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Thread: Wessex Ophicleide

  1. #11
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Central North Carolina
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    Quote Originally Posted by bbocaner View Post
    Why use an 1860s instrument as a template rather than a later instrument with more modern keywork?
    You mean like a tuba? (Sorry ... couldn't resist.)

    I'm just astounded that there's a market for these things. I understand the desire/"need" to have them at times for some "period" performances, but I'm surprised that's enough to justify manufacturing and marketing them -- that there are enough players with the discretionary income to add one to their stable. Also, I have to confess that I can't quite get the sound image out of my mind of a baritone saxophone with a tuba/trombone mouthpiece.
    Gary Merrill
    Wessex EEb Bass tuba (DW 3XL or 2XL)
    Mack Brass Compensating Euph (DE N106, Euph J, J9 euph)
    Amati Oval Euph (DE 104, Euph J, J6 euph)
    1924 Buescher 3-valve Eb tuba (with std US receiver), Kelly 25
    Schiller American Heritage 7B clone bass trombone (DE LB K/K10/112/14 Lexan, Brass Ark MV50R)
    1947 Olds "Standard" trombone (Olds #3)

  2. #12
    Having never heard an ophicleide I did a little youtube browsing. Here is a very enjoyable clip "Ferdinand David Concertino Op 12": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKwd_8ts9Zc

  3. #13
    Patrick Wibart is awesome! There are some videos on youtube of him playing serpent that are just unbelievably good. There is also a really excellent player from Australia named Nick Byrne. I would suggest purchasing his CD called "Oblivion" -- it is some of the most beautiful brass playing you will hear of ANY instrument.

    Gary - you say you are looking for a 5-valve Eb tuba, have you looked at the Big Mouth Brass? Or does the dependent 5-th valve turn you off?

  4. #14
    Join Date
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    I'm not actually "looking" for a 5-valve Eb tuba, and certainly can't afford to buy one of those currently on the market. And in fact I'm VERY happy with the 3+1 compensator I have. However, I'd be tempted by a similarly affordable 5-valve uncompensated horn.

    What surprises me is that there seems to be a demand for such 5-valve horns at a more affordable level, and they're surely easy to clone and manufacture -- unlike starting up anew with a keyed/padded instrument.

    However, if you look at this posting on TubeNet, you'll see a speculation of mine about the wisdom of going in the ophicleide direction at this point: http://forums.chisham.com/viewtopic....art=24#p508497. It hadn't occurred to me until I was most of the way through responding to Dan's remark about affecting the value of the old original instruments.
    Gary Merrill
    Wessex EEb Bass tuba (DW 3XL or 2XL)
    Mack Brass Compensating Euph (DE N106, Euph J, J9 euph)
    Amati Oval Euph (DE 104, Euph J, J6 euph)
    1924 Buescher 3-valve Eb tuba (with std US receiver), Kelly 25
    Schiller American Heritage 7B clone bass trombone (DE LB K/K10/112/14 Lexan, Brass Ark MV50R)
    1947 Olds "Standard" trombone (Olds #3)

  5. #15
    I'm not too concerned about the value of old instruments. It already fluctuates waaay too much to consider it a good investment. My Bb ophicleide I purchased for $3500, spent a ton restoring it, and could not sell it for even half of that when I wanted to upgrade to the newer C instrument. People who want them want to play them, not consider them to be investments. And more options on the market is a good thing.

    Tubenet... well, those guys have a propensity to be negative about just about anything, so I'm not surprised!

    I'll bet wessex have around $10,000 - $20,000 invested in tooling, mandrels, castings for the keys, etc. It helps if their manufacturer has sax tools and experience already which it sounds like they do. I would bet they make it back, eventually. I don't think they'll sell hundreds of them or anything, but I bet they will sell enough to make money on it. I think that orchestras are moving towards using more original instruments rather than just subbing in the tuba whether or not it is appropriate, and it can be a gorgeous sounding instrument with its own unique niche. Who would have thought that China would be the place to go for manufacturing small numbers of very specialized limited-market items?? But the world is changing... I applaud wessex for taking the risk.

  6. Thanks for the comments. The prototype ophicleide is pitched A=440, but we are making provisions in the production instruments to adjust the tuning a lot both ways to be able to play in any group. We will see if marketing an ophicleide was a sound investment, but the interest expressed since it went on-line has been tremendous, so the signs are promising. We modelled on the instrument we did, because it is a particularly good one. Intonation, for an ophicleide is exceptional. Tony George is to do demonstration recording next month, so you should be able to hear for yourself.

    Since starting this project, I have come to love the sound of the ophicleide and hope making the new Wessex version available, might mean it makes a come back into more mainstream use.

    For 5-valve front action Eb tuba - we have not forgotten, that is on Wessex development list, but as a completely new model and not a clone. I do not believe in copying currently available instruments
    www.Wessex-Tubas.com
    Customer Services & Chicago Showroom visits: Dolce@Wessex-Tubas.com
    Shipping & UK Showroom visits: Coda@Wessex-Tubas.com

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  7. #17
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Central North Carolina
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jonathantuba View Post
    I do not believe in copying currently available instruments
    Except as a marketing statement (and a kind of defense against the frequent criticism of Chinese "copying"), I have to say that as a practical matter this sounds nutty to me. Why NOT copy (or better, "copy and improve") an existing instrument that has stood the test of time? Why, instead, go through the complex and troublesome process of developing a new product from scratch and trying to compete against those highly successful existing ones? Certainly the Germans and Czechs have not been especially bashful about copying models from others. Nor in the past have Americans (compare Buescher to Conn). It's difficult to believe that one could go far wrong by copying the Norwegian Star or Starlight and offering a serviceable copy for a fraction of the cost. From an engineering and practical standpoint, most of this stuff you see about "innovation" is crap. Copying for the sake of proven design and quality is no vice. Innovation for the sake of innovation is no virtue.

    Also, as it stands, the statement appears to be inconsistent with about 90% of the current Wessex product line.
    Gary Merrill
    Wessex EEb Bass tuba (DW 3XL or 2XL)
    Mack Brass Compensating Euph (DE N106, Euph J, J9 euph)
    Amati Oval Euph (DE 104, Euph J, J6 euph)
    1924 Buescher 3-valve Eb tuba (with std US receiver), Kelly 25
    Schiller American Heritage 7B clone bass trombone (DE LB K/K10/112/14 Lexan, Brass Ark MV50R)
    1947 Olds "Standard" trombone (Olds #3)

  8. Since there are p-bones and ABS saxophones -- and with the ophicleide valves are out of the picture -- maybe next we'll see a Plasticleide or heaven forbid, maybe a Plerpent LOL

    Afterthought -- actually a Plerpent would be way easy to manufacture!
    Last edited by tampaworth; 04-22-2014 at 11:18 AM. Reason: afterthought
    Bob Tampa FL USA
    Euph -- 1984 B&H Round Stamp Sovereign 967 / 1978 Besson NS 767 / Early 90s Sterling MP: 4AL and GW Carbonaria
    Tuba -- 2014 Wisemann 900 CC / 2013 Mack 410 MP: Blokepiece Symphony American Shank and 33.2 #2 Rim

  9. Quote Originally Posted by tampaworth View Post
    maybe next we'll see a ..... Plerpent LOL
    From contrabass.com Serpents are traditionally carved from wood in two halves, which are then glued together and wrapped tightly in leather. Modern reproductions are also available made from resin (aka plastic).

    Seems I'm a bit late to capitalize on this idea but the word Plerpent sure sounds cool
    Bob Tampa FL USA
    Euph -- 1984 B&H Round Stamp Sovereign 967 / 1978 Besson NS 767 / Early 90s Sterling MP: 4AL and GW Carbonaria
    Tuba -- 2014 Wisemann 900 CC / 2013 Mack 410 MP: Blokepiece Symphony American Shank and 33.2 #2 Rim

  10. #20
    I have a plastic serpent made by David Harding. There is also another newer plastic one made by an outfit branding them "Kaiser". Mine plays pretty well, but the big disadvantage is that it's really heavy and can be very uncomfortable to play for a long period of time. You kind of have to contort your hands in a weird way to hold them at all, and if it's really heavy it just makes it harder to do. The wooden ones are MUCH lighter. A wood one from Wetterberger in switzerland or Ribo in Belgium is on my shopping list, at which time I'll probably offer my Harding for sale on here.

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