns yesterday it didn’t dawn on me until the drive home that it was compensated and I realized why it doesn’t have a 5th Valve.

JJ

hrender wrote:How would you compare the Miraphone BBb horns you tried with your 289?

I would be hard pressed to give up my 289. With that being said if I didn’t have a BBb I would be just as happy with either the Hagen or 191 especially if I were playing with a very large group and needed a little more oomph...

JJ