Wessex Sinfonico

[ChristianeSparkle]

Finally some images and details about the Sinfonico!

https://wessex-tubas.com/collections...nfonico-ep600h


Made from sheet metal like the Adams? That's very intriguing. 11" bell. I love the copper plated highlights though! Wonder how it fares now compared to Mr. Werden's review from ITEC.

The price looks decent too, I might add!

Anyone planning to give the horn a try and drop us a review?

[Nbnarcisi]

Just may make a purchase of this one Christiane, it does look quite nice and the price is nice as well. Availability looks like March 2020 at this point.

[spkissane]

Interesting design - it looks to possibly be based on the Hirsbrunner (?) judging by where the slides are positioned and the fact the the bottom bow connects extremely high up to the horn/bell. Hirsbrunners certainly don't have 11" bells, though, to my knowledge. Too bad the website doesn't have any more info on the specs.

Based on the photos alone, this is definitely a horn I wouldn't stand on its bell!

[MikeBMiller]

I spoke with a guy at Wessex a week or two ago about this horn. He said they were taking deposits for February delivery. I believe the deposit is $1K.

[guidocorona]

Hope someone will be able to post some meaningful audio/video clips of a production-level Sinfonico before February 2020... And perhaps a review of a production-level horn.

G.

[bbocaner]

wow! that's different!

[John Morgan]

Hmmm.... I might be tempted to sell my Dolce and give this one a try. Sure looks nice, and I have to admit to being intrigued. This would not replace my Adams (which is irreplaceable), but would be a nice addition to my stable. I can't tell if the case is a little fancier version of the big (huge) fluffy case for the Dolce, or if it is downsized a bit. Downsized would be nice. Would like to see all the specs.

[miketeachesclass]

I had the opportunity to play the prototype of this horn - it played reasonably, but not as well as their production models. I'm curious about this horn in its production state, though. We'll see.

[John Morgan]

I think I blew a few notes on the prototype at ITEC 2019. I remember that they didn't have it early in the week, but it showed up towards the end of ITEC. I think I played it for a little bit. Don't remember much about it, actually. The pictures of the horn at the link provided by Christiane sure make it look nice. Think I will wait until I hear some chatter about the horns coming next year.

[guidocorona]

I missed the Sinfonico prototype at ITEC by one day.... I had to leave the day before it arrived at the show *Rolls Eyes!*

G.

[davewerden]

Here are my impressions of the ITEC prototype. It seemed very promising!

http://www.dwerden.com/forum/entry.p...Made-Euphonium

[Nbnarcisi]

Having every confidence in your opinion Dave, I just spoke with Steve Marcus at the Chicago store and ordered one up. Surprised they are still open at this hour. This batch should be arriving mid-April, will be a great addition to present company of horns.

[Davidus1]

Looks like a neat horn.

[Fujiifilm]

Hey all, I was able to play test this euph after a masterclass Wessex was helping sponsor at the university I currently attend. It also sounds like it'll be staying here for at least a few days, so I'll be able to spend some quality time on it and hopefully give it a spin during my tuba-euph and wind ensemble rehearsals this week!

If it all works out, I'll follow up with a more detailed post in a few days, but for now, my initial impressions are below, along with some info on the design I learned from Chuck, the Wessex rep there. This particular instrument I believe is one of the first of the production models.

For background, I currently play on a Willson 2900TA-1 with a Wick 4AM, and I used a Wick Heritage 4AL on the EP600 (the only large shank mouthpiece I had with me in the moment).

I found a lot of my initial impressions to match Mr. Werden's review from ITEC he posted: The response was great throughout the range, and it seemed to project very well. I didn't have a tuner with me, but nothing seemed noticeably out of tune to my ears.

In regards to ergonomics, it's physically a large horn, like a Hirsbrunner or Miraphone M5050. However, it's much, much lighter than you might expect given the size, due to the sheet brass construction. This also contributes to the responsiveness of the instrument. The bell is also smaller in diameter (280mm on the website, about 11 inches) but with a wide throat. Despite the larger size of the euph, I didn't find it uncomfortable to hold standing up (I think the lighter weight definitely helped this).

It sounds like it will come with the option of either a large shank or medium/european shank receiver, but I'm not sure if the horn would ship with both and you would be able to change them out yourself or if it would be something specified when you order. The one I tried had a large shank receiver installed.

Lastly in regards to the finish, the copper highlights are indeed copper plate, but with a clear lacquer over those plated parts to prevent oxidation/patina.

[Fujiifilm]

Sorry about the very late follow up, but due to some unforeseen circumstances (including getting sick), I wasn't able to get extra time on the Sinfonico nor test it out in an ensemble setting. My sincere apologies if any of you were waiting for that post.

However, I did want to post some photos of the instrument that I had taken when I did have access to it, so you might get a little better of an idea of what it looks like in natural light, as well as how it physically compares with another common model (in this case, my Willson 2900).

The first two photos are of a close up of the bell engraving and the valve buttons, which are a slightly different design than those on the Dolce or other Wessex piston valved instruments. The last two are side by sides (front and back views) with my Willson 2900.

Again, I do apologize for not being able to provide the follow up review I had mentioned in my last post!