Besson sovereign vs besson prestige

[Xfoontes]

What are the actual differences in these two models? I want to get either a sovereign with a trigger or a willson 2900 before I go to college, but I feel I want that besson sound more and the only person I know of who plays on a sovereign is Bastien Baumet, so do you guys have any input on what the differences are, and if I should get a 2900 over the sovereign?

[bbocaner]

gold-plated trim
fancy case
trigger standard on the prestige (although available on sovereign)
heavy top and bottom valve caps (although standard sovereign style caps are included in the case)
extra stay connecting the leadpipe to the bell on the prestige (although the special gold lacquered model doesn't have this)
it *might* be a slightly heavier bell on the prestige, too.

I find the sovereign to be a little more responsive and springy whereas the prestige projects more and has a slightly thicker sound.

[TheJH]

Misa Mead also plays on a Sovereign, and in a Q&A video about her equipment she says that the Sovereign requires a bit less energy to play than the Prestige.

[Vito]

According to the recent Steven Mead Q&A's, the Sovereign and Prestige differ only in bell thickness and leadpipe design apart from the cosmetic changes. The instruments both use the same valve block, bell taper and overall design.
The Prestige's bell has more mass resulting in a slightly darker sound where the Sovereign's lighter bell responds more easily. The sovereign has a free-floating leadpipe design and bends a little more around the bell where the Prestige has an extra brace between the bell and the leadpipe and is also a tad more straight. These different leadpipe-designs plus the difference in weight, due to the different bells, not only result in different playing instruments but also in weight and feel in the hands of the player while holding the horn.
Personally, I always found the Prestige on the heavy side and fairly "difficult" to play, requiring a lot of practice and air to be comfortable playing one. I picked the Sovereign 967T over the Prestige while choosing a new horn last december, preferring the response (including a very poppy low register) and lightweight feel over the darker sound of the prestige.
As Barry already noted, the Prestige has some extra "bling": gold-plated trigger assembly and valve caps plus some extra engraving under the Besson logo on the bell and a fancy all-black with gold trim case. Besson also includes an extra set of valve caps in the case, these are of a different weight than already installed on the instrument.
The new gold-lacquered Prestige had some improvements made to it including the removal of the extra brace between the leadpipe and the bell. Steven Mead claims these modifications improved tuning and response while retaining a dark sound. I tested one briefly in France before the global health crisis and quite liked it.
In the end it comes down to personal choice of course, build quality and finish is the same on both instruments and they are priced about the same (around €700 difference in Europe).
Have a listen to this short duet I recorded a couple of weeks ago with my girlfriend. I play the Sovereign 967T while she plays her Prestige 2052. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCCQlu-_QoQ

[dsurkin]

What are the actual differences in these two models? I want to get either a sovereign with a trigger or a willson 2900 before I go to college, but I feel I want that besson sound more and the only person I know of who plays on a sovereign is Bastien Baumet, so do you guys have any input on what the differences are, and if I should get a 2900 over the sovereign?

If you're going to be a music major in college, you may want to contact your prospective college instructor in advance. My teacher, Rob Stattel, had acquired a Besson in high school but when he later went on to study with Brian Bowman, he acquired a Willson 2900 and BB1 mouthpiece. I remember noting that one of Dave Werden's students used an Adams with 4AL mouthpiece. I think it's common for students, when they connect with a teacher they admire, want to emulate the sound.

[daruby]

Vito, above, summarized the differences accurately. I GREATLY prefer the leadpipe of the Prestige, so much so that I had my 2002 Sovereign converted to a Prestige-style straighter leadpipe with mid-brace. If found that with the lighter bell, the Sovereign was more responsive, but with the floating leadpipe, it responded differently in different parts of the range where the Prestige-style leadpipe gave the horn a smoother response across the range. Also, I don't like the leadpipe wrapping so far around the bell. It abets the "tuck your right elbow in" style of holding the instrument which for a taller person like me puts more stress on fingers and wrist.

Doug

[bbocaner]

Have a listen to this short duet I recorded a couple of weeks ago with my girlfriend. I play the Sovereign 976T while she plays her Prestige 2052. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCCQlu-_QoQ

Nice job to both of you Vito, really enjoyed listening to that!!

[Davidus1]

Very nice! Thanks for sharing.

According to the recent Steven Mead Q&A's, the Sovereign and Prestige differ only in bell thickness and leadpipe design apart from the cosmetic changes. The instruments both use the same valve block, bell taper and overall design.
The Prestige's bell has more mass resulting in a slightly darker sound where the Sovereign's lighter bell responds more easily. The sovereign has a free-floating leadpipe design and bends a little more around the bell where the Prestige has an extra brace between the bell and the leadpipe and is also a tad more straight. These different leadpipe-designs plus the difference in weight, due to the different bells, not only result in different playing instruments but also in weight and feel in the hands of the player while holding the horn.
Personally, I always found the Prestige on the heavy side and fairly "difficult" to play, requiring a lot of practice and air to be comfortable playing one. I picked the Sovereign 967T over the Prestige while choosing a new horn last december, preferring the response (including a very poppy low register) and lightweight feel over the darker sound of the prestige.
As Barry already noted, the Prestige has some extra "bling": gold-plated trigger assembly and valve caps plus some extra engraving under the Besson logo on the bell and a fancy all-black with gold trim case. Besson also includes an extra set of valve caps in the case, these are of a different weight than already installed on the instrument.
The new gold-lacquered Prestige had some improvements made to it including the removal of the extra brace between the leadpipe and the bell. Steven Mead claims these modifications improved tuning and response while retaining a dark sound. I tested one briefly in France before the global health crisis and quite liked it.
In the end it comes down to personal choice of course, build quality and finish is the same on both instruments and they are priced about the same (around €700 difference in Europe).
Have a listen to this short duet I recorded a couple of weeks ago with my girlfriend. I play the Sovereign 976T while she plays her Prestige 2052. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCCQlu-_QoQ

[Steven Harmon]

What about the new prestige gold plated horn(be2052-8g-0)? It has a floating lead pipe now… does anybody have experience with this new horn?

[Vito]

What about the new prestige gold plated horn(be2052-8g-0)? It has a floating lead pipe now… does anybody have experience with this new horn?

I'ts essentially an update to the Prestige by making the leadpipe free-floating and having it lacquered in a gold color. The Besson website describes it as follows: "12" bell, gold lacquer finish, free floating leadpipe for more resonance."
The lacquer with the addition of the new leadpipe design makes it more responsive while retaining the typical dark sound of the Prestige.
I tried one at the French National Brass Band Championships, it's indeed more responsive.
An interesting thing to note is that Steven Mead does not use the Lefreque resonance plates anymore with his new golden Prestige. He explained during one of the recent Q&A's that, while they were helpful for resonance on the older design, the new golden Prestige doesn't need them anymore by his opinion.

[Steven Harmon]

OK, that does make me wonder what the differences are between the new prestige with floating lead pipe and the sovereign models which already have a floating lead pipe?
Could the gold lacquer plating make a difference?

[Nbnarcisi]

Vito,

Gave a listen to your performance, extremely nice, very warm, you both sound very good together. Checked out the music and made copies, thank you for sharing this.

[John Morgan]

Very nice playing, Vito, to both of you!! I grabbed the music. Now am looking for another euphonium player to play the duets with!

[Vito]

Thanks for the positive reactions guys! Really appreciate it!

[Nbnarcisi]

I especially enjoy listening when the music/score is available, thanks for the time you’ve taken Vito.