FS: Besson 983 Eb tuba - $5800 - Sold

[kingrob76]

For your dining and dancing pleasure, allow us to introduce this lovely little Eb tuba:








I purchased this instrument in February at the Army Workshop, picking from all the Eb tubas there (including several less expensive Eastmans). For me the sound felt richer and playing experience was more enjoyable. Since then, in addition to relatively light usage, it has been cleaned ultrasonically, had the valves aligned and quieted, had a few dents removed, and had some lacquer re-applied. The serial number of the horn (878xxx) indicates the horn was built in 2000 in Britain. In case your wondering, this instrument was also owned briefly by owned by our very own @bort2.0. I believe this horn was played professionally at West Point for most of its life. This is a used instrument, but, for its age is in very good condition. The main tuning slide has been modified to be slightly shorter and possibly not leak (a chronic issue on this model according to what Bob Tucci told me).

Included with this instrument is a Besson-branded Jakob Winter hard case (which I LOVE) in excellent condition, and a black cordura Cronkhite bag - which has been used ONCE so I'm calling it new. You'll also get 2 extra sets of springs (including the newer Besson Steve Mead springs, which are valve specific for some reason) and some other pieces-parts (valve dampeners, felts, etc).

Price is $5,800. Instrument and cases are located in Reston, VA. I will drive up to 3 hours to meet you, otherwise shipping is at your expense (and never cheap). No trades - this is a for sale item. Payment will need to be Paypal or Venmo (and if you prefer to NOT use the Friends & Family option, I'll need you to cover the fees as well).

PM me with questions - thanks!


Rob

[bort2.0]

Great tuba.

I sold it to Chuck Daellenbach. Not sure if he sold it to Dillon or if it changed hands another time before Rob got it. I put Sellmansberger fingerbuttons on it, so someone down the line kept those.

Great tuba

[kingrob76]

I think Chuck just did consignment through Dillon from what I could gather...

[bort2.0]

I do think usually comment on other peoples pricing, but....

If anyone looks up my old listing, yes, I had it priced for less, but that was:

* without the new Cronkhite bag (OMG show a photo, I bet the tuba looks gorgeous in it)
* without the cleaning, etc
* before then-to-now inflation
* before the added kingrob76 provenance

[jtm]

...
* before the added kingrob76 provenance

worked for me, when I bought a different tuba. maybe not the provenance so much, but at least great confidence that the tuba would be delivered well.

[kingrob76]

this is the horn when @bort2.0 first posted about it. You can see where I had the lacquer "cleaned up". There were some small but interesting dents that are gone as well. This was 100% cosmetic work, fairly light and simple in nature.

Here's an archived photo from the Dillon site

[kingrob76]

+ additional photos

[Dents Be Gone!]

I agree, guys. This is the way to go.

[kingrob76]

She sure did clean up nice! Looks terrific. I’ve owned 3 of these. Such a great and very versatile tuba. They’ve gotten to be pretty rare in the market, too.

Thanks. With Besson not making these anymore (perhaps the best FA Eb made in the last 50 years) they are becoming rarer and rarer all the time. It's an *excellent* example of the model (and I've played 6 of them for extended periods).

[kingrob76]

Pre-Holiday weekend bump and - for TubaForum users only - a price reduction. I have a couple of sniffers floating around, but nothing definitive yet. If you want the lowered price, you have to PM me here to start the process. I don't anticipate any other price reductions, so if you're waiting for this to hit the clearance rack... this is it.

[kingrob76]

on hold.