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Thread: WTB: British Baritone - 4-valve comper

  1. #11
    Congratulations on a new horn. This is almost always a fun experience. My BR140 seems to like a Denis Wick 5BS. You might want to consider that mouthpiece when you start your safari.

  2. #12
    Glad it works well for you. The flat concert A issue was very pronounced when I tried it, so maybe it was a quirk of that individual instrument. Wessex is doing some great things.

    I don't think I've ever tried a baritone that had a 6th partial F problem.
    --
    Barry

  3. Hello,

    I just purchased a Wessex baritone and thought I would add my initial thoughts to this thread.

    For background, I have been reading this forum off and on for a long time, but this is my first post. I'm primarily a trombone player, but have doubled euph for over 30 years. I mostly play in community bands/wind ensembles with the odd paying gig to sit in with pit orchestras for musicals, holiday cantatas and the like. I recently joined a German band where I will be playing the tenorhorn part, so I decided to get something a little more appropriate than my King 2280. On the other hand, I need something more versatile than an actual Kaiser-style horn, and a four-valve British baritone fits the bill nicely. Budget constraints mean a BE2056 isn't an option, and the used YBH-621s I've seen were also either too high or looked pretty rough.

    The horn: BR-144 in silver with gold trim on valve buttons and caps only. No thumb ring, which is fine with me, but apparently some have it and some don't.

    Shipping and service: A+
    The horn shipped from the UK to NC in under three days, very well packed. The email I sent prior to ordering was responded to promptly and helpfully.

    Overall fit and finish: B
    There were some minor cosmetic flaws in the metal which weren't buffed out before the silver plating. Tooling marks are visible in a few spots.Solder joints are clean and sound, with occasional small bits of dross left behind. The Wessex engraving (stamp?) was weak and some lines were washed out, but still legible. Some polishing compound was left in a few nooks and crannies.

    Mechanical: A
    Valves are good, but still need breaking in, as I get a fair amount of dark residue when cleaning every 30 minutes of play. I may get stiffer springs, but it's not urgent. Tuning slides are top-notch - all 6 are perfectly aligned and operate smoothly, and the flanges on the tuning slide receivers are a nice touch. Seriously, these are better than the ones on my Bach trombones or the Yamaha euphs I have played. One minor issue is the threads on the valve bodies are somewhat shallow, and it would be easy to cross-thread the caps if I'm not careful. Getting the third valve lower cap off is a logistical challenge due to the plumbing, so I recommend making sure it doesn't freeze there - breaking it loose would be a bear.

    Mouthpiece: F
    In general it was not good. Maybe it's me, but it really made a mess of the lower register, and I consider it a paperweight. Marked "Wessex Young 6 1/2A", it looks like a Bach 6.5AL from the outside and has a similar rim, but the bowl is oddly funnel shaped and has a narrow throat. Didn't get the calipers out, sorry. Tooling marks were evident in the bowl. I tried four or five mouthpieces I had on hand, and not surprisingly, a Wick 6BS was a huge improvement. (I don't have a Wick 5BS or 4BS yet, but am thinking that might be an even better match.)

    Intonation: B-
    As noted by others, the fifth partial notes are flat, about 30 cents in my case. Usable in fast passage, can be lipped up if necessary, but alternate fingerings are often called for. Didn't have an issue with the A. 9th partial D is unusable, not that I have much call for it. Slotting was solid (once I changed mouthpiece) ...except on the fifth partials. B natural is particularly touchy. A concern is that the main tuning slide is almost all the way in (1/8") to get the horn up to standard pitch. I would prefer to have more range for adjustment. There is room for improvement here, but I have played far worse.

    Tone: B
    Subjective, of course, but not bad at all in most registers. The low end lacks the power I'm used to on trombone, but I expected that. I would personally prefer a somewhat heavier gauge bell - or at least I think I would - to darken the sound and project a little better.

    Case and accessories: B+
    Case is utilitarian and sturdy, which is fine. It is a little larger than needed for this horn, but I am guessing they reuse the shell with various inserts for a couple of different models. It has a holder for one mouthpiece, with all the spare room one or two more would be nice. Also included a pouch with spare springs, valve guides, a water key cork and a screw (that doesn't appear to fit anything on this horn); a polishing cloth, and a hat. Nice touch!

    tl;dr : B
    Not perfect, but a good value, especially if it isn't your main horn. I'll keep it.

    As always, YMMV
    Last edited by Vombatidae; 06-08-2018 at 04:27 PM. Reason: Minor correction on mouthpiece marking.

  4. #14
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    Anderson, Indiana
    Posts
    270
    Thanks for the review YMMV. Very interesting.

  5. #15
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Location
    Summerfield, Florida Sturgis, SD (summers)
    Posts
    1,867
    Quote Originally Posted by enhite View Post
    Thanks for the review YMMV. Very interesting.
    I'm thinking, but not totally sure, that Mr. YMMV may actually be "vombatidae". YMMV = Your Mileage May Vary. Or maybe you knew that and were being humorous. Hi Ernie!

    Indeed, that was an excellent review. Thanks for that.
    John Morgan
    The U.S. Army Band (Pershing's Own) 1971-1976
    Adams E3 Custom Series Euphonium, 1956 B&H Imperial Euphonium,
    1973 F. E. Olds & Son Studio Model T-31 Baritone
    Adams TB1 Tenor Trombone, Yamaha YBL-822G Bass Trombone
    Year Round Except Summer:
    Kingdom of the Sun (KOS) Concert Band, Ocala, FL (Euphonium)
    KOS Brass Quintet (Trombone, Euphonium)
    Summer Only:
    Rapid City Municipal Band, Rapid City, SD (Euphonium)
    Rapid City New Horizons Band (Euphonium)

  6. #16
    Could not agree more about the mouthpiece. It's a paperweight, or will be when the Bach 5GS I ordered comes in. It was backordered, but should be arriving in the next few days.

    Another great point from the V-guy (Ernie) - that 3rd valve bottom cap takes an Act of Congress to get on and take off. Unless, of course, you have hands like a violinists. Mine aren't, of course. Mine are like dinner plates with appendages for digits. Ugh.
    U.S. Army, Retired (built mid-1950s)
    Adams E2 Euph (built 2017)
    Boosey & Co. Imperial Euph (built 1941)
    Edwards B454 Bass Trombone (built 2012)
    Boosey & Hawkes Imperial Eb tuba (built 1958)
    Kanstul 33-T lBBb tuba (built 2010)

  7. #17
    Join Date
    Aug 2018
    Location
    Kill Devil Hills, NC
    Posts
    1
    Quote Originally Posted by Vombatidae View Post

    Mouthpiece: F
    In general it was not good. Maybe it's me, but it really made a mess of the lower register, and I consider it a paperweight. Marked "Wessex Young 6 1/2A", it looks like a Bach 6.5AL from the outside and has a similar rim, but the bowl is oddly funnel shaped and has a narrow throat. Didn't get the calipers out, sorry. Tooling marks were evident in the bowl. I tried four or five mouthpieces I had on hand, and not surprisingly, a Wick 6BS was a huge improvement. (I don't have a Wick 5BS or 4BS yet, but am thinking that might be an even better match.)

    tl;dr : B
    Not perfect, but a good value, especially if it isn't your main horn. I'll keep it.

    As always, YMMV
    Great review, Vombatidae! I purchased one of these in April and find your remarks "spot on" to my experience - especially on the mouthpiece that came with the horn. It is dreadful and a waste. I tried everything I had laying around (a large variety of Bach, Schilke, and "knock-offs", and nothing seemed to satisfy my needs very well. After a bit of reading I bought a Wick BSM4X and it seems the perfect fit for me with this horn.

    I also found the same concern with the main tuning slide almost all the way in. I prefer a bit more "wriggle room" on that.

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