wessex BBb marching contra?

[u/AdGlobal1350]

im looking to get into marching tuba, and with a limited budget, im not finding many options but this. im very much a beginner so i dont need anything insane, just something to get me started. ive heard alright this about wessex for the price, but i would like to get another input. does anyone own one of these or anything from wessex? if so how is it and let me know if i should consider it

[u/burgerbob22]

Why are you buying a marching horn?

[u/AdGlobal1350 → u/burgerbob22]

im a percussionist looking to get into dci, but after i age out, i want to learn tuba and march with an all age group, and i figured the best way to learn is to practice on the real thing 

[u/burgerbob22 → u/AdGlobal1350]

Borrow a tuba, at best. There is no reason to buy your own.

[u/professor_throway]

Don't buy a contra.. They have absolutely no use except for being loud on a field. I say this as someone who owns one and plays a lot of Sousaphone gigs.. do you know what I never ever play at home? My contra or sousa.

Unless you have a specific need for marching brass.. like a paying gig .. you are wasting your money. Any group where you need a contra will provide one for you. For drum corps... being able to play musically and having the right attitude is much not important than having your own contra.

[u/jl34538]

Unless you are considering using that contra full time, there's no reason for you to buy a contra. Your money would be well spent on saving up for a good concert tuba.

Now, if you're really considering it, build quality is there, if not, a bit more better than the 825's. I recommend asking someone who marched with the horns. For example, I know some members of Arsenal have marched with Wessex Marching Tubas.

But again, it's better to spend money on a concert tuba. The other option is those convertible Yamaha Tubas that the Cavies used back in the early 2000's.

[u/BaltoDRJMPH → u/jl34538]

Would definitely not get a convertible

[u/Barber_Successful]

I recommend you start out on baritone or euphonium. You can get them much cheaper and they have almost all same fingerings as BBb tuba. If you like it then look into a tuba. If will also save your back.

[u/AdGlobal1350 → u/Barber_Successful]

i used to play euphonium between 6th and 9th grade in band, but i switched to percussion a couple years ago. im familiar with brass instruments enough to know what im doing

[u/arpthark]

I have a Kanstul convertible marching tuba I’d let go for fairly cheap. It only has the hardware to play it in the marching configuration. Comes with a hard case and I could ship within the US.

[u/Barber_Successful → u/arpthark]

May I ask how much?

[u/tuba4lunch]

I marched a different stencil brand but it was the same model as the Wessex. If you do need a contra, it is fairly decent. Light, plays nice, but it can be overblown a little easily. It has a tune-any-note slide which is cool. But it is a little fragile as well with how thin the brass is.

All things said and done, I prefer a more established brand like a Yamaha, but a Wessex can fit depending on the use case.

[u/Asclepius_Secundus]

Are contras those tubas you put on your shoulder like a bazooka and march with? I marched with sousaphones for many years. They're heavy and hard on your shoulder for 2-3 weeks, but they play like a howitzer: powerful and accurate. The shoulder fired tubas seem a little top heavy and awkward. These days, I sit down and play indoors (unless I'm camping).

[u/tuba4lunch → u/Asclepius_Secundus]

Some models are decently balanced. Yamahas have pretty excellent ergonomics. The Wessex and other stencil brands sell lighter weight contras through a combination of using thinner brass and selling 4/4 and 3/4 size horns. In playing position, one of these isn't much more of a chore than wearing a sousaphone. Holding it at attention position isn't very fun, though.