Wessex Festivo

[kdstaller]

I'm signed up to be one of the second batch guinea pigs. I suffer from neck and shoulder issues from carrying newspapers as a teenager. I've had to use the QHR lap pad to prop up my Besson 765 and still have arm and wrist numbness and tingling issues while playing the top action valves. I did a two year stint in the Tucson Concert Band on my King 2341 tuba. It has front action valves and was more comfortable to reach and play, but the weight really wreaked havoc on my arms hauling it around. The director let me revert back to euphonium and my playing range and skill has improved over last year's season. It will be interesting to see if the Festivo can make euphonium playing less painful.

[RhymeBobster]

Just wanted to ask if anyone had anything else to say about this horn. I’m still thinking about ordering one for the December shipment. There is a review on the site you may not have seen before. It sounds positive regarding the ergonomics, which is my main reason for buying this horn https://www.wessex-tubas.com/shop/eu...ivo-euphonium/

[jkircoff]

I like the Festivo as a novelty / experimentation instrument, and I have no reason to believe it won't play and sound as well as a "standard" euphonium.

I do worry about being able to resell the instrument if you don't like it and recoup the $2K it costs to buy one.

[kdstaller]

The Festivo has lived up to the ergonomically-friendly reputation. No more tingling arm and numbness while playing it in long practice sessions and concerts. I took the Besson back into one of the two hour Concert Band practices and confirmed that the symptoms came back when playing with the top action valves.

The finish is fantastic and far above the quality of my two previous Wessex horns (valve trombone and tornister tuba). Unlike the first two horns, all of the nooks and crannys are meticulously polished. The plating does not seem to be as durable as my Besson (seems to scratch easier with polishing/wiping spots), but I'll keep handling it with cotton gloves to keep the finish clean.

I've only experienced two issues with it. The first was having to unlearn 27 years of playing on a non-compensating horn. All of the lipping that I used to do to correct the Besson are not correct for the Festivo and I felt like a total novice during the first week of playing it. After three months on it, I'm finally dialed in, playing everything in tune, and ready to sell the Besson. The second issue is playing speed. I can quickly key and play the 16th notes of Toccata and Fugue perfectly on the Besson, but was having trouble on the Festivo. Valve switching in the 23-12-2-23-12-2 combination was more delayed and stumbling on the Festivo. What I have discovered is that the right forearm is rotated 180 degrees when playing top action valves vs. front action valves. My arm tendons are not quite developed to do the fast finger combinations in the rotated orientation that I'm used to. The longer valve stroke may also be a factor. Like the lipping, it will probably take a couple of months of conditioning to train my fingers to play as fast and accurately in the valve-front orientation.

[Keith Buschmann]

I really appreciate all of the reviews on the Wessex Festivo, so far. I'm considering ordering either the Festivo or the Dolce from the December batch. However, I'd love to get more input from those who have played either about the tone quality of the horns. I'm playing a 1981 Yamaha YEP-321 (which was my instrument in college) with a Schilke 51D and looking to upgrade. I'm ideally looking for a darker, richer sounding instrument. More like Brian Bowman's sound on a Willson. However, as an amateur enthusiast, my budget won't permit a new Willson or Adams. Thanks in advance for your comments.

[Davidus1]

Yes, thanks for posting the review. It sounds like you are very happy overall with the purchase. Enjoy!

[mbrown]

What mouthpieces do festivo players prefer? I play a bigger mouthpiece on my king 2280 and if it won't fit the festivo, I'll have to rethink ....

[Nbnarcisi]

I use a Shilke 51D large bore on my Festivo, King 2280 and Dolce. It feels fine on all 3 horns

[Nbnarcisi]

should have said large shank, sorry

[mbrown]

should have said large shank, sorry

I saw your reference to the 2280 and understood. How does the festivo and 2280 compare for you? I like NY 2280 but my right shoulder is a wreck and holding it in that position gets really painful. I'm really hoping the festivo will help that.

The shoulder is odd, for example, if I hold my palm down and raise my arm, it is painful and I stop about chin high... If I simply turn my hand so that the thumb is up, I can go completely straight up.

[Nbnarcisi]

I find the Festivo very comfortable to play and by comparison to the 2280, to my ears it is brighter, notes slot more easily, the upper octave is more open and projection is outstanding. I use the Festivo in a concert band/community band setting, whereas I use my Dolce in the brass band, primarily because of the position of the bells when holding them.

I would think that the Festivo would be more comfortable for you given what you say about the 2280. It did take some adjustment getting used to playing the 4th valve with my left hand index finger (which I prefer over my right hand pinky) but that's personal taste, it can certainly be played with the right hand too.

I did however purchase a euphonium pad from Quick Horn Rinse (quickhornrinse.com) which is a small pad (comes with 4 different size foam pads) that I rest on my right leg to support when play for long periods of time. For me it works very well!

[mbrown]

i hope so. the discomfort takes a lot of enjoyment from playing. thank you for the comparison...

speaking about the euphonium pads... in one of the bands i play tuba in, an elderly like lady plays in the euphonium section and i notice she's re-purposed one of the horseshoe shaped traveling pillows as a euphonium pad. it fits on the bottom of her jupiter. for only a few $, i might give that a go. i've tried several things and thus far, a yoga foam block has been the best. it doesn't slip

[dsurkin]

[snip]
speaking about the euphonium pads[snip]

I highly recommend the Quick Horn Rinse euphonium pad. It has a non-slip, textured surface, and different-sized foam inserts so you can adjust the height to your preference. Plus, it looks very professional on stage.

[DaveBj]

I highly recommend the Quick Horn Rinse euphonium pad. It has a non-slip, textured surface, and different-sized foam inserts so you can adjust the height to your preference. Plus, it looks very professional on stage.

Ditto.

[mbrown]

I pulled the trigger on one. I truly wanted brass, but the ones left were silver, and I didn't want to wait. I'm anxious to get it... I have 3 programs between now and Christmas and they're relaxed enough for me to be able to use a strange horn. I'll have several weeks afterwards to get used to it. Now to decide if I want to keep my 2280 also. I tend to be a one horn kind of guy... I have several tubas but usually reach for my 2341. The rest gather dust... Maybe trade the 2280 for an old style 2341, I don't have one of those....