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Thread: Besson Prestige

  1. #11
    Join Date
    Dec 2014
    Location
    Netherlands
    Posts
    338
    Quote Originally Posted by MatzeEuph View Post
    Today I played this horn.
    Awesome sound 🤩.

    They only thing I saw is a little bumpy area below the silver plating in the little tube beside the bell.
    Valves are running very smoothly and noiseless. Little black areas at the silver plating where it is a pain to clean.
    All removable tubing is working good. Trigger is running fine. From 2m away when the case was opened the horn looks new, very shiny.
    The golden valve cap of valve 2 looks more used than the others.
    I brought the price down to 5200€. The only thing I am worried is that bumpy area. If that is the tubing itself below the silver plate the horn is done. I think that is not repairable. Very little scratches and some very small dents in the lower bell.
    What do you mean with 'little tube beside the bell'?
    Do you mean the leadpipe (where the mouthpiece goes into) or the handrest (parallel to the valves)?

  2. #12
    No not the lead pipe, it is the tube that goes up to the highest and turns to the right (highest tube) and goes down and up again to the bell.
    Last edited by MatzeEuph; 09-20-2020 at 12:59 PM. Reason: Adding information

  3. That is the upper bow. Do you have pictures? Are you talking about distortions or dents in the brass or bubbles in the silver plating?
    Adams E3 0.60 Sterling bell - Prototype top sprung valves
    Concord Band
    Winchendon Winds
    Townsend Military Band

  4. #14
    It’s a kind of bubbles, the silver plating is without damage.

  5. Quote Originally Posted by MatzeEuph View Post
    No not the lead pipe, it is the tube that goes up to the highest and turns to the right (highest tube) and goes down and up again to the bell.
    The "tube that turns to the right" is called the upper bow. The tube that connects from the tuning slide to the upper bow is the one I believe you are talking about. Do you have pictures? Are you talking about distortions or dents in the brass or bubbles in the silver plating? If bubbles in the silver plating, that suggests corrosion in the brass under the plating. Typically this is a sign of a poor or incomplete plating process. Don't know if this is a significant issue or not. Did you see similar silver plating issues anywhere else?

    I do not know how far this instrument is away from where you live, but 5200€ is still a pretty high price for a horn that is 16 yrs old and was manufactured in the Besson 2004 era. Do you have a technician who can inspect the horn for you and advise?
    Adams E3 0.60 Sterling bell - Prototype top sprung valves
    Concord Band
    Winchendon Winds
    Townsend Military Band

  6. Quote Originally Posted by MatzeEuph View Post
    It’s a kind of bubbles, the silver plating is without damage.
    Is this right at solder joint such as a major joint or near a brace? It could be solder splash that never got cleaned up before the silver plating. If it is on what otherwise would be a clean flat surface not near a brace or joint, it is more likely plating that has separated from the underlying metal due to corrosion. BUT, in any case, if it concerns you, I can only suggest having a competent technician examine the horn for you.
    Adams E3 0.60 Sterling bell - Prototype top sprung valves
    Concord Band
    Winchendon Winds
    Townsend Military Band

  7. #17
    Quote Originally Posted by daruby View Post
    The "tube that turns to the right" is called the upper bow. The tube that connects from the tuning slide to the upper bow is the one I believe you are talking about. Do you have pictures? Are you talking about distortions or dents in the brass or bubbles in the silver plating? If bubbles in the silver plating, that suggests corrosion in the brass under the plating. Typically this is a sign of a poor or incomplete plating process. Don't know if this is a significant issue or not. Did you see similar silver plating issues anywhere else?

    I do not know how far this instrument is away from where you live, but 5200€ is still a pretty high price for a horn that is 16 yrs old and was manufactured in the Besson 2004 era. Do you have a technician who can inspect the horn for you and advise?
    Nowhere else is a area like that!
    I don’t habe a picture where you can see it clearly.
    I will have it examined before buying.
    Thanks a lot for your help!!

  8. #18
    Join Date
    Dec 2015
    Location
    Varese,Italy
    Posts
    385
    Quote Originally Posted by MatzeEuph View Post
    It’s a kind of bubbles, the silver plating is without damage.
    If this can help to identify the problem:
    even on my prestige you can see very small bubbles on the lower part of the leadpipe and a very small one inside the bell, present on the instrument at the time of purchase. They look like bubbles due to imperfect plating or dirt left on the brass at the time of plating. The seller, at the time, had offered to eliminate the defect, but being practically invisible, I preferred to keep it that way. After 13 years of daily use the bubbles have remained as they are and not given any problems.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    Last edited by franz; 09-21-2020 at 02:02 AM.

  9. #19
    I have a picture, but not really good. Try to get more.
    Click image for larger version. 

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  10. #20
    It looks like the bubbles come from a repair of a sharp dent.
    As the technician says.

    On the other hand I found a Geneva Oldroyd Cardinal demo instrument
    9 Months old like new,...

    I am not sure what to do.
    How is the sound of the Geneva compared to the Besson.
    I can’t try the Geneva so easy, it’s about 5h drive away.

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