First impressions on my new Wessex BBb Tornister Travel tuba

[David Richoux]

I just got the horn on Friday, so this is a preliminary report.
It is much smaller than it looks in pictures, but it has a solid feel and sound. I have tried it with the included unmarked mouthpiece and my normally used Loud 7 - so far the Loud is working a bit better. The low end and mid range is quite nice, upper register is a bit harder to play in tune. Sound volume is very good - surprising for such a small bell. I had some playing time with a local NOLA style brass band yesterday and everybody was quite taken with the sound and appearance of the horn. Yes, it is a novelty, but it does work as a "real" tuba!

There is an included short leather strap (white coated on the outside) that is worn over the right shoulder and under the right arm. This results in a pretty good playing position and acceptable carry position - the bell ends up just below my left ear, so it will sound loud to me. The valve levers are in a comfortable position for the right hand and they are not small, even with my large hands. The valve action is very good - quick, smooth, and quiet. The overall build quality seems very good - solid joints, smooth bends, everything is aligned properly, etc. There are two water keys on the main tuning slide because it is looped, but there might be a need for one more key on the 4th branch slide - got a lot of water buildup there after playing outside for an hour.

I got the optional gig bag (lightly padded, but small enough to fit in most airline overhead compartments) and it is ok. There is no pocket for the mouthpiece, but there is an outside zippered pouch for music and some small accessories. Both the regular case and the gig bag had a somewhat unpleasant aroma when I opened the shipping box, but that has since dissipated.

I will continue to explore this horn over the next few months, probably figure out some simple microphone adaptor, but I think it will be very useful for rehearsals and some gigs - even without amplification. Many of the other brass players in the band were quite impressed by it - it looks like a good "doubler horn," especially at the price point.

Full disclosure - I am not employed in any way by Wessex (or anybody else,) and I bought this instrument at the listed price.

[Jose the tuba player]

Love to hear it in action!

+1
How big is it compared to a can of coke( it's easier to get a sense of scale for me )
The main question is , is it worth 2k ?
I was offered a Chinese tuba at namm for 350 so I wonder how much it costs to produce each one of these?

[David Richoux]

Love to hear it in action!

+1
How big is it compared to a can of coke( it's easier to get a sense of scale for me )
The main question is , is it worth 2k ?
I was offered a Chinese tuba at namm for 350 so I wonder how much it costs to produce each one of these?

(Edit after looking up the size of a case of Coke) - about as big as a 24 pack. (and nowhere near as heavy.)
Roughly 6" thick, 12" wide, 18" long - except for the bell that adds 2" to the length and another 4 inches to the width at that end.

I will have to get back to you on the value - see if it works out for rehearsals and small hall gigs with and without amplification.

If it was much over $2K I might have hesitated before ordering ( I did take the "early-bird special" initial offering.) I have wanted a Tornister since I first saw one in a museum - this seemed to be a reasonable price to me.
This is certainly no $350 crap horn - looks and feels like a good quality European or Japanese horn to me. Maybe not "Highest Quality," but I actually have little experience playing (or even holding) super high end instruments. I don't go to the trade shows to play with the expensive ones - that is not really my area of interest.

[Tubacube]

Great info Dave!
Mine is coming the next shipment with the Rose Brass bell!

[David Richoux]

What!? No Horn-dorn?

It looks just like the pictures you have seen already. Reddish lead pipe, the rest in yellowish brass - nice lacquer job.

[Pat S]

Mine has arrived as well. Build quality is as noted, and it feels like quite a solid horn. Mine's running sharp, but Andy and Jonathan are working with me on a fix... perhaps a longer main tuning slide. We're going to start with a sousaphone bit and see where that goes. It sounds a bit "bass tromboney" to me in my small music room, but it sounded much better in a larger room. There's a learning curve with it, so video demos will have to wait, but it's a lot of fun and I'm looking forward to getting to know it.

[David Richoux]

I just went through a tuning check as well - using the Loud 7 mouthpiece which fits pretty well into the receiver, mine is very close in the middle octaves, slightly to somewhat flat in the upper and lower ranges. Lipping up is not easy, it wants to break to the next note up. For quick passages it is hard to tell if it is off, I will have to wait until after my Thursday night gig to see how it does in the "real world, indoors" situation.

I checked the tuner (Cleartune on iOS7) by playing my Kalison DS BBb with the same mouthpiece - it was so right on pitch it was scary!

[Wyvern]

There is no pocket for the mouthpiece.

There will be pocket added from next batch of bags

I was offered a Chinese tuba at namm for 350 so I wonder how much it costs to produce each one of these?

A lot more - I can say with complete honesty!

Glad to hear the valves are good. I was disappointed in the valve quality of the one wessex rotary horn I tried, but maybe they have improved since then

It is from different factory. We don't use that factory any more

The Mighty Midget will be at the US Army conference for anyone attending to try

[opus37]

What about back pressure? One quirk of these small tubas is they are not very free blowing. (Good exercise while practicing because it forces you to work on you breathing.) How is moisture control? Typically, you have to remember to empty these horns at all possible opportunities. Not a big deal, but it is different. What has been your experience?

[Pat S]

Back pressure is no more an issue than playing my Besson euph, and I'm playing with a big, open mouthpiece (for me, at least). Back pressure WAS an issue with the Bubbie Eb, but the Mighty Midget has a much larger bore. I've not had a problem with moisture control, any more than I have with my euph. It will start to "bubble" earlier than my contrabass tuba, but I'm a "frequent emptier" anyway.

[Wyvern]

How big is it compared to a can of coke (it's easier to get a sense of scale for me)

Here is picture with coke can to show scale.


Disclaimer: do not try to stand your Midget on bell as in this picture - it is not safe stood that way

[Jose the tuba player]

How big is it compared to a can of coke (it's easier to get a sense of scale for me)

Here is picture with coke can to show scale.


Disclaimer: do not try to stand your Midget on bell as in this picture - it is not safe stood that way

Thanks that helps

[solomon]

received mine a week ago. had to get used to it(back pressure wise, normally I play a king sousaphone) "D" in staff is a little flat but okay with alternate fingering.( talked to jon gross , the same with his horn) but actually the overall intonation is surprisingly good. Tried it with the bloke imperial and solo #2 but so far I´m playing it with the Mk12 , works pretty well for me, and actually I like the sound ( playing trad jazz ). But you have to play "relaxed", can´t fight it.

[trnewcomb]

Cool! Thanks for the review, Dave. I've been looking at some of the Wessex horns - mostly the contrabass trombones, but also checked out that travel tuba. How's the sound and the projection? I was wondering if the output is truly 'tubalike' on such a small horn. I'm particularly interested to hear how it blended with the other brass - especially the trombones, since Pat S (I think) said it sounded more 'bass trombone-like'. Also, how's the playing position for those outdoor, standing or marching gigs? it looks like it would be similar to playing a euphonium and not much of a burden - did you have any trouble holding it for long periods?

[David Richoux]

Cool! Thanks for the review, Dave. I've been looking at some of the Wessex horns - mostly the contrabass trombones, but also checked out that travel tuba. How's the sound and the projection? I was wondering if the output is truly 'tubalike' on such a small horn. I'm particularly interested to hear how it blended with the other brass - especially the trombones, since Pat S (I think) said it sounded more 'bass trombone-like'. Also, how's the playing position for those outdoor, standing or marching gigs? it looks like it would be similar to playing a euphonium and not much of a burden - did you have an trouble holding it for long periods?

I would say the sound is not the same quality as a 3/4 or 4/4 regular tuba, it is a bit rougher, but I'm still experimenting with mouthpieces that might change that. I have not played much bass trombone lately so I am not sure if the sound quality is similar. I played some melody parts on some songs, I thought it blended pretty well with the tenor & Bari saxes and trombones.

It was easy to carry and hold in playing position while standing and walking, but there is a major blind spot blocking my feet from view, so I stopped playing when on stairs and curbs ( it was dusk and on some rough San Francisco sidewalks so I was being extra cautious.) I did that street playing for about an hour with no big problem, using the strap. It is a different holding position compared with the euphonium - the left hand ends up under the bottom bow ( close to the water keys.)

There is a lyre mounting socket but no lyre was included. I guess some experimentation with that will be needed, if the need arises.

More later!

[Pat S]

I agree that it's a slightly harsher sound than on my bigger horns, but some of that may be due to the fact that I hear sound at my ear level, rather than appreciate the resonance of the horn with the bell well above the level of my ears. Andy's shipping a sousaphone bit to me to use in an effort to correct the sharp intonation on my particular horn, so I'll have more to say on that matter in a short time. I'm not sure how I feel about the strap just yet... I'm still messing with it to get an ideal standing playing position. When seated I hold it from below, as described above. The darned bottom strap loop does tend to poke me right in the bellybutton, which is a bit annoying!

[Jose the tuba player]

I agree that it's a slightly harsher sound than on my bigger horns, but some of that may be due to the fact that I hear sound at my ear level, rather than appreciate the resonance of the horn with the bell well above the level of my ears. Andy's shipping a sousaphone bit to me to use in an effort to correct the sharp intonation on my particular horn, so I'll have more to say on that matter in a short time. I'm not sure how I feel about the strap just yet... I'm still messing with it to get an ideal standing playing position. When seated I hold it from below, as described above. The darned bottom strap loop does tend to poke me right in the bellybutton, which is a bit annoying!

Maybe they should make them with detachable bells ,one bell like a baritone horn with that angle and the upright.

[Wyvern]

We have thought of making with detachable forward facing bell, but that will make the tuba larger and not so useful as a travel tuba.

Actually using a sousaphone bit works very well enabling to point forwards and away from ear. I used one so fitted carol playing at Christmas, partly to move the lyre further away to aid reading the music.

Regarding how the small tuba sounds, I can tell you true story. We were exhibiting at the Mineworkers contest in UK a couple weeks ago. I went out to the car to get something and when I came back into the big hall I could hear the distinctive sound of a tuba being played, but could not see. When I turned the corner I could see someone trying the Mighty Midget. I really had no idea it was the small tuba until I saw.

After 6 months playing one myself, I think the secret to make it sound tuba like is not to push it too far. If you overblow, like any small tuba it will blat and sound trombone like. But if you think big with slow air flow and back off as soon as the sound starts sounding edgy, then you get true tuba sound. Like anything new, it is a matter of getting used to how to handle and approach.

BTW I just heard from one buyer who is going to play his Mighty Midget as BBb Bass at the National Brass Band Championships in UK this year.

[Jose the tuba player]

We have thought of making with detachable forward facing bell, but that will make the tuba larger and not so useful as a travel tuba.

why not make a forward bell with a detachable flare?
maybe then it'd be easier to compact?

[David Richoux]

I took the Tornister to my jazz band's monthly gig and used it on a couple of songs. No amplification, in a 50ish seat restaurant with a high sloping roof. The other guys in the band barely noticed the difference and I could see only a few people in the audience reacting to the change. I got some questions about the horn afterwards.

From that I can maybe assume it sounds more "tuba-like" to those who are not 6 inches from the bell