Wisemann CC vs Eastman CC

**Jswis97** · 03-20-2015, 01:53 PM

These are both Chinese instruments and I have seen very good reviews on both. How do they compare against each other? The wisemann CC is a B&S PT-6P clone, meaning it's quite large. The Eastman CC is a whole thing on its own it seems, a 4/4 size front piston tuba with a fifth valve, not seeming to be a copy of any kind. I have heard very good things mainly of the Eastman, particularly its designer, Matt Walters. Are these horns good? How do they compare against eachother? Pros, cons, anything?

Links:

http://www.dillonmusic.com/p-21936-e...2-cc-tuba.aspx

http://www.mackbrass.com/B_S_PT6P_CC_Tuba_Copy.php

**Dubby** · 03-20-2015, 02:28 PM

Isn't the eastman a copy of the Conn 56J?

**euphomism** · 03-20-2015, 04:01 PM

Well, Dubby, not exactly…

http://forums.chisham.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=64941 (and other threads)

The initial buzz has been very, very positive. Also, at Dillon's in-store price it is about 25% less expensive than the Weismann, although still pricy compared to the other Mack Brass horns. I have ordered one sight-unseen and expect late April delivery.

**58mark** · 03-20-2015, 05:00 PM

I've played both. The wisemann is bigger, the Eastman is better

**Jswis97** · 03-20-2015, 05:42 PM

Originally Posted by 58mark

I've played both. The wisemann is bigger, the Eastman is better

How is the Eastman better? Any details?

**58mark** · 03-20-2015, 05:45 PM

let's see, I thought the valves were better. Hi register seem to sing a little bit better, it had a quicker response, and maybe felt a little bit better as far as quality of build.

the other horn is a good copy, the Eastman is better than the original.

**Jswis97** · 03-20-2015, 05:59 PM

Originally Posted by 58mark

let's see, I thought the valves were better. Hi register seem to sing a little bit better, it had a quicker response, and maybe felt a little bit better as far as quality of build.

the other horn is a good copy, the Eastman is better than the original.

Thanks! I'll keep this in mind.

**bbocaner** · 03-21-2015, 12:02 AM

I'm not a tuba player, but I do hack around and have tried both. I like the sound and feel of the wisemann better, but the build quality of the few I've seen has been pretty awful. I tried a few of the Eastmans and they are smaller instruments. The valves and build quality on the ones I played were really good, much better than the wisemann. It's a really different style of instrument and has a more colorful sound and easier to play due to being quite a bit smaller, though.

**tampaworth** · 03-21-2015, 08:23 AM

The break-in on the valves of the Wisemann has been a bit of a chore. I had to send the first 900 back to Tom at Mack due to ongoing problems with the rotor action which I could not get a tech to solve. I even took the horn to Orlando (3 hour drive r/t) to a well respected tech. Tom accepted the horn back and promptly shipped me another 900. After return, on inspection Tom informed me there was lacquer overspray in the rotor housing on the first horn which he was able to fix. Somehow this went unnoticed to the tech in Orlando? Shortly after I got the second horn I decided to get some fine diamond lapping compound and lapped the first piston myself due to ongoing sticking. Tolerances? Residual manufacturing crud? I've read on Tubenet that the valve-to-casing tolerances on the Wisemann are pretty tight. I can definitely confirm that. I'm about a year in and the valves are now problem free although I do wish they used a valve cap threading that was not so darn narrow. This has also been discussed on Tubenet. The remainder of the build quality on mine seems pretty decent. Overall I am very happy with the horn but the manufacturer and/or distributor could have spent a bit more time with post-manufacture fine tuning. For me the two MPs which really power this horn well are the Stofer Geib and the newer style GW Bayamo. Regarding "the gap" the receiver fits PT mouthpieces pretty much right on with a little extra gap. The GW American shank goes in a bit too far and GW Euro not quite far enough although both work, but the horn responds and sounds best with a Euro shank piece and larger gap. My American shank Stofer Geib fits like the GW American shank, fully functional with a bit of Teflon tape. Even as such it's a great piece and well matched to the horn in my opinion. Of interest, the Blokepiece American shank fits the 900 receiver with an ideal (if that exists) gap. The end of my MP journey will be a Euro shank Stofer Geib as the the Stofer piece is a pleasure to play and the 900 just seems to respond better for me with larger shank and gap pieces for some reason. AGR would sure be be nice! Bottom line, even though this is a lot of horn for the money, if the Chinese manufacturers are going to raise their price point as with the Wisemann, the consumer should expect a properly set up horn on delivery. Just some frank notes to help others. Overall, the horn is a pleasure to play and perform with!