New Tornister Euphonium!

[Jonathantuba]

Here is Wessex latest baby!

It is a travel euphonium based on 19th century tornister design used by the Austro-Hungarian army updated for the modern world - so is the tenor tuba equivalent of our Mighty Midget. It is a real beauty and has to be seen to appreciate how small it is. We have called it the 'Maly' which means in Czech small and cute. It plays well with singing tone and good intonation and comes in small case which can easily be taken on flight as cabin luggage. We hope the first will be available in the summer.









Those attending NAMM, or US Army Tuba/Euphonium conference can see and try for themselves.

[dsurkin]

Cute, all right! How much does it weigh?

[davewerden]

It's darned cute, alright!

Could we also see a photo of the case? I'd be curious how pack-able it is.

[ghmerrill]

While the intended market for these (and the tornister tubas) seems to be people who "travel" (for one reason or another?), I wonder if there isn't a market for these sorts of things in the population of aging community band low brass players who have difficulty with "normally sized" instruments. I know several people who have changed instruments to smaller ones because they no longer feel able to carry/transport the instruments they've played for most of their lives.

Of course, this depends very strongly on the weight of the "downscaled" versions. And the only tornister tuba I've heard close up (rehearsing in a fairly small tuba/euphonium group a few years ago) was not something I'd want to use in a community band. Still it would seem to be a possibility, at least if you weren't the sole tuba in the band.

[John Morgan]

Oh-oh!! Shouldn't have shown me this!! We got trouble! Right here in River City! (from the Music Man). This is way too neat.

Jonathan - how much for this little jewel??

[Jonathantuba]

I can take photo of case and weigh when next in store. But I can say it is not heavy. Noticeably lighter than full size euphonium. For price, although small there is a lot of work making including new bell mandrel. I expect price between $1,500 and $2,000.

I agree with Gary that these are ideal for aging community band players. We have sold a number of Mighty Midget for this purpose. Their sound is very dependant on the person behind mouthpiece. With good buzz, the tornister can make nice tone, but they may not hide players shortcomings as much as full size tuba. I had good player visit Wessex UK from Italy a couple weeks ago, and really from elsewhere in building I could not tell if he was playing full size tuba or tornister - he sounded so good on either. Remember these were made for army bands, so will work well in that setting. I have played tornister as only tuba in 20 piece band and it did work providing bass. The secret is not to overblow to make sound break up. I would now love to hear tuba quartet playing tenor and bass tornister. That would be a really mobile group - could fly anywhere for gigs, no problem.

[opus37]

I own an Eb/F Tuba of this related travel design. It is small and easy to transport. Jonathan is right, you don't want to over-blow these horns, they tend to go flat and the sound breaks up. There is more resistance as compared to a normal size horn. I primarily use mine for practice. It forces me to really listen to the tone and work on clarity. With the extra resistance, it builds up lung strength (kind of like running with weights on your legs). I have used it for practice with one of my quintets. I like to take it to practice when the weather is bad because it is much easier to transport.

[ghmerrill]

I think the main problem with the one tornister tuba I experienced was not overblowing, but rather lack of breath support -- another problem (as I can testify) with the aging player. I would expect the euphonium to be easier to play well in this regard. While the price is high in relation to standard euphoniums (even of the same quality), that's not unexpected given some additional complexity of construction and a more limited market.

[Jonathantuba]

Here are some dimensions for you;

Tornister Euphonium 5.9lb (compared to Dolce being 9.7 lb)
In case 11.1 lb

16.5" high
7.5" bell

Case is 19' x 14.5' x 11"

Picture in case, although production ones will have Burgundy lining

[iiipopes]

Valve bore?

[Jonathantuba]

Valve bore?

13mm or 0.51"

[Pat]

When do you anticipate that you'll begin taking orders?

[Jonathantuba]

Very soon start taking orders, but delivery not until summer

[euphlight]

While it looks nice and I can see the advantages of it, is it possible to put a rotary 5th valve attached to it for those rare times you may have to play The Holst 1st Suite in Eb for example?

[bbocaner]

I tried this instrument out at TUSABTEW. It has a suprisingly dark tone when played softly--and it can get extremely soft--and gets a nice but not annoying edge when pushed. It's a unique experience playing with the bell right in front of your face. It definitely plays more like a euphonium than a valve trombone or bass trumpet, but I think the overall sound is different enough from a real euphonium that I would not want to see one in a concert band. The valves felt really good, perhaps with a lever travel that was a little longer than necessary, but very smooth. I did not notice any glaring intonation problems (other than what you'd expect with a non-comp instrument) with my quick test. The foam-body case they had with it was larger than it needed to be. I'd be interested in a gig bag for maximum portability in regional jet overhead bins. Overall, a really fun instrument!