Thoughts on Wessex

[Adampreav]

What’s your guys thoughts on Wessex they offer instruments for half even a third than other suppliers like Yamaha, Conn or Bach. I know there new as a company and that they might have stigma because of it like Jupiter does but Jupiter makes great horns.
We trust older companies like Yamaha who have been around forever, but for the longest time made terrible quality horns. Does Wessex make a horn to the quality of a conn or are they like jinbao cheap and won’t last a decade like are the horns actually made out of brass or are they that fake Matel. What’s the company as a hole like if you order something that’s has defects they will do what ever they can to fix the issue or are they just like Schiller which I would never have business with there horn are just ISO instrument shape objects

[Trevorspaulding376]

Quality of a conn / no.

Better than jin bao quality ? Yes

Chip Hoehler was helping out a lot on some of their designs,

Probably a decent intermediate type quality of instrument.

[hyperbolica]

I've bought 4 instruments from Wessex. The people are professional, and the instruments are very good quality, and usually the designs are things that you can't find from the rest of the instrument makers.

I've never had buyer's remorse when I've bought from them.

Wessex are made by Jin Bao, but they force the quality issue by being at the factory in person. They also do original design. If you're thinking of ordering an instrument from them, do it. You'll see. Wessex is way better than Schiller or Jim Laab. If you're looking for the absolute best value while still maintaining reliable quality, it would have to be Mack Brass. Wessex charges a little more because they fiddle with the design more in addition to enforcing the quality. Mack just enforces the quality. Both are good organizations to deal with.

[BGuttman]

Unfortunately Chip Hoehler is no longer available to Wessex (he passed away). I don't know whether they have found someone else. Still, if they continue making the designs they did with the quality they did the result will be good. The owner of Wessex is a tuba player and can easily check the valved low brass.

[LeTromboniste]

They are Jin Bao instruments, made in the same factory. *Some* of their instruments are made at least partly in a separate assembly line in the factory where there is reportedly more care and more quality control. The Wessex team has closer contact with the factory than most other retailers that deal with Jin Bao and they say they go to the factory several times a year and check the quality. Unlike others brands of Jin Bao-made instruments, they do some R&D. Their tuba and tombone models that they developed (as opposed to the generic model already offered by Jin Bao) are apparently not bad at all, I'm not sure the generic models are any better or different than getting the same thing from another dealer.

I got my ophicleide from them and it is good for the price (the alternatives being extremely expensive restored antiques or modern instruments made by artisans), but it also had a lot of work that needed to be done to improve it right off the bat: leaky keys, a cracked keyrod, some of the keywork is really not great, some of the pads needed changing or will need changing much sooner than the pads on a new instruments should, tuning slide legs not quite parallel, things like that. It also can never be made much better than it is as the chimneys aren't all level and don't have enough margin to be made level without shortening them too much, and they're not perfectly round. Just not things you can expect on a new professional quality instruments. They did pay for the work under the warranty but I had to nudge them repeatedly to get a response and get them to pay. That's a model specific to them and that they developed, different from the models Jin Bao makes for other retailers, too. I don't know if it's representative, being such a different instrument, but certainly it speaks to their motto (professional instruments at a fraction of the cost) being somewhat of an embellishment, and at least in my experience after-sale service isn't the best either.

So essentially, they're worth what they cost, no more no less.

[marccromme]

I have owned and played a Wessex euph dolce, a bass bone, and the danube EB tuba for years. I regard these as good intermediate instruments, worth their money. I had some technical issues with the tuba, which where resolved to my satisfaction by a replacement. Customer service is good.

My instruments where purchased some years ago, it seems that quality went up over time.

I did sell the Danube as I got hold of a used MW 2141, which IMHO plays better for the job in a brass band. I got a decent reselling price.

I did also sell the bass bone in a trade for a old Conn 112 H with Hagmanns . The owner needed the money and was happy to accept the trade.

All in all Wessex instruments did work very fine for me, and are worth the money, but waiting for a high quality used tombone might also be worth it.

[Adampreav]

It’s so crazy how much horns cost I understand if it’s a custom horn made from scratch or limited edition but why would I spend 2000 for a regular trombone or 6000 for a bass trombone that doesn’t keep it value and there thousands just like it. I feel horns these days are just too expensive. When I see these horn so cheap I can’t believe it.

[LeTromboniste]

It’s so crazy how much horns cost I understand if it’s a custom horn made from scratch or limited edition but why would I spend 2000 for a regular trombone or 6000 for a bass trombone that doesn’t keep it value and there thousands just like it. I feel horns these days are just too expensive. When I see these horn so cheap I can’t believe it.

If you buy used, it doesn't devaluate as much (if anything the value might go up if it's a good vintage). You can get a used professional model tenor for 1500-2000 very easily, less if you shop right. It's not exactly nothing but it's not crazy expensive either, considering what goes into making an instrument.

[Adampreav]

Your right and I only buy used but for a new horn it’s ridiculous. I understand the companies want to make as much as they can and consumers are willing to pay that much.

[LeTromboniste]

Your right and I only buy used but for a new horn it’s ridiculous. I understand the companies want to make as much as they can and consumers are willing to pay that much.

Keep in mind that a lot of the very expensive stuff is made by boutique makers that have high costs, and highly trained employees that need to be paid even when business slows down. The profit margin on high level instruments is probably not as high as you think. The profit margin on a Wessex is probably quite a bit higher.

[hyperbolica]

When I see these horn so cheap I can’t believe it.

Even though I have good things to say about the product and the company, notice that none of my main horns are Wessex. My main horns are things I've had for 40 years or used pro brands I've found through kissing lots of frogs.

If the purpose of the horn is to play in the school or community band or orchestra, Wessex is a great deal on an intermediate instrument. If the purpose is esoteric professional playing, you may find a more appropriate instrument elsewhere.

If you play it and you like it, no one can argue with you.

You have to consider context when you ask a question on the internet and when you receive advice. For example, people answering a vague question about Wessex don't know how you want to use the information. And, you don't know the point of view the answers you're getting are coming from.

For student and amateur use, Wessex are good instruments. Used pro equipment in good condition is also a good choice.

[Posaunus]

Your right and I only buy used but for a new horn it’s ridiculous. I understand the companies want to make as much as they can and consumers are willing to pay that much.

Adam,

Apparently you've never been in a manufacturing business. If so, you might better appreciate the high cost of everything involved in making instruments (materials, facilities, capital equipment, highly-trained [and usually well-paid] employees, inventory, operating costs, taxes, ...), and the high costs of operating a retail business (whether storefront or mail order). Those high costs (at least in the United States and Europe) lead to ... high prices!

We trombonists actually have it pretty good. Trombones sell at a fraction of the prices of many other orchestral instruments, and they do not deteriorate rapidly with age, so excellent instruments are often available "previously owned" at very reasonable prices.

I feel very fortunate to have a nice small collection of "used" trombones, purchased without great financial sacrifice.

[Adampreav]

Your right Wessex is directed more for high school bands or people on a budget while professional horns are for the professional’s people who do this for a career.
Professional horns will last decades with good care while horns like Wessex will last a decade or two at the most.
the quality between a brand like Conn and Wessex are on completely different levels and your paying for that quality but that’s a lot the majority of people couldn’t afford that. And thank the lord for used

[Posaunus]

Professional horns will last decades with good care while horns like Wessex will last a decade or two at the most.

How do you know this? Have you ever seen a Wessex instrument? (Especially on that's a "decade or two old"?)

Ever played one?

What's your professional experience?

[Adampreav]

The horns are made by jinbao, have you ever seen a jinbao trombone that had lasted for 20 years and I know this because I had a Schiller and it was terrible.

[harrisonreed]

It’s so crazy how much horns cost I understand if it’s a custom horn made from scratch or limited edition (???I actually don't understand limited edition anything??) but why would I spend 2000 for a regular trombone or 6000 for a bass trombone that doesn’t keep it value and there thousands just like it. I feel horns these days are just too expensive. When I see these horn so cheap I can’t believe it.

You don't buy horns for them to keep their value. They're tools, not investments. It's great if they keep value. But I don't buy a tool thinking "I hope I can get a good price when I sell this".

[Tremozl]

I won't buy anything Chinese again after this whole coronavirus business, not as much as I can help it, at least.
And if anger over the Chinese government deliberately trying to damage western countries isn't enough to convince you, then consider that Jinbao instruments are made by slave labour and with very cheap materials.

Mind you I am not without sin. I own a Jinbao horn currently. Not impressed with it, but I was a poor, naive student who never owned a brass instrument before, heck never even played one, when I bought it. Over some time I've come to learn you get what you pay for, and I wish I could've told myself to save the extra bucks to get a 'real' instrument. In the end, I would've actually saved about a grand had I done that in the first place.

[Finetales]

Not all Wessex are created equal.

It's not like Yamaha or something where you know you'll get a good-playing instrument regardless of the model. They all have quality control but there's a huge variation in how well the various instruments in the Wessex line play.

Some of their instruments, like the 3-valve compensating baritone and the large bore alto trombone they discontinued, are phenomenal and I would buy them over pretty much anything else on the market. Others I would never spend a dime on, like their sackbuts. Most of their range falls somewhere in the middle...their trombones are usually decent, the tubas usually good to great (because they seem to spend pretty much all their time on those), and the trumpets and horns are an unknown quantity (even to trumpet and horn players, though I've read a couple of things about their Kruspe double and triple horns).

You don't run the risk of getting an unplayable instrument-shaped-object with Wessex...they are all playable instruments. But some Chinese clones are just leaps and bounds better than others.

[harrisonreed]

I won't buy anything Chinese again after this whole coronavirus business, not as much as I can help it, at least.

Bet you will!

[MStarke]

I won't buy anything Chinese again after this whole coronavirus business, not as much as I can help it, at least.

Bet you will!

I think there are quite some more arguments in that post you quoted, that are at the very least a little bit biased and not very objective

[stewbones43]

Has the OP looked at the John Packer range of instruments?
While they are all made in China, the only trombone from Jin Bao is the basic alto, but, like all the JP instruments, it is checked before it leaves the warehouse.
They do their own designs for the instruments and on the higher grade models they have some input from the likes of Mick Rath on the trombones, Paul Riggett of Sterling Musical Instruments on the tubas, euphoniums and brass band horns, while Smith-Watkins and Andy Taylor have helped with the trumpets and cornets.
Check them out, many people have been amazed.

Cheers and stay safe

Stewbones43

[TromboneOwner]

First post for a loooong time

About two years ago I started to play trombone and then moved “down” to bass trombone, as the market in Stockholm, Sweden, had many windows of opportunity for a Bass player and I used to play Bass trombone for 40 (!) years ago. Since then I´ve played trumpet and tuba for many years but it has been great fun to start with something new (at my age…).

As we all know brass playing is a bit of an “material sport” and it took me a while to find a Bass that worked for me; the Wessex PBF565:

https://europe.wessex-tubas.com/product ... one-pbf565

I have tried almost every make and model of Basses the last year including professional instruments from Rath, Edwards, Shires, Getzen, Yamaha, Jupiter, Olds, Conn. The Wessex is (by far) the most ergonomic and “easy to play” bass I´ve tried. The overall weight is much lower than other dual valves, great balance, no problem at all to play for a couple of hours.

My only concern is that the slide on the Wessex is a bit on the heavy side compared with my Yamaha YBL-822G, Douglas Yeo horn. The slide is excellent ,10 of 10, its just a bit on the heavy side.

The PBF565 is the horn that Chris Stearn have been involved in and, according to Wessexs, its “A professional hand-made bass trombone…”

Works great for me so far, I have had for about 3 months. Took some “bending” to make the finger lever comfy, but works great now. Excellent valves, no problems at all with "stuffiness" in the lower register.

If you are tired of heavy bass horns with complicated valves I suggest you give it a try

All the best, be careful out there…

//LL

[FOSSIL]

First post for a loooong time

About two years ago I started to play trombone and then moved “down” to bass trombone, as the market in Stockholm, Sweden, had many windows of opportunity for a Bass player and I used to play Bass trombone for 40 (!) years ago. Since then I´ve played trumpet and tuba for many years but it has been great fun to start with something new (at my age…).

As we all know brass playing is a bit of an “material sport” and it took me a while to find a Bass that worked for me; the Wessex PBF565:

https://europe.wessex-tubas.com/product ... one-pbf565

I have tried almost every make and model of Basses the last year including professional instruments from Rath, Edwards, Shires, Getzen, Yamaha, Jupiter, Olds, Conn. The Wessex is (by far) the most ergonomic and “easy to play” bass I´ve tried. The overall weight is much lower than other dual valves, great balance, no problem at all to play for a couple of hours.

My only concern is that the slide on the Wessex is a bit on the heavy side compared with my Yamaha YBL-822G, Douglas Yeo horn. The slide is excellent ,10 of 10, its just a bit on the heavy side.

The PBF565 is the horn that Chris Stearn have been involved in and, according to Wessexs, its “A professional hand-made bass trombone…”

Works great for me so far, I have had for about 3 months. Took some “bending” to make the finger lever comfy, but works great now. Excellent valves, no problems at all with "stuffiness" in the lower register.

If you are tired of heavy bass horns with complicated valves I suggest you give it a try

All the best, be careful out there…

//LL

Nice to hear such a positive response. A lot of thought went into that one. I built the prototype up by hand and can assure everyone that the brass used is the same to work with as that from America and England...it's brass. That instrument is made in the custom shop at JinBao.
China is not just a political regime it's people too. Bit like America.
I am sad to see some of the ignorant bile that has been vented in this thread. I hoped we were above that.
Wessex are keen , honest and want to please. Nobody is perfect and neither are brass instruments. They offer great value at a lower price point than many other suppliers. You pay your money and take your chances... with anybody.

Chris

[LeTromboniste]

can assure everyone that the brass used is the same to work with as that from America and England...it's brass. That instrument is made in the custom shop at JinBao.
China is not just a political regime it's people too. Bit like America.
I am sad to see some of the ignorant bile that has been vented in this thread. I hoped we were above that.
Wessex are keen , honest and want to please. Nobody is perfect and neither are brass instruments. They offer great value at a lower price point than many other suppliers. You pay your money and take your chances... with anybody.

Chris

Yes! Always a bit annoying when we talk about Chinese products that the discussion inevitably goes to armchair geopolitics....

The "cheap materials" always makes me laugh. Theres probably about 100$ worth of raw material in a professional trombone. The difference in price is probably everything *except* materials.

[JohnL]

Remember, folks - just because it's made in China doesn't necessarily mean it's a Jin Bao. There's other instrument factories in China, and most of the importers/distributors/retailers go to some effort to obscure the name of the manufacturer (and even the country of origin). One result of this is that the bad apples (are there are indeed more than a few) do tend to influence people's impression of the entire class. Heck, some of the "instrument shaped objects" aren't even made in China, but their murky provenance means that China in general and Jin Bao in particular gets the blame for them, too.

I'm still waiting for a line of brass instruments that isn't just made in China, but is proudly Chinese. It's got a Chinese name on it (trust me - if it's a good instrument, us westerners will learn how to pronounce the name), the badging is in both Chinese and western characters, and it is ready to take on the world.

[BGuttman]

...

I'm still waiting for a line of brass instruments that isn't just made in China, but is proudly Chinese. It's got a Chinese name on it (trust me - if it's a good instrument, us westerners will learn how to pronounce the name), the badging is in both Chinese and western characters, and it is ready to take on the world.

I think this is why Eastman bought both Haynes Flutes and Shires Brass. Bring world class craftsmen in to teach them how to make good instruments. Reminds me of Yamaha getting guidance from Renold Schilke. Before his guidance Yamaha trombones weren't considered that good.

[Basbasun]

" Reminds me of Yamaha getting guidance from Renold Schilke. Before his guidance Yamaha trombones weren't considered that good."

Actually Yamaha made excelent trombones some years before they was considered that good.

[JohnL]

" Reminds me of Yamaha getting guidance from Renold Schilke. Before his guidance Yamaha trombones weren't considered that good."

Actually Yamaha made excelent trombones some years before they was considered that good.

Schilke started working with Yamaha in the mid-1960's and it did, indeed, take several years for Yamaha to "make the climb". Some of that was developing new designs and improving manufacturing quality, but it also took a while to overcome Yamaha's previously dubious reputation.

Getzen went through a period when their trombones were not considered good; when the Getzen brothers bought the company back, its reputation was pretty bad. The turnaround took less time than Yamaha's, but it didn't happen overnight.

[Tremozl]

I won't buy anything Chinese again after this whole coronavirus business, not as much as I can help it, at least.

Bet you will!

I bet you're right, but

I won't buy anything Chinese again after this whole coronavirus business, not as much as I can help it, at least.

------

Nice to hear such a positive response. A lot of thought went into that one. I built the prototype up by hand and can assure everyone that the brass used is the same to work with as that from America and England...it's brass. That instrument is made in the custom shop at JinBao.
China is not just a political regime it's people too. Bit like America.
I am sad to see some of the ignorant bile that has been vented in this thread. I hoped we were above that.
Wessex are keen , honest and want to please. Nobody is perfect and neither are brass instruments. They offer great value at a lower price point than many other suppliers. You pay your money and take your chances... with anybody.

Chris

I recognize you want to defend a brand you've worked on but you've said nothing as to the labour practices of Jinbao or the like, and also, the brass itself doesn't seem to be the problem that these horns have. The Jinbao bass trombone I have has completely peeled on various parts with contact with my skin within about 6 months, the finish on the mouthpiece rim has peeled, and the F trigger's spring started dying within about a year, let alone that both valves love to get stuck in the open position. Pretty much all the instrument techs in the area I live also refuse to work on such horns, which adds to its problem.

I have a lot more I could say about how supporting Chinese businesses supports the regime and the country as a whole, but I don't need to go a lot further than just that sentence. Seems to be a touchy subject.

In the end you get what you pay for. I know I did.

[bbocaner]

Some of them are very good. Quality construction, materials, design. Some of them are no better than any other Jin-Bao stenciled instrument. Depends on the model. The instruments that Wessex has done extensive design work and development on tend to be better instruments than the ones they've just chosen out of Jin Bao's catalog and put their name on. The "handmade" instruments are quite good. Most of the tubas are excellent. A few of the trombones I really like. The reproduction historic instruments, they really don't understand. I bought one of the quinticlaves just because it's impossible to find an original and it cost more than the instrument's price to have a qualified tech make it playable, but it still isn't fantastic. I wouldn't touch the sackbuts at all. The euphonium isn't bad. Some of them have little quality issues - I got a tuba from them that was really excellent except one of the stays looked like it got all chewed up by a pair of pliers when it was getting put together (pre-plating) and the silver plating wasn't really well buffed in some of the harder-to-reach corners of the instrument, but it's a very good tuba otherwise. Someone I know who liked their tubas ordered a cimbasso from them and found it to be completely unusable from both a design perspective and a quality perspective. Post-sales service is mixed, they're a nice group of people and they are trying to support their customers and sometimes they get it right and sometimes things fall through the cracks.

[Mikebmiller]

If you want something that is less expensive than Bach, Conn, etc, but still well made, give the JP instruments a try. I got their cheapest alto last summer and a model 274 euph recently and both are excellent.

[bbocaner]

you've said nothing as to the labour practices of Jinbao or the like, and also, the brass itself doesn't seem to be the problem that these horns have. The Jinbao bass trombone I have has completely peeled on various parts with contact with my skin within about 6 months, the finish on the mouthpiece rim has peeled, and the F trigger's spring started dying within about a year, let alone that both valves love to get stuck in the open position. Pretty much all the instrument techs in the area I live also refuse to work on such horns, which adds to its problem.

I have a lot more I could say about how supporting Chinese businesses supports the regime and the country as a whole, but I don't need to go a lot further than just that sentence. Seems to be a touchy subject.

In the end you get what you pay for. I know I did.

With all due respect, you seem to have another jin-bao made instrument and not a wessex, right? Yeah, a lot of these stencil brands all come out of the same factory but they are not always all equal. I don't remember who said this, or I'd give them credit -- but basically with Chinese factories, they are really good at giving you exactly the quality you are willing to pay for. Want a trombone and can only pay $100? They will find the appropriate corners to cut so that you get exactly that. $500? $1000? It might outwardly look the same but they will figure out how to build to that price point and will spend more time on details, or on hand-hammering or better finishing or whatever.

And the quality problems you mention -- I've seen some of the exact same things on expensive European instruments.

You think American factories take great care of their workers? Some do, but look up Conn-Selmer on employee review sites like glassdoor or indeed sometime. While there are some workers that are happy, you'll find many others that complain about poor safety standards, antiquated machines, hard physical labor, getting fired after getting hurt on the job - and so and and so on.

Not all chinese companies are state-owned, many of them are private businesses or listed on stock exchanges.

[norbie2018]

I have found that I must take positive and negative reviews online with a huge grain of salt. One is uncertain of who is actually doing the posting and what their motivations are.

Chinese parts are in so many products today - they have been for years now - that it would be practically impossible to boycott them even if you wanted to. Could you imagine trying to find an automobile for instance without some Chinese made parts? Your boycott would lead to walking.

I tried a couple wessex trombones and wasn't impressed and ultimately (years later) ended up with an Edwards trombone, fit right at the factory. Would I try another wessex? Not any time soon, but that's because I own a modular instrument that can be altered by a simple trip to the factory, not because of any qualms with ordering a Chinese made instrument.

[Mv2541]

I have found that I must take positive and negative reviews online with a huge grain of salt. One is uncertain of who is actually doing the posting and what their motivations are.

Chinese parts are in so many products today - they have been for years now - that it would be practically impossible to boycott them even if you wanted to. Could you imagine trying to find an automobile for instance without some Chinese made parts? Your boycott would lead to walking.

I tried a couple wessex trombones and wasn't impressed and ultimately (years later) ended up with an Edwards trombone, fit right at the factory. Would I try another wessex? Not any time soon, but that's because I own a modular instrument that can be altered by a simple trip to the factory, not because of any qualms with ordering a Chinese made instrument.

I think it's pretty obvious Wessex and Edwards are competitors in the same market space. If you are a player who can discern between and afford custom instruments, then you need not look at Wessex. They aren't getting endorsement from members of big American orchestras, nor are they getting any use there outside a budget horn for doubling. The great thing is, they don't need to; they can have a successful business selling cheaper instruments to those who benefit from it.

If you were not a musician and wanted to dabble in learning flute, you would not shop Haynes- you'd probably slam 'flute' into the Amazon search box and have a Chinese instrument in 2 days (white gloves included). That person doesn't (yet) need (nor would benefit from) a Haynes, or maybe even a Yamaha student model. They spent $100 on what flutists would call garbage, but to them it is money spent on a creative outlet that used to have a pretty expensive up front cost. If they find a passion for it and have the means, they can upgrade in the future to their comfort level (since the market has instruments in seemingly every price range now).

Purposely leaving politics aside, companies like Wessex fill a necessary place in the market. It's not like Bach student horns are made in the US, yet they get to be marketed at Conn Selmer products. Ditto for the base level Bessons coming from India. Cheap instruments make a normally expensive hobby/creative outlet accessable to a much wider portion of the population- and even if they don't become the next •insert name here•, they can become the person who buys their books, CDs, and who spends money and time seeing live performances, and ultimately this is what enables the art to have a place in our world.

[LeTromboniste]

I would argue beginners do benefit (perhaps the most) from a quality instrument. A bad instrument can really hold your development back, already early on. I don't think 100$ cheap no name instruments are a valid alternative to an instrument by a good established maker of student instruments like Yamaha (or a used intermediate horn). Of course Wessex isn't selling 100$ instruments either. Their prices are well within the intermediate or lower-tier professional instruments range many of their instruments.

[Vegasbound]

I would argue beginners do benefit (perhaps the most) from a quality instrument. A bad instrument can really hold your development back, already early on. I don't think 100$ cheap no name instruments are a valid alternative to an instrument by a good established maker of student instruments like Yamaha (or a used intermediate horn). Of course Wessex isn't selling 100$ instruments either. Their prices are well within the intermediate or lower-tier professional instruments range many of their instruments.

All Yamaha instruments below the 600 series are made in China

[Splendour]

Their Bass Sackbut is a pretty decent F bass trombone, but I'l agree it's not a period instrument.
I like mine and it got fairly regular use at live roleplay events before the lockdown.

A couple of Tuba players of my acquaintance swear by their Wessex Eb basses.

[LeTromboniste]

I would argue beginners do benefit (perhaps the most) from a quality instrument. A bad instrument can really hold your development back, already early on. I don't think 100$ cheap no name instruments are a valid alternative to an instrument by a good established maker of student instruments like Yamaha (or a used intermediate horn). Of course Wessex isn't selling 100$ instruments either. Their prices are well within the intermediate or lower-tier professional instruments range many of their instruments.

All Yamaha instruments below the 600 series are made in China

Yes, and there's no problem with that. But better buy a Yamaha 354 than a 200$ trombone shaped object, regardless where either of them is made, is my point.

[Bach42t]

Hey, some Shires are made in China now. Wessex can't be that bad. It's arguable given Wessex reputation for quality, but Shires parts and a repair person to fix are probably a lot easier to come by than a Wessex. I have actually been on the fence and off the fence on the 7B copy, PBF562. I'm surprised the price hasn't increased with all of the tariffs, trade war and chest thumping. I think the only thing keeping me from pulling the trigger IS the fact that an American/Japanese/French/German/European trombone is going to hold it's value much better, but it's all kind of relative. Ultimately, I can get a used Conn or Yamaha bass, of course may not look all that great but who cares. I can give it a tune up, get the dings removed, add in a slide job, help out my local music store at the same time and bring a closet beater back to life. There are probably enough trombones already in existence to support current market consumption.

[hyperbolica]

... I think the only thing keeping me from pulling the trigger IS the fact that an American/Japanese/French/German/European trombone is going to hold it's value much better,...

Let's say you lose 25% of anything by walking it out of the showroom. If you lose 25% of a $6000 horn that's $1500. The Wessex bass is only $1000 to begin with.

[Bach42t]

... I think the only thing keeping me from pulling the trigger IS the fact that an American/Japanese/French/German/European trombone is going to hold it's value much better,...

Let's say you lose 25% of anything by walking it out of the showroom. If you lose 25% of a $6000 horn that's $1500. The Wessex bass is only $1000 to begin with.

That is a strong argument. A $1,000 is very cheap for a bass trombone, especially with a design of a model that is long in the tooth so that existing models have some fair amount of wear and tear (baring the closet queens).

I come with some bias and strong urge for dropping $6,000 on a Bach 50BOF, a factory Bach Bass with Open Flow valves. I would do it without blinking an eye on any thoughts of depreciation out the door.