Where to play a Wessex before buying?

mrdido98 · Post by **mrdido98** » Mon Mar 11, 2019 7:11 pm

I'm currently eying the Wessex Luzern as a replacement for my King 2341 and was wondering where I could play one before buying. I know they have a location in Chicago but I'd rather not have to fly out to play a tuba unless I have to. Does anyone know if there are any conferences in the Northeast that Wessex would be at with some tubas to demo?

The Big Ben · Post by **The Big Ben** » Mon Mar 11, 2019 8:06 pm

mrdido98 wrote:I'm currently eying the Wessex Luzern as a replacement for my King 2341 and was wondering where I could play one before buying. I know they have a location in Chicago but I'd rather not have to fly out to play a tuba unless I have to. Does anyone know if there are any conferences in the Northeast that Wessex would be at with some tubas to demo?

Jonathan checks in here frequently. More directly, you can contact them through a contact link on their website:

http://www.wessex-tubas.com" target="_blank

Tubaru · Post by **Tubaru** » Mon Mar 11, 2019 10:13 pm

I tried contacting Jonathan through the website several weeks ago to ask the same question but I never heard back. I wouldn’t get my hopes up that he will respond to an email.

groth · Post by **groth** » Tue Mar 12, 2019 1:12 am

mrdido98 wrote:I'm currently eying the Wessex Luzern as a replacement for my King 2341 and was wondering where I could play one before buying. I know they have a location in Chicago but I'd rather not have to fly out to play a tuba unless I have to. Does anyone know if there are any conferences in the Northeast that Wessex would be at with some tubas to demo?

Why would you replace the King? It's American made and a classic (and probably plays better). Either way are you looking to sell it?

mrdido98 · Post by **mrdido98** » Tue Mar 12, 2019 10:09 am

I’ve never been much of a fan of piston valves, having grown up playing a rotary tuba. I love the sound of the King but I don’t love how it feels and would rather play a rotary tuba. I am indeed looking to sell it, if I get a chance to play a Wessex and deem it a better fit for me.

Awegner2 · Post by **Awegner2** » Tue Mar 12, 2019 10:31 am

Reach out to Steve Marcus. He's a customer service rep. He was able to get me on my Chicago York up at their warehouse in Michigan. As far as I know, they're in the process of relocating to the NW suburbs of Chicago. It was amazing how much inventory they had there. I tried out several horns (no Luzern though).

Liberty Mo · Post by **Liberty Mo** » Tue Mar 12, 2019 10:38 am

It may be distinct to me, but I had a really bad experience trying to purchase a tuba with Wessex in the last 2 months. It was entirely due to unresponsive communication on their part that prevented a sale. I was able to try their horns at TMEA, but could not get their representatives to respond to facilitate the purchase of one. The sale of these horns was not a priority. After 3 failed attempts, I saw this an an indicator of possible future dealings if there were problems later on, so I walked. It’s unfortunate, because I really liked the product.

Again, probably just my unique experience. When paying $6-10k for a tuba, I’ve learned that mail ordering is not for me.

bort · Post by **bort** » Tue Mar 12, 2019 10:48 am

Awegner2 wrote:Reach out to Steve Marcus. He's a customer service rep. He was able to get me on my Chicago York up at their warehouse in Michigan. As far as I know, they're in the process of relocating to the NW suburbs of Chicago. It was amazing how much inventory they had there. I tried out several horns (no Luzern though).

NW suburbs? I didn't know that. I thought they were going to be in the shadow of O'Hare.

Ltrain · Post by **Ltrain** » Tue Mar 12, 2019 3:14 pm

Where are you located?

I'm in NYC and I'll have a brand new Viverna in another week or 2 that you can try.

My section mate has the same model JinBao that the Luzern is built from, just with a different stencil (Dillon, I think).

Three Valves · Post by **Three Valves** » Tue Mar 12, 2019 6:33 pm

The Wessex Roadshow is in Poland this week...

Wyvern · Post by **Wyvern** » Wed Mar 13, 2019 3:24 am

I apologise to Liberty Mo and anyone else that has not received a speedy response from Wessex. The fact is that the company is growing so quickly (more than 100% growth in the last year) that sometimes the internal structure does not keep up with the growing requirements. We are working to improve things and I hope in the next month once the Chicago showroom is open (preparations have taken a lot of Steve Marcus time of recent) we will be able to provide the service that we want to provide and customers rightly expect.

For visiting to try the Luzern in the NYC area. I am pleased to say that Michael Parker (Parker mouthpieces) is now acting as Wessex agent in that part of the states. OP please contact Michael to arrange visit to try the Luzern tuba.

I do like to be hands-on (Wessex Tubas is a passion of mine and not just a business), but my extensive travelling means I am not always the best person to contact for a speedy response. As said above I am currently in Poland. Therefore please email Sales@Wessex-Tubas.com" target="_blank. Multiple people are monitoring that email address, so that will be the best means of contact.

Chuck W · Post by **Chuck W** » Wed Mar 13, 2019 10:19 am

I can attest to the fact the Sales@ address does generate quick responses and even better quick action.

Liberty Mo · Post by **Liberty Mo** » Wed Mar 13, 2019 11:47 am

I would be remiss if I did not mention that several folks from Wessex have reached out to me personally since my post here and apologized. They didn’t make excuses, but rather gave a sincere response. I have no doubt that starting a global production and distribution venture is challenging. They have a good product, and hopefully can get some logistics worked out.

tubabike · Post by **tubabike** » Wed Mar 13, 2019 11:58 am

Hello All-

Yes as Jonathan mentioned I will be hosting a small number of Wessex instruments out of my home in Bloomsburg, PA. Bloomsburg is about 2.5 hours from New York City, 4 hours from Pittsburgh and DC, 3 hours from Baltimore, and just under 2 hours from Philadelphia. Bloomsburg is also home to Parker Mouthpieces and two craft beer restaraunts... Just saying... (one stop shop for some of us).

I will have the Dolce and Luzern soon along with the Chicago Presence, Bombino Eb, Helicon BBb, and the Cimbasso in F.

Feel free to DM me should you want to schedule a visit to Wessex in Bloomsburg.

Cheers!

Three Valves · Post by **Three Valves** » Wed Mar 13, 2019 5:20 pm

How about a place to stay before driving home the next morning??

Wyvern · Post by **Wyvern** » Thu Mar 14, 2019 1:57 am

Three Valves wrote:How about a place to stay before driving home the next morning??

Visiting where? Chicago showroom

Three Valves · Post by **Three Valves** » Thu Mar 14, 2019 7:36 am

Bloomsburg, PA!!

Wyvern · Post by **Wyvern** » Thu Mar 14, 2019 5:11 pm

Three Valves wrote:Bloomsburg, PA!!

Stay at the Inn at Turkey Hill. I have stayed there a couple times and can recommend
https://www.innatturkeyhill.com/

Three Valves · Post by **Three Valves** » Thu Mar 14, 2019 8:03 pm

WOW!! I wasn’t expecting posh. I was expecting something more blokePlace-esque!!

The Big Ben · Post by **The Big Ben** » Fri Mar 15, 2019 12:38 pm

Three Valves wrote:WOW!! I wasn’t expecting posh. I was expecting something more blokePlace-esque!!

Well, there's always your car and a couple of ratty blankets.

TubeNet

Where to play a Wessex before buying?

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