Posted by Sean Chisham on January 17, 1999 at 19:21:26:
In Reply to: Kalison posted by David on January 17, 1999 at 16:51:48:
When I was undergrad I too played on a school owned Kalison CC. I never found it to have a thin bell though. To me, it seemed like a decent horn. The valves weren't too hot, if memory serves me correctly, but the horn had good sound qualities.
I find it odd that you found the Besson's to all be nearly identical, but the Kalison's differing. I have found the Besson's to have terrible quality control. I love the 983, but sometimes wish it was built by more skilled craftsmen. My guess is that you are very familiar with the Kalison and are therefore more sensitive to variations in the horns. It is sometimes difficult to effectivelly evaluate several examples of a particular instrument if it is foreign to you, such a Besson Eb.
Sounds like you should move to England. I had a Welsh friend who would play EVERYTHING on his trusty 3+1 Besson Eb.
sean