1970's Besson

[jakez360]

I have an opportunity to purchase a 1970's era Besson 4 valve compensating euphonium for approximately$1200 and requires approximately $900 for a complete refurbish. Is $2100 a good deal for this horn?

[iRabb]

1970's Besson

Plenty of folks here are more expert than I. It sounds good enough to me, but wait until you hear from them. The reason I am writing is because you might be interested in this. I have no connection to the seller - I found it when I went to eBay to compare your price with the listings.

Ben

[davewerden]

1970's Besson

That was generally a decent vintage for Besson's as far as quanlity of build. The design itself was classic Besson, that is very well respected. Sound would be very good with a singing quality, but would not be quite as big or dark as many new horns. It would have the classic Besson intonation as well, which means the 6th partial would be very sharp, but otherwise intonation is pretty good. (For the 6th partial notes I used to use alternate fingerings - 13 for Eb, 24 for E, and 4 for F concert.)

I would seriously consider it if I were in your position, although I would want the refurb to include replacing the metal valve guides with plastic so the valves would be quieter.

I would consider this a better deal than the 765 listed above from eBay. But you might consider the 765 if you don't need the low register much, could settle for a slightly less mature sound, and would enjoy a light-weight horn to hold & carry around.

[fsung]

1970's Besson

I'm not sure the 765 is a good basis for comparison because it is a non-compensating horn. Additionally, the seller is located in Canada, so you need to add customs duty and international shipping charges to the price.

1970s era Besson New Standard and B&H Imperial four valve compensators typically sell in the $1000-1400 range on ebay, depending on condition and bidder interest. Silver horns tend to sell for more than lacquered ones, but that is not always the case.

I sold my large shank Besson New Standard 767, which was made in 1975, for $2000 at the US Army Tuba-Euph Conference earlier this year. That horn had approx. 80& of the original lacquer. Dillon Music had a late '60s/early '70s medium shank New Standard with approx. 50% of the original lacquer, which was bought for $2400, and Baltimore Brass had a mid-70s large shank New Standard with approx. 80% of the original lacquer priced a $2200. Although the last did not sell at the conference, it has since sold.

Unless the seller will also be doing the refurb, I would recommend that you have the horn inspected by a qualified repair tech for problems that may not be visible to the untrained or naked eye, such as red rot, out-of-round valve pistons and/or cases, poor valve compression, internal corrosion, esp, in the leadpipe and tuning slides, and get a second estimate on the cost of a full refurb.  Replacement parts for horns of this era can be hard (and expensive) to come by, and it is unlikely that the $900 figure includes correcting these defects

[hsmhp]

1970's Besson

I had a '69 Besson that I had overhauled and silver plated in 2004 (cost about $1000). A member of my euph section told me he thought it looked and played better than his nearly-new Sovereign.

I sold it on eBay two years ago for over $2600.