Originally Posted by
AlexS
Thanks for the timely and helpful response!
*update for the posterity of people who may have the same question in the future.
I ended up getting the 2900. As a person who had tended towards larger equipment for years, this surprised me. I was lucky enough to get to play both horns in rehearsals with Marine Band San Diego and with colleagues in the band and the 2900 is designed exceptionally well for wind band playing. I ran the opening to Holst 1 with a tuba player and, while they both played well, the 2950 sounded like it was fighting for sonic space with the tuba and the 2900 fit right in with the sound making a richer sound with a nice shimmer on top, this took both of us by surprise as we both thought the larger horn would blend better. In fact the compact sound really payed off during rehearsal. I felt like I could fit in better with whatever section I wanted, add depth to the trombone, warmth to the clarinets, darken the horns up a little, basically just be the jack of all trades that wind band euphs need to be a little easier. I feel as if i also need to remark that the high register consistency is a bonus. With some horns I feel like I have to do tricky things with my air in the higher registers and as if there's unnecessary (almost dead) weight. With the 2900, faster and higher pressure air works perfectly and there's no fight, nothing tricky at all.
I'm sure that a fair bit of my decision also has to do with listening to the Mark Jenkins CD nonstop for months, with a large percentage of my listening being 2900 players that has steered my sound concept considerably. Both horns were lovely, and were I in a different spot in my career where I could make use of the extra depth, width, and sonic colors I could see myself getting the larger Willson, or a larger horn in general. Yet, for where I'm at now the 2900 is a solid choice and there is no shortage of exceptional players in exceptional bands playing them.
Alex S.