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Mighty Quinn has an Open Box Wilson 5V Eb in silver for sale. I can probably raise the money by the end of the month for that. It's tempting; their physical presence is near where I have to go anyway so I could play test it. Does anyone have playing experience with this horn?

In no particular order:
1. Will it hold its value as well or better than, say, a Jupiter or and Eastman?
2. How is the second line F and the octave down?
3. How about E natural?
4. Does it slot well?
5. Can you bend notes that aren't spot on lipping it up or down?
6. Is it convenient to get the water out quickly?
7. Is it light enough for a big but old guy to lift it off the floor next to the chair repeatedly? My shoulders are still OK.
8. Is is tall enough to be a problem in really tight stage situations?
9. How does intonation change with temperature? I sometimes have to play outdoors when it's cold and windy.
10. How does it do in the upper register? I'm often asked to play 3rd trombone parts.
Some will be answered when I play test it but that's not the same as living with it for a while on various gigs.

One of my favorite Eb tubas of all time, but it feels like an elephant sitting in your lap. Very heavy

For a fantastic Eb tuba that is actually light, look at a miraphone Norwegian star

Wilson Eb's tubas, including that model are some of not the best Eb's out there. Both the larger and more compact front action piston tubas are very good.

Ie the are the Pinnacle or competing the the very best.

Personally, I think the Eb's that Wilson makes are the best key of tuba they make. Of course the other key signature tubas are good too, just not as much as their Eb's.

But, try it out first. If you never played any Wilson before. Just in case you have different tastes than I do.

Gets mentioned in this thread too. Best Eb tubas thread.
https://www.tubaforum.net/viewtopic.php ... it=Willson

Love the 3400C, but the big 3400 is also really really good. To answer some of your questions:

1) Absolutely it will hold value better than those brands.

2) F’s are in tune

3) Also in tune although all 5 pedal E will warrant a slide pull

4) Yes

5) Yes

6) Pull the slides and dump.

7) Yeah, the 3400C will be better in that regard. They are heavy tubas compared to other Eb or F’s.

8) Nah. My 3200 F is fine.

9) As with any tuba, temperature will change pitch. Just push or pull slides as needed.

10) It was as good as you could want. Pick the right mouthpiece and it’ll be fine. Although I own a Willson F, the Eb isn’t any harder to play up there.

I’ve owned 3 3400’s. Two silver, one lacquer. One of the silver I liked better than the other. It was in better shape and had been better cared for before I owned it. I own the lacquer one right now (I’ve actually never seen another lacquer one in person). I like it the best of all three (it’s also in the best condition at “very near mint”). Very fun to play, in tune, responsive, lovely big sound.

I have the 3400S-FA5 in lacquer which is the Gabriel Capet Eb and the one they seem to have currently at Quinn.

Has a lovely singing tone up high. This and its intonation and compact size are what sold me on it. It is a little brighter than the Norwegian Star.

It collects water in a couple places that don’t have water keys in the 3rd and 4th valve loops so I have developed what I call the “Willson Flip” to empty the horn - basically turn it 90 degrees to the left, tilt it a little towards me, then back vertical then open the keys. I had valves 3 & 4 vented by @unclebeer which helps too.

Valve springs from the factory are super heavy. From what I read most folks swap them out. I’ve done this. I hadn’t played a 4-valve horn in nearly 40 years when I got this one and building up pinky strength has been a challenge for me but I am getting there.

Intonation is really tight so it really wants you to use the 4th and 5th valves. I do find I need to move the 1st valve slide a little between the high F and lower notes.

Mouthpiece receiver is huge! Typical American shank mouthpieces just about disappear or are loose. I got adapter from Thomann for now which lets me use the mouthpieces I have. Eventually I will try to find something more suitable. Currently playing it with a TU-23. I have a couple of Hellebergs also and maybe sound a little better on the larger one but don’t particularly like the rim.

As @LeMark says it is heavy for its size, perhaps around 22 lbs. He’s about a foot taller than I am (me: 5’7”) so in my case it mostly rest on the chair. But I am reminded of it when I pick it up.

The bell stack is pretty short, I think around 32”. I play in a five piece group of multi-instrumentalists and usually have acoustic guitar, electric bass, and a vocal mic so its compact size is a plus.

I ended up getting a Cronkhite bag for mine, though it was the one they have for a Conn 52J and it swims in it a little.

There are a couple more of these at Baltimore Brass last I checked also.

Good luck!

Eric

The 3400 FA 5 is my against absolute dream tuba. There is no way I could ever justify the price for my needs though.

The compact, Capet Model, that you are looking at is an excellent horn. They are a little punchier than the larger Erickson model, but have a killer high register. I think the Capet really sounds more like a squat F tuba stretched to Eb (think YFB-822 or Petruschka). It's light but has some power in the low register that's hard to find in some F tubas.
I am a stocky 6'2" and found it very comfortable resting on top of my leg. While they are heavy, the smaller size makes it a little less cumbersome. They don't come with a bag or case, but I believe that this would fit in a Petruschka gig bag.

FWIW there's also a used, lacquer 3400FA5 Erickson Model at Tuba Exchange.
https://www.tubaexchange.com/collection ... 4-4-f-tuba

I am not sure why the link shows a 3200...

I have had my Erickson for about two years and it is a well loved horn. I bought it for a good price with its condition in consideration. Frankly it's the breadwinner in my stable and is a true do-it-all horn. I prefer the wider and more colorful sound that the Erickson has over the Capet personally. I think that the larger can work better as a contrabass substitute for lighter settings, but with a shallower mouthpiece can be a light bass tuba.

aarongsmith wrote: Tue May 13, 2025 12:52 pmFWIW there's also a used, lacquer 3400FA5 Erickson Model at Tuba Exchange.
https://www.tubaexchange.com/collection ... 4-4-f-tuba

I am not sure why the link shows a 3200...

I have had my Erickson for about two years and it is a well loved horn. I bought it for a good price with its condition in consideration. Frankly it's the breadwinner in my stable and is a true do-it-all horn. I prefer the wider and more colorful sound that the Erickson has over the Capet personally. I think that the larger can work better as a contrabass substitute for lighter settings, but with a shallower mouthpiece can be a light bass tuba.

Cool to see another 3400 in lacquer. Maybe someone fixed the link. Looks right now, (I think…). Pretty good price, too! The point Aaron makes about the mouthpieces is a good one. Some tubas seem to like very specific mouthpieces. The 3400 seems to be more flexible in this regard in that you can plug in different pieces to get different sounds to good effect, at least that’s been my experience.

Willson lists the weight as almost 22 lbs: https://www.willson.ch/en/instrument/wi ... 400-ta-4-0

Seeing what these have been going for used lately, and considering their relative scarcity, under $7k for that TE tuba seems like a pretty good deal. They play great but are a bit heavy.

One of my big gripes with the 3200 F (which I owned) was the downward-facing 4th valve slide. It looks like the 3400 Eb has an upward-facing 4th valve slide, based on the pic. Can anyone who has one confirm?

The 3400 does have an upper 4th.

One of the many things I like about my present Martin Eb 4V is its weight at 14.bs.without mouthpeice. An extra 8-9 lbs for the Wilson is something to consider. I hope to play-test it in about 2 weeks if they haven't sold by then. That will tell if I feel up to hefting it repeatedly.