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Thread: Sound of a Besson 3 valve compensating Eb tuba vs sound of a Besson 982

  1. #1

    Sound of a Besson 3 valve compensating Eb tuba vs sound of a Besson 982

    Dear all,

    I'm playing trombone for years, Euphonium since last year and now want to double on Tuba.
    I got a 1965 Besson New Standard 3 valve compensating Eb tuba a few days ago which is great in tune.
    I'm using a Wick 5 mouthpiece and so far I'm not happy with its sound (yet).
    I wonder how the sound of this Tuba would compare to a modern Eb Tuba like the Besson 982 or a clone of it.
    Has anybody had the chance to play a horn like the older 3 valve and a modern 3+1 Eb tuba as well?
    Would it be easier to produce a good sound with a newer tuba?

    Many thanks,
    Claus
    Claus Carstensen, Germany
    Bach 42 goldbrass bell trombone w Greenhoe valve, DW 6BL, 5BL
    Wessex Dolce Euphonium, SM5U
    1965 Besson 3 valve comp. Eb Tuba, DW 5

  2. #2
    You might want to explore a different mouthpiece. The Wick 5 is a very small mouthpiece for this tuba. The more common mouthpiece for an Eb like this is a Wick 3. There are more mouthpieces for tuba than I can count. They all have different characteristics and some can help this horn have a sound that is more toward your liking. I'm not trying to send you on a mouthpiece safari, but you might want to try other mouthpieces before you give up on the sound of your horn.The modern horns tend to be easier to play (they blow and slot better) and they generally have fewer tuning issues. A 1965 horn may seen old to you, but it is not an old horn. (Prior to 1930 gets into old horn range).

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