FS: Besson Sovereign 967 in Lacquer

[davewerden]

Here's a nice 967 for those looking for a euphonium with a big sound. Condition looks very nice. See the seller's description below the photos. Starting bid is $3,500 and there is a Make-Offer button.

ITEM SOLD FOR $3,500

https://www.ebay.com/itm/223596997932?ViewItem=&item=223596997932

I'm selling my Besson 967 Sovereign Compensating Euphonium. The instrument is in excellent playing condition. Lacquer is in great shape. There are a few minor blemishes on the horn, a small dent in the bottom bow, and an acid bleed on the bell, next to the rim. I've tried to capture the flaws in the photos. I'm a trombone professor at a regional university. My original duties included teaching tuba and euphonium. We now have a dedicated low brass teacher. As such, I no longer have need for the instrument. This is an excellent professional quality instrument. It has a great sound, slots easily, and plays well in tune.

[davewerden]

Updated URL in the original listing now.

[jkircoff]

This looks to be a Besson manufactured before they moved to Germany. Many Besson euphoniums of the late 90s and early 2000s had quality issues while the company was experiencing financial difficulty. My first professional euphonium was a Besson Sovereign 967 manufactured in 2002, and it developed a lot of red rot along with having very sharp intonation in the 5th partial and higher. Any potential buyer would be wise to ask for the serial number and find out when this euphonium was made.

[davewerden]

James,
It does appear to be a British horn. However, given that, there were both good and not-so-good horns made then. If this were the latter, I assume we'd see signs of red rot, which is very easy to spot on a lacquered horn. Perhaps this was made on a Wednesday instead of a Friday or Monday!

[daruby]

Ater selling my 2007 Prestige 2051, I bought a 2001 967 in silver for around $3,500. The horn was in superb shape, everything about it was perfect, valves were good, and it played well. I ended up having a leftover York Eminence leadpipe grafted in (written about elsewhere) and gold plated Prestige trim (buttons, etc.) added to it. After the leadpipe swap the horn that was equivalent to the 2052 Prestige sans trigger. I ended up trading the horn in at around my purchase price to purchase my Adams.

My point is that aside from some know issues with these horns (6th partial tuning and a bit awkward lead pipe position), there were no build issues whatever with this particular horn. However, a friends 2052 Prestige that was just 3 serial numbers from mine was a veritable junk pile. So YMMV applies.

Doug