Wessex Eb 'Tubby' Tuba
Posted: Mon May 16, 2022 11:44 am
With several happy players reporting on their tubas, I thought I would join in with a report on my Wessex Eb Tuba 'Tubby'.
I was very interested in the new Wessex 'Tubby' Eb and planned to try it at the Army conference in February and, if liked, place an order right then. Since the in-person conference was cancelled, all I had to rely upon were the opinions of three Texans in this forum, LeMark, Doc, and Unclebeer, all of whom had positive reactions to playing the 'Tubby'. So, I placed the order for the gold brass version and took delivery in mid-January.
Testing mouthpieces has resulted in my using the Bob Tucci AMH Paul – with the new larger shank – and the Sellmansberger Solo – Euro shank #2 and Profundo rim.
The intonation is fantastic! Alternate fingerings on Eb tubas are common to me, such as third valve for most 12 notes, so doing this is not unique to 'Tubby'. The pedal notes either hit right on or are so close I can lip in with no problem. I can produce the low notes much easier than with the Besson 982 3+1 compensated tuba I used some years ago. (The Besson – a great tuba with a great sound - seemed to require more air, I guess through the compensation system.)
The gold finish is uniform and impressive. The build is solid, giving it a good feel. It is very lightweight for its size – even for a seasoned citizen such as I. The Wessex B700 gig bag is a perfect fit. 'Tubby' is 32” tall, has a 19” bell and weighs in at about 18.2 pounds.
I have played Tubby with all my various groups. From tuba quartet to British style brass band to 20-some member ensemble to large concert band, it fits very nicely in all of them. Compliments on the sound have come from conductors, fellow tubists and fellow players.
'Tubby' is a very versatile and easy to play large Eb tuba. I am very pleased with it and highly recommend it. (I have no personal connection with Wessex other than being a customer.)
My words can tell you how good it sounds but the real evaluation is hearing it, so I have some sound files from brass band rehearsal. Excerpts from Under the Boardwalk, A Song for Lea (by James Gourlay), and the Eb tuba solo Send in the Clowns. In these I am the only tuba and playing 'Tubby'. (Please do not blame the horn for player errors.) Recordings were made on my iPad through forScore, then pieced together in Audacity and the video produced in DaVinci Resolve. (A YouTube video file seemed to be the easiest way to be able to present on this forum.)
Hope this report is helpful.
Brief excerpts of the following songs will exemplify the Wessex Eb Tuba 'Tubby' in an ensemble duet, sole tuba on bassline and tuba solo:
1 - Under the Boardwalk - with flugelhorn solo
2 - A Song for Lea (by James Gourlay) - sole tuba on bassline
3 - Send in the Clowns - Eb tuba solo
Happy playing to all!
Larry Haake
I was very interested in the new Wessex 'Tubby' Eb and planned to try it at the Army conference in February and, if liked, place an order right then. Since the in-person conference was cancelled, all I had to rely upon were the opinions of three Texans in this forum, LeMark, Doc, and Unclebeer, all of whom had positive reactions to playing the 'Tubby'. So, I placed the order for the gold brass version and took delivery in mid-January.
Testing mouthpieces has resulted in my using the Bob Tucci AMH Paul – with the new larger shank – and the Sellmansberger Solo – Euro shank #2 and Profundo rim.
The intonation is fantastic! Alternate fingerings on Eb tubas are common to me, such as third valve for most 12 notes, so doing this is not unique to 'Tubby'. The pedal notes either hit right on or are so close I can lip in with no problem. I can produce the low notes much easier than with the Besson 982 3+1 compensated tuba I used some years ago. (The Besson – a great tuba with a great sound - seemed to require more air, I guess through the compensation system.)
The gold finish is uniform and impressive. The build is solid, giving it a good feel. It is very lightweight for its size – even for a seasoned citizen such as I. The Wessex B700 gig bag is a perfect fit. 'Tubby' is 32” tall, has a 19” bell and weighs in at about 18.2 pounds.
I have played Tubby with all my various groups. From tuba quartet to British style brass band to 20-some member ensemble to large concert band, it fits very nicely in all of them. Compliments on the sound have come from conductors, fellow tubists and fellow players.
'Tubby' is a very versatile and easy to play large Eb tuba. I am very pleased with it and highly recommend it. (I have no personal connection with Wessex other than being a customer.)
My words can tell you how good it sounds but the real evaluation is hearing it, so I have some sound files from brass band rehearsal. Excerpts from Under the Boardwalk, A Song for Lea (by James Gourlay), and the Eb tuba solo Send in the Clowns. In these I am the only tuba and playing 'Tubby'. (Please do not blame the horn for player errors.) Recordings were made on my iPad through forScore, then pieced together in Audacity and the video produced in DaVinci Resolve. (A YouTube video file seemed to be the easiest way to be able to present on this forum.)
Hope this report is helpful.
Brief excerpts of the following songs will exemplify the Wessex Eb Tuba 'Tubby' in an ensemble duet, sole tuba on bassline and tuba solo:
1 - Under the Boardwalk - with flugelhorn solo
2 - A Song for Lea (by James Gourlay) - sole tuba on bassline
3 - Send in the Clowns - Eb tuba solo
Happy playing to all!
Larry Haake