Question about the future of Willson tubas

[bort2.0]

Just checked their website and noticed that there's only a handful of instruments listed now (mostly Euphs)...

https://www.willsonbandinstruments.com/Instruments

Is this new limited offering a result of the Eastperson takeover?

[Mary Ann]

Eastperson

Edit: @bort2.0 you haven't quite got it right yet. There are both perSONs and perDAUGHTERs. Sheesh, dude.

[Sousaswag]

Their American website has always only listed those instruments. They do seem to have a new social media page probably ran by the Eastpeople

My guess is that the website only lists things we 'Mericans want to buy. They don't sell many BBb or rotary tubas here, so why bother marketing them? I can't imagine many of their tubas sell to average joes new, anyway, but I'm not sure.

In some posts I saw the 3200RZ and Merlin C looking nice and purdy next to the Eastman stuff at one of the shows. I'd guess you can still probably pick what you want; But I'd be interested in seeing out-the-door prices. Willson instruments need to come down in price if they want to be competitive.

Buffet never got back to me on their OTD prices for a certain C tuba that I bought (used) anyway. so I'm not convinced they'll do something like that.

I don't think anybody wants their quality or availability to go away. My thought is, if nobody's been buying them, hopefully the Eastpeople's acquisition of the company helps get them out to more people.

[the elephant]

Answering emails helps to not permanently close doors.

But what do I know?

[arpthark]

Eastperson

Willchild

[jonesbrass]

Just checked their website and noticed that there's only a handful of instruments listed now (mostly Euphs)...

https://www.willsonbandinstruments.com/Instruments

Is this new limited offering a result of the Eastperson takeover?

The main Swiss site still lists all the instruments: https://www.willson.ch/instrument/wills ... 2-454-rz-4

It will be something to see what the eastperson acquisition (?) will do for the future of the brand.

[Finetales]

They had a few Willson tubas at NAMM, alongside a couple of Willson euphs and all the Eastman/Shires stuff (including the Shires Q series euph right next to the Willson euphs). I don't think the Willson range is going anywhere, except maybe their trombones (which have never been popular).

The 2 Willson piston Ebs played great!

[bloke]

Maybe they've been Nirchilized...ie. are "sort of" still around...??

[Mary Ann]

My very first tuba was almost a small Willson F. I just remember tooting on it, found that it was playable for me as a horn player, and was going to buy it but it had already been commissioned to an ebay seller and they would not give it back to the owner. It sold on ebay for more than I would have paid, but pretty sure the owner got less than that out of it.

I played a Willson (French) horn once and did not like it at all.

[Sousaswag]

Their bass tubas are all AWESOME if they are what you're looking for- i.e. a contrabass tuba replacement with great playability and build quality. Unfortunately there aren't many around, and those that have them tend to keep them.

I think for the brass band, it's hard to beat any Willson instrument. But again, problem remains, short supply and high new price. For whatever reason they aren't too bad on the used market in terms of their pricing. On-par with the very best MW/B&S horns, often less $$$.

[YorkNumber3.0]

.

[Kirley]

They had a few Willson tubas at NAMM, alongside a couple of Willson euphs and all the Eastman/Shires stuff (including the Shires Q series euph right next to the Willson euphs). I don't think the Willson range is going anywhere, except maybe their trombones (which have never been popular).

The 2 Willson piston Ebs played great!

Agreed. I tooted around on the 2 Ebs they had there. Very nice horns but way too heavy! I could be wrong but they felt heavier than the big Eastman lap tuba that was there.

I was hoping to try the front action, compensating Eastman Eb but they didn’t bring one. Oh well.

[Rick Denney]

Willson tubas have always been heavy.

I've always wanted a Willson 2975 euphonium--front-action compensated valves. But they are too expensive for an instrument I play as rarely as that, and my beat-up old Besson pre-Sovereign does what most anyone would need.

My problem with Willson contrabass tubas, particularly the 3100 Bb, is that it's not only heavy (I'm sorta used to that) but also ungainly. In the times I've played it, I never could figure out where to put my left hand productively. They have a reputation for not providing a lot of feedback, but there's no question that they put the product out front.

The Willson piston F tubas play wonderfully, but to me they are a bit too contrabass-like. I want an F tuba to sound like an F tuba without having to work at it. The Eb is the same, but those who play the Eb aren't really thinking of it in the same way most think of an F tuba, for some reason.

Like with Hirsbrunner, they are very well constructed, taking advantage of the Swiss culture of meticulous attention to manufacturing detail.

Rick "it's tough to be competitive with first-world high-craft artisan production" Denney

[bloke]

I'd be interested in seeing Kurath offer a less-heavy euphonium, and with just a bit better intonation...

I guess 3XXX are tubas, but what about a 2999 euphonium ? (an improved instrument, to regain market share within the fancy-priced eupho's...??)

I really don't have any use for any of their tubas... just too much goofy stuff (in my view) across the board OTHER THAN that one "Marty" model E-flat (which is really nice), but I still would choose the best of the 3+1 comp E-flats over that instrument. To me, E-flat is a British thing...and British is comp...PLUS, even the mediocre comp E-flats are PDG.

bloke "People love-to-hate Meinl-Weston euphoniums (or might not even be aware of them)...which are probably only special order, anymore, but I have one that - after learning about some things which are just not-at-all like the other makes (front-side slides which are all shorter, and call for MUCH more pull for good tuning, a #3 compensating slide - back side - which was just damn WRONG - now: blokefixed, and being slightly flat-natured - now: blokefixed) they're pretty amazing, and (particularly for the things for which I tend to use a euphonium) REALLY handy, and no wonky trigger required, either.

[Ricardo]

I think Willson have a nice looking Compensating Bb tuba, that is rarely seen. Of interest to us Brass Band players might be a more readily available version of their Compensating Bb tuba, to give an alternative to the two main instruments in the market - the Besson 994 and the Yamaha Neo. Eastman were rumored to be building a compensating Bb tuba but have seen nothing of it.

[bloke]

I'm not any authority on compensating B flat tubas, but when an older B&H/Besson has good valves (I'm talking about one with a 17-in bell from maybe the 1960s or 1970s, before they started coming out with all the Sovereign and Prestige stuff that was larger, regarding the bell and probably other parts of the instrument) - to me those older ones were the best, because they played the best in tune, with probably only the really problematic pitch being the E flat in the staff being sharp.
When I play some of the newer bigger ones, they seem all wonky, tuning-wise.
Of course, a ton of the old ones with 17 inch bells now have leaky valves, so I can see people discounting those instruments and claiming they are "stuffy" or whatever.

[Ricardo]

I played on an older 17" bell Imperial/New Standard with freshly rebuilt valves, done here in Australia. Converted to USD the price would have been approximately ~ $800 USD for the valve job. The valves were nickel plated and probably the best valves I have ever played - as good as my Yamaha Neo valves. Intonation on the tuba was very good, except I would say that the second and third partials weren't perfectly aligned as I had to lip down the 2nd partial down to play the tuba in tune. The issue with the Imperial was that it couldn't play loud enough in modern brass band works. My Yamaha Neo has minor issues with intonation, its good but not as good as I would like. Keep thinking I would like to get the first slide nicely aligned and some sort of right hand thumb trigger/spring setup to push out the first valve slide.

As an aside maybe it's cheaper for people in the USA to disassemble instruments/tubas and send the valves down under for rebuilding, given our dollar is fairly weak at the moment!

[bloke]

Even though they weren't made in the United States, there's probably more of them here and there's probably more of a chance of finding one with pistons that aren't worn and casings that aren't worn in the United States, so as to not have to deal with that type of work.

[PlayTheTuba]

Hopefully Easman can allow Willson to be at all of the conferences since Willson wasn't at the Army Conference this year.

It would also be reeeeaaaaallllyyyyy cccccooooooollllllllll if Willson can bring all of the tubas that are listed on their websites or catalog. Except the terrible BBb I ranted about in a different thread, hopefully they'll never make that model again or resurrect it. The modern 6/4 or big 5/4 BBb's and CC's are fine though. Or at least the rotary tubas and the compensators... Since those never get proper representation.

[bloke]

Getzen always sent one of their top guys to conferences to represent Willson in the United States. If Getzen already knew that Eastman was going to buy it, then there would have been no motivation for them to show up at conferences this year, yes?