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Thread: New Besson 2051 Prestige

  1. New Besson 2051 Prestige

    So...I checked with Arnie Williams to see if he was still selling his new Buffet/Besson 2051 Prestige. He was, so I bought it. It is a beautiful horn. After I have played it for a while, I will provide a detailed comparison with my 27 year old Sovereign.

    More later....

    Doug
    Adams E3 0.60 Sterling bell - Prototype top sprung valves
    Concord Band
    Winchendon Winds
    Townsend Military Band

  2. #2

    New Besson 2051 Prestige

    congrats my name is james and Im thinkin about the prestige lookin foward for your comparison.
    James Long
    Besson 2052
    SM3U
    Falcone Finalist
    Oakland University Brass Band

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    West Palm Beach, FL
    Posts
    3,853

    New Besson 2051 Prestige

    Congratulations Doug! Sounds nice.

    But now, you'll have to learn how to use your left thumb too, LOL.
    Rick Floyd
    Miraphone 5050 - Warburton BJ / RF mpc
    YEP-641S (recently sold)
    Doug Elliott - 102 rim; I-cup; I-9 shank


    "Always play with a good tone, never louder than lovely, never softer than supported." - author unknown.
    Symphonic Band of the Palm Beaches
    El Cumbanchero (Raphael Hernandez, arr. Naohiro Iwai)
    Chorale and Shaker Dance
    (John Zdechlik)

  4. #4

    New Besson 2051 Prestige

    Originally posted by: RickF
    But now, you'll have to learn how to use your left thumb too, LOL.
    Hey, that's no joke! I'm still getting used to using a trigger. Mostly it's habit by now, there are still times when my left hand confuses pushing the trigger with pressing the 4th valve (or vice versa).
    Dave Werden (ASCAP)
    Euphonium Soloist, U.S. Coast Guard Band, retired
    Adams Artist (Adams E3)
    Alliance Mouthpiece (DC3)
    YouTube: dwerden
    Facebook: davewerden
    Twitter: davewerden
    Instagram: davewerdeneuphonium

  5. #5

    New Besson 2051 Prestige

    Doug -- I will look forward to your update on the horn. I thought long and hard about selling the new Sovereign I bought, because I was unhappy with the my ability to get the extreme high range to slot consistently. I even took it to The Tuba Exchange and put it for sale on consignment. But after a few days I went and got it back because it is great fun to play and has a lovely sound -- I was missing it.

    I've got a recital to play next week, which will be on the Yamaha because of its high range security, so I have not been playing it much. But afterwards I am going to put a lot of time into playing the Sovereign.

    As an aside, I called Custom last week to see what a new Sterling like Dave plays costs. They quoted a price of $7,900, a huge runup because of the exchange rate woes of the dollar.

  6. New Besson 2051 Prestige

    Dave,

    Funny about that thumb/4th valve thing. I found myself pushing the tuning slide instead of the 4th valve a bunch yesterday when I first tried the horn. I thought it was just me.

    For John,

    I have not played the horn a great deal yet, but I can tell you that that the 2051 feels a bit more secure than my old 967 in the high range and I can play much softer in the high range.

    Doug
    Adams E3 0.60 Sterling bell - Prototype top sprung valves
    Concord Band
    Winchendon Winds
    Townsend Military Band

  7. #7

    New Besson 2051 Prestige

    I am soo jealous I can hardly type! (:-) I live within 100 miles, can I try it out?

    - Carroll
    Carroll Arbogast
    Piano Technician
    CMA Piano Care

  8. #8

    New Besson 2051 Prestige

    Doug -- for me the Sovereign has a very nice high B flat and C above the B flat. But I need a secure B natural and D above that. I could get the notes to lay down for me, but just not consistently. It may be me, or it may be a play-in issue, or both. I will find out. But those notes on the Yamaha just sing out nice as can be. The Sovereign also has a lovely soft response up high.

  9. New Besson 2051 Prestige

    Well all - A first report:

    I've just completed my second practice session on the Buffet/Besson 2051-2 Prestige. Keeping in mind that this is the smaller bell model, I have the following to say:

    1. Responsiveness - WOW! I can play softly at both low and high pitches with exquisite control, a beautiful tone, and nice pitch. Steven Mead claimed that the new horns were more responsive. I now believe it. While I cannot make comparisons with the Yamaha 842S's that I have played, I can say that in this respect it feels similar.

    2. Slotting of high notes - This is fine. High Gb and A (concert pitch) on my 967S were hard to center with the Wick 4AL. Not so here at all. The notes just come right out. High Bb, C, and Db are also secure.

    3. Valve Action - Again, wow! Everything I said about the Besson valves when I played the new 967S should be repeated. The valve action is amazingly quick, quiet, and when combined with the responsiveness of the horn, makes it hard to tell the differences between tongued and slurred running passages. The notes just pop out!

    4. Sound - OK...not as dark and rich as my old Sovereign. In fact, even the new Sovereign was not as dark. Instead, this horn (with its smaller 11.2" bell) reminds me of the Besson Imperial I played in college. It is a bit smoother and sweeter than my Sovereign. I still love the sound! My wife immediately could tell that the horn sounds great. I suspect that even with the lighter sound, I will have no problem in ensembles. The horn is still easy to control at high volume levels.

    5. Intonation - too soon to tell and I have not done an A/B with my old 967S and a tuner. I can tell that the trigger tames the 6th partial "G-beast" nicely. Allows me to center my embouchure on E-nat, F, and G. I am having coordination problems, however, sometimes hitting the tuning slide when I intend to press 4th valve (and vice-versa).

    That is all for now.

    Doug
    Adams E3 0.60 Sterling bell - Prototype top sprung valves
    Concord Band
    Winchendon Winds
    Townsend Military Band

  10. New Besson 2051 Prestige

    daruby says: "I am having coordination problems, however, sometimes hitting the tuning slide when I intend to press 4th valve (and vice-versa)."

    I am running into the same issue with my 2052. I think it's because I also have an F attachment trombone. One thing I've noticed, is that the valves are very fast and quiet, but my right forearm gets tired after playing anything fast or technical. Is there anything I could do to change this? Maybe the springs are too tight?
    --Trevor

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