TromboneChat

Hello forums!
I was wondering if anyone here has had any experience with the Wessex marching euphoniums or just Wessex instruments in general. I noticed that they’re on the cheaper side but I wasn’t completely sure if they’re low quality or anything since the reviews I’ve seen are kind of all over the place.

pipperz wrote: ↑Sun Dec 10, 2023 1:48 am...the reviews I’ve seen are kind of all over the place.

Might just be an indication that the quality is also all over the place...

I've played their 4v compensating baritone & bass trombone.
The baritone was great. The bone was OK, but I found it hard to hold!

You get what you pay for. If you need a beater valve instrument for parades and such, and are okay with a low/middle quality instrument then go for it. If you want something on a budget that will play pretty well, keep an eye out for a used YBH-301M or King 1127.

I've had good and bad Wessex. Some were very good and some have been disappointing. No experience with the marching instruments. Used name brand instruments are about the same price and will probably last longer and play better .

Wessex concert euphoniums and tubas came to fame because they combined legit R&D with better than average QC from Chinese factories. It’s safe to say that most of their other horns are stencils of varying quality, and that goes for their marching horns. Buyer beware.

Regarding marching horns: if you HAVE to get a bellfront one, the Yamaha YBH-301M is the only one I would recommend. Every marching euphonium in existence is heavy, dull-sounding and out-of-tune: not worth it unless you’re specifically using one in a section of 24 horns in a drum corps (and even then, nothing wrong with a section of Yamaha baris!).