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Thread: Besson Prestige 2052-2 Euphonium - Serial Number Identification

  1. Besson Prestige 2052-2 Euphonium - Serial Number Identification

    Hello everyone,

    I was wondering if anyone could help me identify when the following Besson Prestige 2052-2 Euphonium with serial number 891763 was made?

    Best Wishes,

    Micah Dominic Parsons

  2. Micah,

    The last Edgeware Road instrument was 890008, so 891763 is sometime in late 2002 or more likely 2003-ish. The parts were made using tooling from Edgeware at the Schreiber-Keilwerth factory in Markneukirchen and final assembly was done in England. These hybrid instruments were labeled as "Made in England", though the sourcing of raw materials, forming of the parts, and at least some sub-assembly was done in Germany. This same tooling and factory later produced the York instruments in toto.

    Doug
    Adams E3 0.60 Sterling bell - Prototype top sprung valves
    Concord Band
    Winchendon Winds
    Townsend Military Band

  3. Hello Doug,

    I really appreciate this information. I was chatting to my Dad yesterday who is now 78 years of age and he was telling me that when The Coventry City Salvation Army Band got their new Besson Prestige 2052-2 Euphonium's and he couldn't quite remember when they had got them so this is a huge help.

    Best Wishes,

    Micah Dominic Parsons

  4. #4
    Doug, with regards to quality, how are these English/German hybrids seen? Are there enough around for there to be a consensus?

    John

  5. John,

    I really do not know. Anything I would say would be just hearsay at its worst. I expect that the already "variable" quality of the late Edgeware production (mid-90s to early 2002) was exacerbated. A lot depended on the workers in the UK who had to deal with the Schreiber-Keilwerth/Markneukirchen learning curve in getting parts to fit and instruments to work well. I am sure there were some good ones.

    My own experience with 2000-2005 production (prior to 2005 receivership) was with Sovereign 967 #886505 and Prestige 2052-2 #886501 (or perhaps #886503), both 2001 production from Edgeware. These two instruments separated by not more than 4 numbers, were vastly different in quality. My 967 played beautifully, was open, had typical 6th partial intonation issues, but aside from that was one of the best horns I have ever owned (aside from the two I have now). My colleague in the NEBB sold his late-80s 967 for the aforementioned 2052-2. His Prestige was much stuffier than my Sovereign, had poorer intonation (aside from the trigger), and didn't sound or respond as well as my 967, which had to have been built within days of it.

    While the valve action on my 967 was as good as my early 2007 German built 2051-2 and much superior to my 1980 Round Stamp Sovereign, it suffered from the cost cutting begun in the mid-late 90s by the Music Group. The valves were only honed and lapped as far as the down stroke. Thus the pistons could not be passed entirely through the bore. You could stick the piston in from the top, but not from the bottom. If you took the valve guide off and tried to force the piston through, it would wedge into the cylinder and get stuck. This was a feature of late Edgeware horns when management decided to save money by reducing the amount of machine work to complete the valve honing.lapping process.

    This is what I know. Like all cases, make sure you try first before you buy.
    Adams E3 0.60 Sterling bell - Prototype top sprung valves
    Concord Band
    Winchendon Winds
    Townsend Military Band

  6. Hello everyone,

    This is absolutely fascinating to read Doug! It is really quite interesting to see how the Besson range of Euphonium's have developed over the years.

    Best Wishes,

    Micah Dominic Parsons

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