Strange Wessex Contrabass Design

[brassmedic]

One of these came to my shop today. The slide couldn't be removed from the bell. When you tried to twist the slide out of the bell receiver, the slide rotated, but the tenon did not. I figured the slide tube had come unsoldered from the cork barrel assembly. I used a wedge tool to separate the slide tenon from the bell receiver, and examined the inner slide. Well it has those German style cork barrels where the whole cork barrel is threaded on and can be removed. BUT, it has a curved brace on the inner slide that is connected to the lower cork barrel. The result of this design is that the entire lower slide tube, with the tenon attached, can be unscrewed and removed from the brace. So this unsecured threaded connection is the only thing that holds the bell onto the slide. If it unscrews itself while you are playing, the bell just flops over to the side and you have no way to remove the slide from the bell. Well I couldn't think of any reason the slide tube needs to be removable, so I just soldered it in place. But why on earth would they design it that way?

[MStarke]

Interesting, thanks for sharing! I am always curious to learn about some of the unusual design decisions that appear. What's your overall impression of the build quality?

[Matt K]

Someone did some work on my Wessex alto awhile ago and there were a few other puzzling design choices though the parts themselves were reasonably solid. I’ll probably swap out the slide receiver and tenon with something else for similar reasons on it at some point

[brassmedic]

Interesting, thanks for sharing! I am always curious to learn about some of the unusual design decisions that appear. What's your overall impression of the build quality?

"But how was the play, Mrs. Lincoln?"

Kidding. But seriously, it was what you would expect. Looks OK, decent buffing job. But tuning slide not aligned well and finger lever has a flat spot where allen screw holds the paddle on which is completely in the wrong place. The paddle was at a very strange angle. I had to index the allen screw on the non flat part and hope that it holds. Cheap lacquer burned when I did the soldering. Tried to polish and touch it up, but the touch up lacquer dissolves the lacquer that's already on it and leaves ugly bubbled marks. Impossible to blend it in. Slide actually moves surprisingly well, though.

[Burgerbob]

Matt showed me the picture of the horn... I assumed it was supposed to be soldered at the factory and someone forgot. But still very strange to go through all the work of threading it.

[NotSkilledHere]

when the horn is modular but the modular part doesn't make sense being modular

[brassmedic]

Matt showed me the picture of the horn... I assumed it was supposed to be soldered at the factory and someone forgot. But still very strange to go through all the work of threading it.

I guess that's a possibility. Doesn't Getzen solder their threaded leadpipes in when they don't want them to be modular?

The top cork barrel has to be threaded because that's the slide lock. So if they're making them on a CNC machine, it might be easier to just make the bottom ones the same. That's the only thing I can think of.

[GabrielRice]

The top cork barrel has to be threaded because that's the slide lock. So if they're making them on a CNC machine, it might be easier to just make the bottom ones the same. That's the only thing I can think of.

I'm pretty sure both cork barrels of the Leuchter contra at BU are threaded on. But the left hand cross-brace is not connected to them.

[GabrielRice]

I'm looking at the photo on the Wessex website and trying to picture this...so you can unscrew the lower cork barrel from the receiver, and the entire remaining inner slide assembly will come with it? Both inner tubes and cork barrels?

[Burgerbob]

[brassmedic]

The top cork barrel has to be threaded because that's the slide lock. So if they're making them on a CNC machine, it might be easier to just make the bottom ones the same. That's the only thing I can think of.

I'm pretty sure both cork barrels of the Leuchter contra at BU are threaded on. But the left hand cross-brace is not connected to them.

Exactly, like Wessex combined two ideas that are each good when used alone (threaded cork barrels and curved brace) into one horrible idea.

[JohnL]

Nothing a few drops of Loctite® can't fix...

[NotSkilledHere]

that seems like the alignment of the inners will just....unalign at random and not realign properly after you screw it back on

[MStarke]

Interesting, thanks for sharing! I am always curious to learn about some of the unusual design decisions that appear. What's your overall impression of the build quality?

"But how was the play, Mrs. Lincoln?"

??? Seems like I am lost on this quote.

[Doug Elliott]

I was wondering if non-US people would get that.
Abraham Lincoln was shot while watching a play at Ford Theater in Washington DC.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassi ... am_Lincoln

“But other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?” It’s a joke so familiar to us that it’s become a shorthand way to refer to any situation in which someone is utterly missing the point.

[brassmedic]

I was wondering if non-US people would get that.
Abraham Lincoln was shot while watching a play at Ford Theater in Washington DC.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassi ... am_Lincoln

“But other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?” It’s a joke so familiar to us that it’s become a shorthand way to refer to any situation in which someone is utterly missing the point.

Yes, exactly. But I didn't think he was utterly missing the point. Just trying (maybe unsuccessfully) to make a joke. Like, you can't even remove the slide from the bell, but how was the build overall? Just my warped sense of humor.

[MStarke]

I was wondering if non-US people would get that.
Abraham Lincoln was shot while watching a play at Ford Theater in Washington DC.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassi ... am_Lincoln

“But other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?” It’s a joke so familiar to us that it’s become a shorthand way to refer to any situation in which someone is utterly missing the point.

Yes, exactly. But I didn't think he was utterly missing the point. Just trying (maybe unsuccessfully) to make a joke. Like, you can't even remove the slide from the bell, but how was the build overall? Just my warped sense of humor.

Thanks, got it now. There are some sayings that are not that obvious to non-Americans. And thanks also for your impressions on the overall build quality.

[ghmerrill]

Exactly, like Wessex combined two ideas that are each good when used alone (threaded cork barrels and curved brace) into one horrible idea.

Since (some years ago now) Wessex moved away from the broader model of selling Chinese-manufactured clones of well-known instruments (primarily tubas and euphoniums) and started also selling instruments of their own (?) design, a number of these have been quite successful. Others should be more properly regarded as "experimental" designs (which have had some short lifespans in the product line).

[Matt K]

It's a real shame their alto trombone is no longer offered. With a few tweaks it would have been a killer offering. It's MUCH better than the Slokar "clones" offered by JinBao. I'm anxiously awaiting mine being finished soonish but I have high hopes for it.

[Finetales]

It's a real shame their alto trombone is no longer offered. With a few tweaks it would have been a killer offering. It's MUCH better than the Slokar "clones" offered by JinBao. I'm anxiously awaiting mine being finished soonish but I have high hopes for it.

They discontinued the PE523 because they were gearing up to replace it with a new model with a valve. But that's right around the time they stopped caring about anything that wasn't a tuba, so that (and the PE455 soprano with F) evaporated.

At least they do still make that contrabass trombone so there is a cheap option that's playable.

As Wessex continues to move further upscale (in their fancier tuba offerings and especially in their overall pricing), I think there is now a space for a company to be what Wessex used to be - Chinese retailer that does QC and is very affordable (Mack Brass is still this), but sells unique stuff there is a market for and not just standard models from the Jinbao catalog.