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I was thinking about selling my horn in around a year for one of the lower priced Wessex horns that would serve me much better than my "Schiller." I don't know much about the differences of these horns but I think the Mahler is like a Miraphone.

Yes the mahler is based on a 186.CC.and is very close to the mack. 210

The Anton is kind of a cross between the miraphone Bruckner (get it, Anton?) and a Piggy

It's been a long time since I played an Anton, I left a review on TubeNet, you could go lok it up.

Oh.... Wait... You can't.

In short I remember it being a good fun tuba with a broader sound than the mahler. Not going to go wrong with either one. My only question would be the tuning tendencies on the Anton, which honestly I thought were pretty good, but it's been 4 years since I played one, and I can't remember if I actually put a tuner to it in the ITEC elephant room

LeMark wrote: ↑Mon Sep 07, 2020 3:12 pm Yes the mahler is based on a 186.CC.and is very close to the mack. 210

The Anton is kind of a cross between the miraphone Bruckner (get it, Anton?) and a Piggy

It's been a long time since I played an Anton, I left a review on TubeNet, you could go lok it up.

Oh.... Wait... You can't.

In short I remember it being a good fun tuba with a broader sound than the mahler. Not going to go wrong with either one. My only question would be the tuning tendencies on the Anton, which honestly I thought were pretty good, but it's been 4 years since I played one, and I can't remember if I actually put a tuner to it in the ITEC elephant room

I'm definitely looking for a more direct sound in these tubas, but I don't want to have a laser, since I'm sure that American musicians don't look for that.

I think you might like the Anton. Are you close enough that you can try one out?

LeMark wrote: ↑Mon Sep 07, 2020 3:27 pm I think you might like the Anton. Are you close enough that you can try one out?

Sadly not. Stuck right on the East Coast. I'd love to play them side by side, but who knows when that'll be

There isn't a whole lot in the budget minded rotary CC market, there are the two you mentioned, the mack brass 410, and maybe a used cerveny.

Good luck! Maybe you could contact wessex and ask them if you chose the Anton and didn't like it, if you are responsible for return shipping charges

LeMark wrote: ↑Mon Sep 07, 2020 3:46 pm There isn't a whole lot in the budget minded rotary CC market, there are the two you mentioned, the mack brass 410, and maybe a used cerveny.

Good luck! Maybe you could contact wessex and ask them if you chose the Anton and didn't like it, if you are responsible for return shipping charges

I've played one of those Yamaha 641 tubas so I figured that the Mahler would be similar. I heard that Wessex would be releasing a 4/4 York so I'd like to have either that or the Wyvern and either the Anton or the Mahler. Just not sure which would be more "acceptable" to use and more versatile.

I don't think the mahler is close to the Yamaha at all. It's much closer to a miraphone or cerveny. Smaller bore, more nimble but with great intonation

So you are wanting a rotary CC? Maybe a trip down to mack in Virginia would be good to try the 410. It's a lot of tuba for the money, and it's practically identical to the mahler

LeMark wrote: ↑Mon Sep 07, 2020 3:57 pm I don't think the mahler is close to the Yamaha at all. It's much closer to a miraphone or cerveny. Smaller bore, more nimble but with great intonation

So you are wanting a rotary CC? Maybe a trip down to mack in Virginia would be good to try the 410. It's a lot of tuba for the money, and it's practically identical to the mahler

I am wanting a rotary CC at the moment. It just seems that Wessex has the most variety, although I almost bought the 3/4 with the 16" bell from Mack a couple months ago. I do enjoy CC more than BBb, to be honest. I know in these parts it can be blasphemy, but it really does feel more flexible.

The Anton is more like a Hirsbrunner HB2.

tclements wrote: ↑Mon Sep 07, 2020 4:10 pm The Anton is more like a Hirsbrunner HB2.

What kind of sound does it produce? German, American, in between?

I have a Mack 410 and like it a lot. The Mack 410 has a slightly larger bell than the Mahler and I'm told it has a bit more mellow tone. Intonation is very good.

I played an Anton in the Chicago showroom last year. I really liked the tone (I'm guessing more American) but I couldn't get it to play in tune. It played flat. We realized my PT-36 stuck out a half inch further on that horn than the other horns in the showroom. Not sure why, but the other horns were fine. I think with the proper fitting mouthpiece, all would be fine.


The only other thing about the Anton I didn't particularly like was the weight. It seemed heavier than my Mack 410 (at 22lbs.). At my age (70) I'm after a lighter horn. I'm hoping they come out with a hand made version of the Anton which should be lighter.

KorKoro

@tobysima`, Dillon Music also stocks their own version of the 410.

They have some interesting stuff there also. Might be worth a call since they are pretty close by.

Dillon in general is a great place to shop

LeMark wrote: ↑Mon Sep 07, 2020 3:46 pm Maybe you could contact wessex and ask them if you chose the Anton and didn't like it, if you are responsible for return shipping charges

Almost certainly will be.
They sent me a lemon euph and I had to eat return shipping... the magically-round number of $US 200.

I had a similar experience, but the next time I bought something, they gave me free shipping because I complained about it

Well, they were in no mood to do anything for me. Long thread over at Werden's about the Sinfonico euph. And the worst of it was that the sharpness is a known issue.

We get what we pay for, and they reap what they sew: not to get into politics but the government is sloshing around a lot of culture cash up here, and a brass band got a pile of it for new gear. Anyway, I'm making sure Wessex doesn't get the order.

I'm really glad you were able to get a credit by complaining. That would have satisfied me. In a way--when they ship an instrument nearly a semitone sharp, we shouldn't have to complain.

It's unfortunate because in many cases their instruments are very well received. I'm not put off by the Chinese build. The North Korean-style customer service, on the other hand...

I'm not sure about the mack brass policy when if comes to return shipping charges. Maybe Tom or Chris can clear that up for us.

Either way, I get it, shipping tubas is expensive, and profit margins are slim. That's way when I sell an instrument, I say "local pickup only". I want to make sure the buyer is completely happy with their purchase

When buying any tuba, if at all possible, I would suggest driving to try it out, even if it means a 2 or 3 or day round trip.

Shawn wrote: ↑Tue Sep 08, 2020 8:19 am

LeMark wrote: ↑Mon Sep 07, 2020 3:46 pm Maybe you could contact wessex and ask them if you chose the Anton and didn't like it, if you are responsible for return shipping charges

Almost certainly will be.
They sent me a lemon euph and I had to eat return shipping... the magically-round number of $US 200.

I had a similar experience with Tuba Exchange in January. Though return shipping in their original crate cost me $400+ and lots of money tied up for a long time. Never doing that again.

LeMark wrote: ↑Tue Sep 08, 2020 9:31 am I'm not sure about the mack brass policy when if comes to return shipping charges. Maybe Tom or Chris can clear that up for us.

Either way, I get it, shipping tubas is expensive, and profit margins are slim. That's way when I sell an instrument, I say "local pickup only". I want to make sure the buyer is completely happy with their purchase

When buying any tuba, if at all possible, I would suggest driving to try it out, even if it means a 2 or 3 or day round trip.

Yeah, that's my biggest worry. I do want to play horns before buying, so I'll probably work with my horn until COVID starts to die down. That way I can play horns and not become broke with shipping. And I have no issues with Wessex, or really any company. Tubas are tubas, and if I like the sound, I'll play it!