Page 1 of 1
Wessex Linz and Berg
Posted: Fri Jan 22, 2021 10:15 am
by Mcordon1
Both horns have great reviews(but Berg has MORE reviews, it came first)
On a Facebook post, the Wessex founder said "the Linz is based on the Berg, but with a smaller 15" bell""
But, on their website, both are listed with the same specs, bore and 15" bells. Seems like an older version of the Berg had a bigger bell flare.
Berg is 5 valves right hand, Linz has 6 valves, 4R + 2L
They both look like the same horn. Just one has six valves and the other 5.
Any thoughts/opinions? TYIA
Re: Wessex Linz and Berg
Posted: Fri Jan 22, 2021 10:43 am
by Doc
I have tried both of them a couple times, and I thought they were good F tubas. The Linz' bell seemed a tad smaller/different (maybe previous incarnations of the Berg had a larger bell?), and I liked the Linz better overall than the Berg (Linz' intonation was easier, more singing sound, 4+2 is a personal fave). But if someone gave me a Berg, I'd play the heck out of it. Intonation was pretty good on both, both responded as an F tuba should, and both made a good sound. IIRC, the Linz has hand-made sheet-brass bows and bell, whereas the Berg does not. Maybe that has changed also...
Re: Wessex Linz and Berg
Posted: Fri Jan 22, 2021 11:05 am
by tclements
I had a Linz here for almost a year and played it at every opportunity. It was as 'plug and play' as any F tuba I have ever played. I'd still have it if a dear friend didn't need a good F tuba. For more info, PM me. Thanks!
Re: Wessex Linz and Berg
Posted: Sat Jan 23, 2021 12:11 am
by JeffT96
tclements wrote: ↑Fri Jan 22, 2021 11:05 am
I had a Linz here for almost a year and played it at every opportunity. It was as 'plug and play' as any F tuba I have ever played. I'd still have it if a dear friend didn't need a good F tuba. For more info, PM me. Thanks!
Does the Linz have the Wessex Z valves (last I checked the website it didn’t specify)? If so what is your impression of those? I have a (non Wessex) Jin Bao 410 and it’s a pretty great tuba except for the valves. I’ve been hesitant to consider the Wessex rotary tubas for that reason.
Re: Wessex Linz and Berg
Posted: Sat Jan 23, 2021 2:24 am
by Wu299
I tried Linz for a minute or two and heard a colleague try it, too. It felt really playable and had solid (although not really perfect) intonation.
I didn't like the valves at all. They felt like the ones I had on the school-owned Strauss – somewhat sticky and slow, and kind of unpredictable, which is exactly what I didn't want my tuba to have. First thing I had to do after unpacking the Strauss was take apart the third valve, clean it, and hope it will not be so sticky – it got stuck half the time. Not what I would expect from a play-tested tuba.The build quality and refinement also was lacking, I had a couple of braces on the tuba where you could cut yourself on the little ring in the middle. Interestingly, my colleague owned a Strauss as well and his tuba was COMPLETELY different than the one I played – e.g. the valves were fast and loud, as opposed to the ones on the tuba I played, which were slower but silent.
Linz felt like a really nice tuba with poor valves and I do wish Jonathan used the German valves he uses on some of the more expensive tubas (at least as an option). Had my Willson not come up by the time I was in the market for an F, I would consider the Linz. But playing side-by-side a German- (or Swiss-) made tuba and Chinese-made tuba, well... I would choose German/Swiss pretty much every time, as it just feels more solid. Chinese tubas are not bad in my experience, but I'm just not sure how much I can trust them in the long run. After a year with my 20-year old Willson, I have not had a single problem that was unexpected (ergonomics aside).
That all being said, when first trying the Linz, I was impressed by the playability for the price. I just wish the valves were better.
Re: Wessex Linz and Berg
Posted: Sat Jan 23, 2021 11:23 am
by tclements
@Jefft96. I am sorry, but I have no idea what valves were on my sample. Honestly, I don't care. For me, I ask these questions:
1 - Does the instrument make the sound I like
2 - Is the pitch workable (NO tuba plays perfectly in tune)
3 - Playability. Do I have to screw with it, or can I just play the darned thing.
4 - Mechanics - does everything work right.
On the Linz (for me) 1 - 4 are yep, yep, just play it, and yep.
SOLD!
Good luck on your search.
Re: Wessex Linz and Berg
Posted: Sat Jan 23, 2021 10:51 pm
by JeffT96
tclements wrote: ↑Sat Jan 23, 2021 11:23 am
@Jefft96. I am sorry, but I have no idea what valves were on my sample. Honestly, I don't care. For me, I ask these questions:
1 - Does the instrument make the sound I like
2 - Is the pitch workable (NO tuba plays perfectly in tune)
3 - Playability. Do I have to screw with it, or can I just play the darned thing.
4 - Mechanics - does everything work right.
On the Linz (for me) 1 - 4 are yep, yep, just play it, and yep.
SOLD!
Good luck on your search.
Understood. Thanks for taking the time. Maybe I’ll get to try one for myself one day.
Re: Wessex Linz and Berg
Posted: Sat Jan 23, 2021 11:02 pm
by JeffT96
Wu299 wrote: ↑Sat Jan 23, 2021 2:24 am
I tried Linz for a minute or two and heard a colleague try it, too. It felt really playable and had solid (although not really perfect) intonation.
I didn't like the valves at all. They felt like the ones I had on the school-owned Strauss – somewhat sticky and slow, and kind of unpredictable, which is exactly what I didn't want my tuba to have.
First thing I had to do after unpacking the Strauss was take apart the third valve, clean it, and hope it will not be so sticky – it got stuck half the time. Not what I would expect from a play-tested tuba.The build quality and refinement also was lacking, I had a couple of braces on the tuba where you could cut yourself on the little ring in the middle. Interestingly, my colleague owned a Strauss as well and his tuba was COMPLETELY different than the one I played – e.g. the valves were fast and loud, as opposed to the ones on the tuba I played, which were slower but silent.
Linz felt like a really nice tuba with poor valves and I do wish Jonathan used the German valves he uses on some of the more expensive tubas (at least as an option). Had my Willson not come up by the time I was in the market for an F, I would consider the Linz. But playing side-by-side a German- (or Swiss-) made tuba and Chinese-made tuba, well... I would choose German/Swiss pretty much every time, as it just feels more solid. Chinese tubas are not bad in my experience, but I'm just not sure how much I can trust them in the long run. After a year with my 20-year old Willson, I have not had a single problem that was unexpected (ergonomics aside).
That all being said, when first trying the Linz, I was impressed by the playability for the price. I just wish the valves were better.
I’m not familiar with Strauss. My 410 is a Schiller. The sound and intonation are pretty great. The valves were fast and quiet when new but about 6 months after buying it they got sticky. I removed and carefully cleaned them and after that they all had excessive end play which made them very noisy. I was able to fix the issue with super thin shims on the bottom bearings. They’re working pretty well again but may not last. At the end of the day I wasn’t expecting a lot for what I paid so I’m okay with it. But definitely hope to upgrade before long.
Re: Wessex Linz and Berg
Posted: Tue Apr 09, 2024 10:36 pm
by jtm
I tried out a Berg last weekend in an exhibit hall that was quiet enough to hear, and liked it. It was easy to play -- that's mostly a short way of saying that it's really similar to what I'm used to, which is not a bad thing at all. Nice sound, responsive, in tune with itself, fun to play. The valves were quiet and felt fine. I expect show instruments to be adjusted to be about as good as possible, so objectionable valves would have been a surprise. I'm on my third F tuba in the 18 months I've been learning and playing F tubas, so I might have done better if I'd just started with this one.
One incidental thing that got my attention: it's surprisingly heavy. It's essentially the same size and shape as mine, and when I swung it up off the floor to play, it didn't handle the same at all. Not bad -- it feels sturdy -- but surprising.
Re: Wessex Linz and Berg
Posted: Wed Apr 10, 2024 4:21 pm
by jtm
jtm wrote: ↑Tue Apr 09, 2024 10:36 pm
One incidental thing that got my attention: it's surprisingly heavy. It's essentially the same size and shape as mine, and when I swung it up off the floor to play, it didn't handle the same at all. Not bad -- it feels sturdy -- but surprising.
Now that I look at the Berg web page again, I see that it's smaller (bell, height) than what I'm used to, so its heaviness is even more striking.