Besson Sovereign 968 trade for Hirsbrunner HBS479S

[Inarus]

Good afternoon!

I am looking for a little guidance. I have a Besson Sovereign 968 that was purchased new in 2004. I am considering sending an offer to someone for a trade for their Hirsbrunner HBS479S horn - a used instrument.

I remember in 2004, shortly after purchasing the Besson that I played on a Hirsbrunner at TMEA and absolutely fell in love with the horn. I'm a teacher now so spending the $6k on a Hirsbrunner is out of the question - but trading for one may not be.

My question is the following: If I were offered a trade - no cash on either end - would I be trading my Besson for a comparative model of the Hirsbrunner? Outside of the fact that I played on a Hirsbrunner horn I do not remember what model of instrument I played on years ago.

Would this be a fair/even trade?

Thank you!

[Vito]

Hirsbrunners are not being made anymore, so those that are out there on the used market usually go for a premium. If I were trading a Hirsbrunner for a Besson 968, I would ask for cash on top. The price of a new Hirsbrunner was also significantly higher than a new Besson (+-€9000 compared to €6000-6500) so that might also be a factor evaluating this trade.
If you were specifically into the 479 model I would also consider a second hand Adams E3. Adams bought the Hirsbrunner tooling some time ago and their Adams E3 euphonium model is heavely influenced by the late HBS 479 model.
Some of the moderators of this forum including Dave and Doug play one and have made posts and reviews on this forum so please have a look if interested.

Regarding the Hirsbrunner models, there were only two (that I know off): the aforementioned HBS 479 and the HBS 378, they are very similar instruments. While the bell diameter size and height were the same on both, the 479s bell flare widened more compare to the 378. The 4th valve loop bore was also larger on the 479.
Hirsbrunners website describes the 479 as having a "full, rich sound" while describing the 378 as having a "brilliant sound".