Name: Wessex Tubas Ltd
Address: 2 Viscount Court, South Way, Walworth Business Park, Andover, Hampshire
Rating: 3.87

“Have had the silver/copper model for around 9 months now. Ordering was interesting, the website would say it was out of stock, I put my email down to be notified for when it was back in stock. A few days later I checked again and it was back in stock but I had not gotten an email. A few days later it was out of stock again, so I emailed Wessex to reserve one on the next shipment, which they kindly facilitated. After waiting around a month the delivery date was pushed back two weeks. Having waited these extra weeks, I was then called by the Wessex warehouse only to be informed that my euphonium had been destroyed in shipping. They did not have another silver/copper model available so they offered me a gold lacquered version which I declined, and was told I would have to wait several months until another silver/copper model came on the next shipment. The next day, I got a notification saying my order was out for delivery. A few days later I received exactly what I had ordered - with no damage - so I'm not too sure what happened there but I was glad I didn't have to wait even longer. The euphonium arrived and was left outside my front door, despite me changing the delivery settings with the courier for it to be left with a neighbour, which was slightly frustrating though I realize this is most likely an issue with the courier not Wessex themselves. The euphonium arrived nicely packaged, included was a Wessex pencil, cap, valve oil, cleaning cloth, and replacement springs, corks and valve guided ina handy little pouch. The case included is decent, nicely lined with an extremely soft red fabric, and has shoulder straps which can be detached and zipped away ina separate compartment which is handy. The case also has a pocket on the outer front with a lockable clasp which is neat. However, it is a shame the case is not a full hard case, I would prefer the option to have a hard case with wheels alongside the shoulder straps and carrying handles, especially considering how some of Wessex's cheaper euphoniums come with hard cases. I prefer the clasps from my old euphonium case over the zip on this one, especially considering how it can occasionally get caught on the inner lining of the case. Now, onto the euphonium itself. It's stunning to look at. The silver and copper complement each other beautifully. I am constantly getting comments from people on its appearance. It has a far superior sound to the student euphonium I was previously using, it has a full and bright tone. The included mouthpiece, is decent, but can be quite tiring after a couple hours of playing, will definitely be looking at upgrading from it soon. The valves were a little sluggish to start but with plenty of playing and a bit of oil they are fine now, decently smooth and quick. One minor annoyance is a screw or something somewhere appears to be loose my euphonium as I will occasionally here a slight vibrating sound, as if a screw has not been fully tightened, though I can't seem to find the source, though I'm sure if I took ten minutes to look properly this could easily be fixed. A further issue is that all of the spot valves were fitted with a black rubber cap on the trigger, though these were very loosely fitted, and I have already lost two of the three. Another mildly annoying point is that the palm rest is fairly uncomfortable for me, with my thumb feeling quite squished, though this issue is likely due to my way of holding the euphonium so might not be a problem for others. Moreover, the sinfonico does not have a lyre box, whilst this is not a necessary feature for me, it is definitely something to bear in mind. Now, my biggest problem with this model, the main reason I am giving it three not four stars, is the main spit valve. On my model, the spit valve is positioned with the trigger end of the lever closer to your body. This means that due to how I hold it, whenever I play, it presses against my body and opens. Not only does this constantly drench me in spit, but also momentarily kills the sound quality. This means whenever I am playing I have to take extra care as to how I am positioning the euphonium, instead of focusing on the music. This is made more annoying by the fact that it is a simple fix, just reverse the lever so the trigger end faces away from you! What is even more frustrating is the fact that Wessex appear to have done this on the fortissimo version of the sinfonico, hopefully they have changed it on newer base sinfonico models too. Though, that brings me on to another point of irritation. The sinfonico-fortissimo was released a few months after I had received my base sinfonico, which was slightly annoying given there was no indication of its release (that I had seen) unlike the dolce fortissimo which was teased on Wessex's YouTube channel. Though, the most annoying thing about the sinfonico-fortissimo is that (at the time of writing) is part of Wessex's summer sale, which makes it over £200 cheaper than the base sinfonico!!! I know this has been a fairly negative review, but I do thoroughly enjoy playing the sinfonico. It is by far the best euphonium I have owned to date, and I would definitely recommend that others consider it, though I would advise you to wait for a sale!!”

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Posted 1 year ago

“Looks wonderful. Third valve top thread is hopeless- almost impossible not to cross thread it so can’t risk unscrewing it to oil the valve. Intonation is disappointing. Flat across almost all notes. Clearly the lack of compensating system means that use of the fourth valve in the low register gets sharper and sharper. Normally that’s ok, because you’d extend the tuning slide - absolutely the norm for all non- compensating tubas. But the slide isn’t accessible nor is it very mobile.”

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Posted 1 year ago

“Had all 3 valves rotated and the valve caps were loose with the first valve coming off after taking the instrument out. After some work trumpet works fine but the valve caps are still loose.”

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Posted 2 years ago

“This is a decent instrument, the only treal issues are with the intonation. It's only just in tune with the main tuning slide all the way in, so maybe the slide could just be shorter & then you could pull it out if necessary. But the most problematic area is the 4th partial, particularly the D (concert C) which is very flat, around 30 cents, unless you use a small mouthpiece such a 12C, not the one supplied which is much larger. Even with a small mouthpiece the D tends to be slightly flat but can be lipped up more easily. I would have liked to give the instrument 4 stars, but I do find this intonation issue a bit limiting, hence the 3 stars”

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Posted 2 years ago

“It seems like everything is always back ordered. Not sure if Wessex keeps any stock at the Chicago location for shipment in the US as both this case(210) and the Luzern tuba,(nice tuba btw but the 4th value tends to be a bit sticky and have to keep it well lubricated) I previously ordered took months to arrive.”

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Posted 3 years ago

“Wessex quality really does seem to be a notch above other Chinese horns. The Festivo euphonium I received is stunningly beautiful and sounds incredible. Pity it’s not the finish I ordered, and they still haven’t figured out valve cap threads. Also they do not respond to emails.”

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Posted 3 years ago

“good thank you”

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Posted 3 years ago

“The craftmanship on the finish of my new double horn is outstanding. However, I am having a lot of trouble getting the horn to play up to pitch on concert F using Trigger (3rd space C). It is around 40 cents flat with the main tuning slide all the way in. When trying to lip it up...it is on the very top of the partial and makes it very difficult to get a good sound. I even tried the Wessex stock mouthpiece and it made no difference. The tone is excellent....but the intonation tendencies are problematic. I am hoping a solution comes soon because I do not want to return the horn.”

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Posted 3 years ago

“The instrument was of great quality. The only issue was that the third valve was extremely stiff to the point of needing to take it apart to fix.”

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Posted 3 years ago

“Hello! It is quite lovely, a very nice display case. We aren't sure what to do with the flat oval metal piece. The trombone has an air leak, which is unfortunate. We plan to have our experienced horn repair person evaluate the specifics. Please let us know if you have any suggestions. Thank you, The above message received a reply but for some reason a message was not able to be sent to you. The flat metal piece is not a part of the trombone but rather looks like logo/sticker of sorts. The instrument likely needs to be replaced as it does not play effectively with the air leak, please send information on method of having it replaced. Thank you, Monica Mulholland”

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Posted 3 years ago

“I purchased the Chief mouthpiece as a backup in case of an accidental drop occuring to my original mouthpiece. I'm not impressed with the silver plating on the mouthpiece. The brass is showing through the silver. A second silver plating would have perhaps been sufficient. I feel the quality control of manufacturing in the Chinese plant needs attention.”

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Posted 4 years ago

“The instrument was well made And had a nice case. It would have been good value, but: I could not get the notes to sound clearly. I am used to the French Horn embouchour. I checked for mechanical problems and for water blockage, but could find nothing wrong.”

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Posted 5 years ago

“Several issues not expected on your "flagship" euphonium model. 1) No 4th valve lock down to keep from bending valve stem when storing in case. I ordered one from Willson which Matt Walters at Dillon Music will install when it arrives. 2) Interchangeable Mouthpiece shank size receiver inserts good idea, but should be tested in the instrument before shipping. I changed out the large shank with the medium shank (Euro shank) insert supplied and could not get the Euro one back out. The innermost diameter of the insert was too large and when threaded in to place caused it to get stuck. (Was not cross-threaded) Used a towel to cover the jaws of a vice grip pliers to unscrew and remove the insert and have reinstalled the large shank receiver which I am using now. 3) Water / condensation leakage which I originally thought was from not having a moisture trap on valve bottoms was actually from the main tuning slide water key. The spring on the water key may be too weak to keep from opening when horn is up against your body. Will replace spring with stronger one to see if that fixes the problem. Instrument is enjoyable to play and I am still evaluating the intonation. I wanted to compare to my Willson 2900s which is why I tried to use the Euro receiver. I shared these issues with James Garney who has ordered a replacement euro shank receiver for me. These appear to be QC issues to me which after owning one of your Dolce' models (which has a lot of nice features) in the past I did not expect to experience on a "hand made" model. The above are the reasons for the 3 rating.”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

“The tuba arrived in good condition due to being careful ly packed. The overall craftsmanship of the tuba is impressive. The valve action is smooth and lightning fast. I am having a hard time trying to hold the tuba comfortably while getting the mouthpiece in the proper position. I have been trying to tune the various notes to proper pitch with a tuner and I’m having difficulty getting it setup. I realize that because of all the sharp bends to make it small it will sacrifice clarity somewhat but I’m trying to practice with it alot as to help the sound. One other thing is that the bottom tuning slide needs to be pulled out below the bottom of the tuba to be in closer tune and constantly is pushed up while you are playing. I could use some advice to remedy these issues because I really like the tuba and being able to more comfortably play it and in tune would really help. Thanks”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

“The tuba arrived in good condition due to being careful ly packed. The overall craftsmanship of the tuba is impressive. The valve action is smooth and lightning fast. I am having a hard time trying to hold the tuba comfortably while getting the mouthpiece in the proper position. I have been trying to tune the various notes to proper pitch with a tuner and I’m having difficulty getting it setup. I realize that because of all the sharp bends to make it small it will sacrifice clarity somewhat but I’m trying to practice with it alot as to help the sound. One other thing is that the bottom tuning slide needs to be pulled out below the bottom of the tuba to be in closer tune and constantly is pushed up while you are playing. I could use some advice to remedy these issues because I really like the tuba and being able to more comfortably play it and in tune would really help. Thanks”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

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