Re: Willson 3400 VS Besson 983


[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ TubeNet BBS ] [ FAQ ]

Posted by Jim on March 03, 2004 at 20:20:26:

In Reply to: Willson 3400 VS Besson 983 posted by Chase Conley on March 03, 2004 at 16:41:09:

I play a Willson 3400 and have played the 983 a few times. I can only echo what others have said about them as they are two very different instruments. I hear all the time about how heavy the willson is and I agree that it feels heavy but I wonder if it is somewhat of an illusion because I was on the Besson web site and the specs of the 981 put it within ounces of the Willson. They list the 3400 at 21 pounds and mine weighs in right at 21 pounds. That is pretty heavy but I think what makes it feel heavy is the way some have to hold the horn because of the high mouthpipe. I hold mine cradled between my knees off the chair to get the mouthpipe where I want it. I personally like the 5 valve arrangement compared to the 983 compensating system and for me it makes switching back and forth with a 5 valve CC tuba much easier because the valve combinations are similar. The 3400 is more of an all around tuba and is capable of sounding big but I also think it can be a very capable solo instrument.

The 983 Besson is also a very good instrument. They are smaller and a lot lighter than the 3400. The upper register was easier for me to hit high notes on the besson than on the Willson but the difference at least with my 3400 was very small. I would recommend buying a hard shell case for the 983 if you go that route because the ones I have encountered are very dent prone. A friend owned one for a few years and it seemed to dent just from the weight of it on itself in a gig bag. My teacher actually plays a 983 that is silver and it is losing plating in large sections. I am not knocking the 983 just my experince appears that there are some quality controls issues to be aware of.

My friend and I did a comparison between the 983 and the 3400 a couple years ago in a church which was really nice because we were both able to listen to both horns and compare projection and overall sound and then play them to get the feel of the horns in a larger playing area. My friend was trying to decide on which one to buy and he had his choice of bot the 3400 and the 983 used. We found that the 983 sounded better up close to the players ears but also did not project that sound to the back of the room like he was hoping it would. The Willson had much more projection than the 983 and could be heard very clearly to the back of the church. We both chose the Willson as the winner of the comparison but only because it more closely matched the sound we were looking for.

I can't wait to try the new Miraphone because I think it is an Eb to the F tuba style and should be a great solo horn. Mr. Baadsvik sounds really great on his. I always thought he was playing an F till I read about his new tuba. I may consider selling my CC and get that as a solo horn and just play 2 Eb tubas one big and one smaller.

Good luck with your search.






Follow Ups: