Impressions of the Willson 3100 BBb

[TUbajohn20J]

I played the 3100 at TMEA a couple years back. I loved it..huge sound. easy to fill up. but it was heavy! but thats always good i could care less about weight..to me, heavy tubas are made better. I loved the tuba..but then again I love almost all the tubas I play.

[jonesbrass]

The Willsons are very large, very heavy, and are made with very thick brass. One thing you can bet on, though. The thing is a cannon. You may or may not feel it in your lap, but the guy/gal in the back row of the auditorium sure will!

[hubert]

If you are looking for a superb 6/4, then I would like to suggest to try the Gronitz on consignment at Baltimore Brass. I have played and compared a lot of 6/4 's, but that one I would rank within my "top three" next to a good York and a fine Holton.
The price is negotiable, as I have understood. If I were not the happy owner of a York, then I would not hesitate...
Hubert

[Rick Denney]

Eric "who wonders if the 3100 is even being produced any longer" L.

I played one at the Willson booth at the Army conference, so I assume they are still available.

By the way, good catch on the Rudy being sold by Custom, and I'm curious about what price they end up being offered.

Rick "who has seen a couple of 4-valve C 5/4 Rudys in the $5000 range" Denney

[Rick Denney]

If you are looking for a superb 6/4, then I would like to suggest to try the Gronitz on consignment at Baltimore Brass. I have played and compared a lot of 6/4 's, but that one I would rank within my "top three" next to a good York and a fine Holton.
The price is negotiable, as I have understood. If I were not the happy owner of a York, then I would not hesitate...
Hubert

I agree on the qualities of this particular instrument, which greatly impressed several of us at the Army conference. But it is a C, and the OP was looking for a Bb.

Rick "who would love to try a PBK some day" Denney

[tubeast]

The 3100 definitely IS still being manufactured, as one may easily see on the Willson homepage.
http://www.willson.ch

Top left on the toolbar is a new section on which cool horns can be seen.
On the lower pic I believe there are 3050 CC tubas (or a 3100 among them) and a 6400 BBb horn on the right on that top shelf.
The latter is a sort of "Open Wrap" version of the 3100. It has the exact same pipe dimensions the 3100s have.
The bores of 3050, 3100, and 6400 tubas are the same, too.

[Lew]

I currently support a 60-70 piece concert band using a King 2341 (one piece version). I owned a VMI 3302 (the 5 valve version of the 3301) before I bought the King and don't think it has the capability to project nearly as much as the King. I don't find the small bore limiting. I have never liked the Wilson 3100's that I have tried. They seem dead to me when I play them. I don't mind the size and weight, but they just don't have the response and resonance that I would like.

I really liked the Miraphone 1291's that I have tried, and probably would have bought one of them had they been available when I bought my 2341, but they were not being made yet. If I were looking for a good all around BBb to carry a large group they would be high on my list. The other horn that would be great would be a Rudolph Meinl 6/4 BBb. Of course those are made to order I believe and would be extremely expensive, but the one that I tried, now in Mike Lynch's possession, was a great horn. The 5/4 BBb is more readily available, but would also not be cheap.

Of course, as should be obvious from the range of responses you have received to this question, your perspective on the Willson will be unique so the only way to really know is to play it yourself.

[GC]

I find the variations on the 3100 interesting:





Same stack and bows, just different valve sections. The first one is really different: rotors are turned 90 degrees, direct valve pull instead of links, 1st valve slide is easier to get to than the other BBb's in the series, the valve slides go the opposite direction from the usual since the valves are under the spatulas instead of on the other side of the horn, and the main tuning slide is a left-hand side pull.

http://www.willson.ch/index_e.html

[WakinAZ]

I guess I should have said no longer being marketed very widely in the US - haven't seen them in catalogs or new online for the last couple of years. Good to know they are available in lacquer for us non-silver fans. Looks like a certain retailer in NC has them on their site, although perhaps not in stock... http://www.tubaexchange.com/shop-manufa ... =Miraphone

Eric "who will have a Rudi 5/4 someday" L.

[tofu]

[

[NDSPTuba]

I played the Fafner at TMEA this year and it was IMHO the best playing BBb tuba out there. It just so happens it was the biggest BBb out there too. I also liked the 1291BBb they had, great low range. There was also a new Nirchl BBb out there in the Custom Music display that played pretty darn well too, it was a 4/4.

[oedipoes]

Willson tubas come in lacquer or silver. You may be thinking about Hirsbrunner; I think they do silver only.

Count about 4000EUR extra for a hirsbrunner compared to a Willson....

[eupher61]

I think Frank Gorshin used to do an impression of the 3100, but it was a CC.

[oedipoes]

Can anyone please comment on the Willson 3100 TA-4, which is the top-action 3+1 compensating BBb being played by the Amsterdam staff band of the salvation army?

Seen one for sale at an ok price, that's why.
I liked the front action, non compensating 3100 FA-5 a lot, but have not played this one.

thanks

Wim

[oedipoes]

Can anyone please comment on the Willson 3100 TA-4, which is the top-action 3+1 compensating BBb being played by the Amsterdam staff band of the salvation army?

Seen one for sale at an ok price, that's why.
I liked the front action, non compensating 3100 FA-5 a lot, but have not played this one.

thanks

Wim

Oh come on, nobody ever tried a 3100 TA-4 ?
why did willson the effort of making it then?

[cambrook]

why did willson the effort of making it then?

Just to p*ss you off, of course! In reality, there probably aren't all that many of them in existence, and they are likely to be owned by European band musicians who do not spend much time here on Tubenet.

[oedipoes]

why did willson the effort of making it then?

Just to p*ss you off, of course! In reality, there probably aren't all that many of them in existence, and they are likely to be owned by European band musicians who do not spend much time here on Tubenet.

well, willson did not p#ss me off in the frankfurt messe, that's for sure
I loved the frontaction

aren't you a willson exclusive player?

(read that somewhere on the willson site if i remember well)

wim

[oedipoes]

that's the one

[GC]

That super-long third valve tubing that actually extends below the bottom of the horn has always bothered me. It's fragile, in a dangerous place, and seems like even a mild pull of the slide could make it hit against your chair.

[oedipoes]

That super-long third valve tubing that actually extends below the bottom of the horn has always bothered me. It's fragile, in a dangerous place, and seems like even a mild pull of the slide could make it hit against your chair.

yes, I noticed that too
it's a characteristic of all 3+1 compensating horns, but this 3100 is more compactly wrapped than others, the 3rd valve tube is the same length, so it comes lower to the chair.