Willson 3050 FA-5 5/4 CC Tuba Thoughts/Opinions/Review

[emena02]

Hello all,

Just recently bought a horn like this. Has a few upgrades, but would still like to hear what y'all have to say about this horn.

Thanks!

[Tom Gregory]

I've had mine for 21 years. In that time it's proven itself to have a beautiful sound, great pitch, awesome valves and a cool look. I really like the projection and the ability to cleanly articulate. People criticize the 3050 for being heavy and an air hog. I've never experienced those things. I think these tubas are way underated and that's ok. That just means you won't have to lose your shirt to have a great horn.

[bort]

Here is my completely biased opinion.

I have the rotary version of your tuba. I've had it for about 9 months now -- I think it's fantastic, and I agree with everything that Tom said.

The common complaint about the 3050 piston tuba is that it provides little feedback to the player, unlike most other tubas. The result is that as a player, it doesn't immediately feel like you're getting anywhere when you're playing the tuba. But, that phenomenon is only under the bell. Out front (where it matters), it projects like mad, and sounds great. I think it just takes a little getting used to, and when people play-test these, it's not what they're used to, therefore is "just okay." By contrast, some tubas out there sound just gorgeous underneath the bell, but fail to project very well. Don't be selfish. Give your sound to the audience.

One other thing to add -- Willson tubas are extremely well-made. I've owned more than a few tubas, and this is top of the list for build quality (I wouldn't expect any less from the Swiss). Also, my tuba is 16 years old, was used professionally until shortly before I got it, and it shows VERY little wear.

I'd recommend getting your tuba insured, since it's a high-end item that will be exposed to a lot of risk. When you do this, you will probably be shocked at the price of a brand new Willson. I think my tuba (silver and rotary) was quoted at just under $19k. So, think of this tuba in terms of other similarly-priced instruments, and think about the deal you got by buying used.

No tuba is perfect, but I think the 3050 is really really good. I don't know why they became unpopular (there are lots more options now?), but this tuba has never changed from being an excellent instrument. I may consider selling mine eventually, but ONLY because as a 5/4 tuba, it's more than I need. It'll be a hard decision, and if Willson made a 4/4 rotary tuba, I'd buy that in a second.

[emena02]

Thanks Tom! Thanks Bort!

I got the horn early this morning and I think it's stunning. I was playing on my professor's old Kurath, liked it, but there were a few things I thought my Miraphone 1291 was doing better (that was kind of due to the condition of the Kurath - still fantastic though!).

I completely agree with all you guys have said! Feed back isn't great, but articulation and projection is! I also believe a lot of the mods have helped significantly in how it plays! Most notably in the low range, and in the focus and response of sound when playing in any dynamic - especially when playing incredibly soft! Intonation isn't the best, but man, the lovely sound I get, IMO, is amazing and compensates for all the little quirks it has!

[bort]

Well, every tuba will have its quirks, that's for sure.

A few other thoughts:
-- You JUST got it, so naturally, it'll take a while for you to learn the horn and how to make maximize its potential. I always think that testing a tuba is just to decide if you're going to bring it home. It takes a few months to decide if you want to keep it.
-- What mouthpiece are you using? I wouldn't suggest changing mouthpieces right away, but you should make sure you have the correct shank size for the horn, and also a fairly compatible mouthpiece. To me, the Willson isn't too fussy with mouthpieces, but maybe the piston version is different from the rotor version.
-- In terms of intonation quirks... I'm not the kind of guy who knows which partial is how much flat or sharp, or anything overly specific like that. I'll just say that the Willson probably has a similar amount of quirks as other horns, just possibly on different notes. My tuba is nearly point-and-shoot, and in general, I don't think Willsons are really known for their need for slide pulling.

Congrats on the new tuba -- Ryak Fisk's old horn?

[emena02]

Yeah, you're right!
So far, I feel fairly comfortable, but still no where close to %100.

For mouthpieces, I've been experimenting this past semester; mainly going back and forth with PT and Denis Wick. I'm more of a feel type of guy, so I tried out the Alan Baer MMVI (just to see how it felt) and thought it was the best match for my face and horn (as of now).

It may all just be the honeymoon phase, but I really it. I already do a few things better with it and it shows me where I really need to focus on in my playing!

[emena02]

Yes, it was Ryan Fisk's!