selling besson sovereign euphonium

[gaushell]

i inherited my dad's besson sovereign euphonium. I haven't played since high school and i hate to have it just sit around.

I have no idea how to estimate the value or where to share. Posting some photos here.

I know he had said about 5 years ago that he had it refurbished. but not sure of the extent.

the finish is worn but seems to be in good condition otherwise.

photos attached (i can get others as needed).

any guidance is appreciated.

[davewerden]

Welcome to the forum!

The first thing you might do is look through the for sale section here, looking to see which titles have "besson" in them and also have the green checkmark (that means they sold, and the sale price is usually listed).

Generally, $3k is about the low end for a horn that is in solid mechanical condition with no serious denting/distortion. High end might be around $5k, but I THINK the horn has a lot of brown spotting, which is often due to improper cleaning during assembly, so it probably would not hit that target.

You need to assess if all the valves work smoothly and all the slides move. That can be tough if the horn is not being played now, because things can freeze up a bit in storage, which is not a defect. But if you are a player you can probably check that out.

Is there a good (original) case included? That helps bolster the value.

Anyone else want to chime in?

[gaushell]

thank you! that's helpful. i'll dig into that forum. i also have his trombone, his marching trombone/bass trumpet as some call it, a trumpet and a very old cornet. I really want to see them go to someone that will appreciate and use them. wish i still played (but that's over 38 years ago!)

open to any and all advice.

thank you.

[Sara Hood]

Yeah, I was wondering if the spots on the bell could be cleaned off or not. Try some Windex and a soft cloth on them.

I also would be interested in the details of your trumpet. Send me a private message.

Old instruments interest me, so I would be interested in hearing the story of "a very old cornet," but probably not in a position to do anything but listen.

You know, if you wanted, it is never too late to get back into playing. We have several forum members who got back into it as seasoned adults. If it gave you joy before, and you have the time and interest, music can be yours again (smile).

- Sara

[bbocaner]

I believe what happened here is the lacquer developed pinholes which allowed air and perhaps other corrosive vapors underneath the lacquer to create these spots. You'd have to strip the lacquer off in order to polish the spots. And then have it re-lacquered if you wanted it to stay shiny. This does also happen sometimes with acid/flux used in soldering that gets trapped inbetween pieces or in the bead wire on the bell, not cleaned off properly during assembly, and then years later migrates out. But this would happen at or near spots where soldering occurred.

[tonewheeler]

If it functions well, just leave it alone and sell it as is. One of the best horns I ever played was my old Besson, until it was stolen many moons ago. The horn looked a little rough, but it sure was a good player!

[gaushell]

I know this is a tough question, but how in the world do I figure out what it should sell for? i can get better pics and clean it up (best as i can this week). my dad loved this horn. want someone else to love it too.

[Euphism]

Gaushell I sent you a pm.