Preorder: Eb tornister tuba/travel tuba ‘Bohème’ - TE165 Reviews

4 Rating 1 Reviews

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Phone:

(0)7555 135212

Email:

dolce@wessex-tubas.com

Location:

2 Viscount Court,
South Way, Walworth Business Park,
Andover
Hampshire
SP10 5NW

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David Nicolette

Verified Reviewer

“I bought this instrument to play in a brass quintet. I wanted an Eb or F with a good sound and a modest price. The small bell means it doesn't produce the rich tone of a full-sized instrument, but it fits well in the usual range of brass quintet 5th parts, occasionally extending from D1 to G4. My understanding is the compact design is based on a pre-WW I model for Austro-Hungarian military bands, before the advent of motorized transport. Instruments had to fit into backpacks. This one certainly does. I expected some stuffiness due to the tight wrap, but it actually blows freely and is easy to play. To minimize weight and size, it lacks the features full-sized tubas have to compensate for sharpness in the low register. As a result, I find I must use fingerings for the next-lower notes for G1, Gb1, and F1, which means there's no way to get a clean low E1. I suspect that's not an issue for pre-WW I Austro-Hungarian military repertoire. That's a minor negative, but an expected trade-off for small size and low weight. The valves work very well and there's very little valve noise in fast passages. Very nice feel. The quality of manufacture is excellent and this is a great addition to Wessex's line. The case is a perfect fit, and the free hat is cool. My main complaint is the difficulty of releasing water. There's one water key and it's positioned well to release most of the water. But there's a second accumulation somewhere, and the only way I found so far to release it is to turn the instrument around as french horn players do, and pull the 4th valve slide with the instrument held upside-down. There may be a more convenient way, but I haven't discovered it. Because the tubing is so close together, there's no obvious place for a second water key, as far as I can see. Delivery was quick and efficient and I was always informed of the instrument's location during transit.”

1 Helpful Report

Posted 1 month ago