Posted by Besson owner on November 06, 2003 at 21:24:44:
In Reply to: Besson Tubas posted by Bill on November 06, 2003 at 18:36:04:
I own a Besson New Standard BBb built in 1971 that I bought used in 1980 and had completely rebuilt. I also own a Rudy and new king 2341. The Besson is the first non school horn I ever had and bought it because it was available and cheap.
Having played Conn 20j's in HS and Meinl-Weston 25's in college I found the horn a challenge in the low end. It is not "free blowing". I had no idea that auto compensators existed or that this horn indeed had this feature. I did wonder why it had such outstanding intonation! The horn sings in the high end and it is very easy to center notes. You learn how to play the low end but it still is a challenge to get a big sound out of the low end. The sound is focused and on the bright side. I've had the horn 23 years and still enjoy playing it.
However, it is built like a tank and weighs about the same. It is extremely solid and well built. I had the ball on the bottom removed but the ergonomics are still less than great. The backside tubing seems to just collect dents at will. I believe this horn was top of the line for Besson at the time which may explain why it is built well because I have heard that the student horns etc aren't so well built. The horn seems to work best in "band" situations.
For the right price and situation a Besson could be a good buy even if it isn't "fashionable". Even with the Rudy and the King I still enjoy the Besson .