Looking to buy a besson

[Clockwork]

In my opinion eBay is a great place to start, there's probably a Sovereign on there for about $4000, but you won't find one for much cheaper. Some other sites to check for used horns are:
Horn Stash (where I got my Sovereign 968)
Dillon Music-they have some Willsons on there which are also top of the line horns. Good luck!

[davewerden]

I just added a Sovereign 967 in the For Sale section:

http://www.dwerden.com/forum/showthr...-Sovereign-967

[Snorlax]

Hi...I'm always open to negotiation ;-)
Where do you live? Can't recall. I'm on the south side of Indianapolis.
Every time I've sold an instrument, I have given a discount for driving to
try it and for paying with cash.
Jim

[Megsmom]

Hey Jim, we are in Plainfield Illinois. I thought I saw a post of yours stating $4200 and we are pretty far from that price right now. Unless you have dropped your price, I'm not sure us even driving out to you would be enough. Too bad she didn't take up the flute- these instruments are just so expensive!!! Ha!

[davewerden]

For the record, Jim's Besson is roughly equivalent to a Haynes flute, which run from about $3,500 to $80,000 new.

[jskline5]

@Megsmom.
Check Ebay again today, 2/2/16. (I don't know how to post links, sorry) But if you adjust your euphonium search to "newly listed", just yesterday, and this morning, two Besson euphs were posted, both from Texas. One is pretty beat up, and has a school owned history, but as far as Vintage Bessons go, I would bet it would be worth the additional repair costs to get it restored. But the other one is even priced for less and looks to be in better shape. This is obviously a motivated seller, his tag line is "fast shipping". You should be prepared to have ANY horn serviced after buying it from ebay, but I haven't seen a silver plate new standard from the late sixties go for as little as $2200 in a long time. One other thing to think about would be acquiring a euro bore (medium shank) mouthpiece to properly fit the horn. It looks to my eye that there is an adapter possibly "stuck" in the receiver.

Good Luck!

[Megsmom]

I'm showing my lack of knowledge! Thanks, I'm growing in knowledge each day!!

[davewerden]

Here is the Besson mentioned above (it's also in a new listing in For Sale):

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1968-1969-Be...-/351644263793

[NLewis]

Wilson in interesting condition for sale at around the same price point. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Willson-Mode...gAAOSw5dNWroYH

[jskline5]

Thanks for providing the link Dave. However, NLewis, that Willson scares me. I wonder what you think, Dave? I would guess that those pinholes are a result of a chem clean gone bad (which is to say when it wasn't fully flush cleaned out, and the chemicals were allowed to remain sealed up inside the horn after it was stored). Leaks so near the valve cluster means that whatever attacked the brass on the tuning slide bows probably has attacked the valves as well. That is a tall order for even the most skilled repair guy. Patching isn't enough. A serious consult from the likes of Anderson Silver plating would be where I would start. Although it would be interesting to see what they said....
The fact that Quinn calls it a "bugaboo", is a severe understatement. He says "It looks weird, so we slashed the price". For me, while I wouldn't consider the horn garbage in this condition, a full scale restoration would be the only way to preserve the sound in that specific horn that the Willson is known for. And possibly, it really will only have value as a "parts" horn. In my mind, Quinn shouldn't be asking any more than $150. And even then, I wouldn't buy it.
At least on the more beat up Besson New Standard also recently listed, the damage seems more straight forward. They are still asking too much considering condition, but Soldering, dent work, and buffing (while not cheap), will help preserve and improve the value of that horn. Its biggest flaw is the valve condition. That may also take a replating service, but that is different from needing to do the entire horn. The better Besson that Dave provided a link for, still has valve condition as a mystery. However the plating wear that that horn exhibits isn't in an area affecting playing condition, and can be cosmetically managed with a hand hold strap or cover.

[davewerden]

I personally would not bite on the oddball Willson. First, I think the appearance might begin to bother whoever gets it eventually. And second, while the sealer applied may do the job for now, I suspect at some point it will need to be stripped off and re-applied, and I'd also worry about more leaks that may develop later here or in other places. Note that this horn has been listed several times over many months. There is a return policy in place, and I have to wonder if it has been sold once or twice only to be returned.

[EuphGuy]

That Willson appears to have a bad case of red-rot. My guess is that whoever played it had some corrosive body chemistry. The bar behind the valves also has some pretty severe wear in the silver plate where the hand touches....which would be more evidence of that in my mind. IMO, that horn is toast.

[Dennis]

I have a sovereign 967 that is in absolutely pristine condition (silver plate). I used it for playing in local concert bands, however for the last several years all I do is take it out every so often to oil her up and play for a bit. I am the original owner. I also have several vintage Besson Imperials & New Standards in very nice shape (also in silver plate). Most are large bore & two of them are Euro bore. It's probably time to start thinning out my collection. I live in Upstate NY.... If you can make the trip, your daughter could play / try out any one of the collection and see which one she prefers.

[Clockwork]

Dennis is right. Let your daughter try some euphoniums before you buy. Even if you have her try them new at a music store it would be a big help. Find which horn is right for her. Don't rule out the Willson 2900/2950 or even the Yamaha 842s (although finding the 2950/842 used is quite difficult) I'd recommend having her try those two brands as well as Besson. I also think Sterling is a good choice if you can get your hands on one. Once again good luck!

[Megsmom]

I can't thank you all enough for your support and suggestions!!