Page 2 of 2 FirstFirst 12
Results 11 to 17 of 17

Thread: The Besson Sovereign euphonium: history & review

  1. #11
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Location
    Summerfield, Florida Sturgis, SD (summers)
    Posts
    1,863
    Great write-up and playing Vito. I owned a Besson from the 1970's, probably should have kept that one!!

    So, I see from your videos that you were doing a recital for completion of your degree. What plans do you have now for the future? Hope to hear more of your excellent playing!
    John Morgan
    The U.S. Army Band (Pershing's Own) 1971-1976
    Adams E3 Custom Series Euphonium, 1956 B&H Imperial Euphonium,
    1973 F. E. Olds & Son Studio Model T-31 Baritone
    Adams TB1 Tenor Trombone, Yamaha YBL-822G Bass Trombone
    Year Round Except Summer:
    Kingdom of the Sun (KOS) Concert Band, Ocala, FL (Euphonium)
    KOS Brass Quintet (Trombone, Euphonium)
    Summer Only:
    Rapid City Municipal Band, Rapid City, SD (Euphonium)
    Rapid City New Horizons Band (Euphonium)

  2. #12
    My 1983 Round stamp sovereign 967 was definitely made with metal tacquets, which I have since replaced with nylon Willson equivalents, It is also a popular modification to adapt the valves to have the top fitting Besson style valve guides, although this requires extensive valve work.
    Nowt

    Retired

  3. #13
    Dear readers,
    I am overflowed with positive comments, not only on my writing but also on my playing. Thank you for taking an interest and all the nice comments!
    Quote Originally Posted by John Morgan View Post
    So, I see from your videos that you were doing a recital for completion of your degree. What plans do you have now for the future? Hope to hear more of your excellent playing!
    Yes, I am now fully graduated as a performing euphonium player. I'm currently on the lookout for a job but I'll keep practising and playing in a brass band for sure.
    Music educator - Brass Instruments Enthusiast - Euphonium Player
    2019 Besson Sovereign 967T-2 - Alliance DC3

  4. I have some questions about Bessons that I've been thinking about for a while:
    When did the bore size change from .580 to .591?
    When did the bell size change from 12.25in to 12in?
    If anyone knows, what were any changes to the weight of the Sovereign/Prestige? Is the Prestige accurately listed as 4.7kg, as on several websites? I've heard early models were heavier, but how heavy?
    Thank you so much!

  5. Also, is there a functional/practical way to tell if a horn is made of softer or harder brass? I've heard you can flick the bell. What would the resulting sound tell you?
    Thanks for indulging me! I just thought I'd post some questions I had.

  6. #16
    Join Date
    Dec 2014
    Location
    Netherlands
    Posts
    336
    I assume the bore size changed to .591" when production started in Germany since it corresponds to a nicely rounded 15.0mm in metric units.

    Regarding the bell, when I flick my Round Stamp bell it basically sounds like a... well, bell. Or clock, I suppose? It's a dense, resonating 'ding' sound.
    Newer instruments that are not heavily built generally have a short, thin 'ting' sound in the bell, if I have to compare.

  7. Wow, that's interesting. Thanks!

Page 2 of 2 FirstFirst 12

Tags for this Thread

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •