"copy of famous maker"

[Dan Schultz]

Looks like a Wessex Berg with a half step 5th valve.

Someone is copying WESSEX now? That must be flattering for Jonathan.

[Ken Crawford]

This tuba design is in the Jinbao catalog and Wessex doesn't have exclusive rights to it. The short fifth valve slide was provided by wessex as well, as a slide to use if you wanted to put the Berg in it's semi-hard case, in which the installed longer slide would not fit.

[Three Valves]

"O'Malley" may be a good name for a Tin Whistle,

but for a tuba??

How about something more tuba-like,

like Schiller!!

[Wyvern]

I am rather amused that Wessex is already being called "famous maker" although at the same time irritated that due to distribution error O'Malley got hold of our design. The Berg is still officially Wessex exclusive design and is not in the Jinbao catalogue (I have the latest copy in front of me). As the principal tuba customer for the factory, they will not generally release Wessex designs without my prior agreement.

The Berg is a tuba of which I am very proud. We took one of the worst F tubas intonation wise on the market and remodelled to make one of the very best, with a tone that still fills me with joy whenever I play. Yes parts were used from the parts bin, but that is how most tubas are developed. Every brass factory tries to minimise the production of new components and use as much as possible of what they already have. What is important is how they are put together to make a good tuba taking into account expansion rates, noddle points and more.

I am lucky to have some very talented people working with Wessex to develop our new models. There are plenty of exciting developments in the pipe line including a further two new models I hope to announce after December visit to the factory - one of those is really revolutionary, like nothing ever available before

[Wyvern]

dance with the devil, I guess...particularly if he's the one who brung ya...

I am not sure what you mean by that? The Chinese are good hard working people just like you and me. Jinbao is a family run business started by father and now run by son. They have been very successful building to company of over 2,000 employees. Like most fairly large businesses it has its failings but there are dedicated and clever people working there with 'can do' attitude and commitment to ever improve, some of which have become my good friends. So not 'dance with the devil', but working closely with the most exciting and fast improving brass factory in the world to make range of great playing, but affordable tubas and euphonium for the 21st century.

[Three Valves]

I am not sure what you mean by that?

"Dancing with the devil" is a harmless American colloquial expression meaning "a business partner that sells your B-stock to a competitor, undercutting your prices and flooding the market."

It's pointed toward them, not so much you.

You are the victim in this case.

[Wyvern]

"Dancing with the devil" is a harmless American colloquial expression meaning "a business partner that sells your B-stock to a competitor, undercutting your prices and flooding the market."

That is interesting and new on me - thanks!

Goes to show we speak the same language some of the time

[Worth]

dance with the devil

Itching to make a political comment here, but it's illegal