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A friend has offered to sell me his Besson 983 Eb tuba and I've been demoing it for a few days. I've always wanted to learn to play Eb and I'm enjoying it, though my fingerings are predictably awful. Before I decide to purchase I wanted to get a bit of additional info about its manufacturing and provenance as it seems like these have been made in England, read somewhere they might now be made in Germany, etc... sort of confusing. This one is stamped Made in England, it's a lacquer horn, and the bell says "Besson Sovereign Made in England BE983 - 9007XX" (which I assume is the serial # and I've omitted the last two digits). In some others I've seen online the number was 7 digits rather than 6 so I thought that might be a clue as to when it was manufactured. Any thoughts on this and whether there are certain versions of this horn to avoid. As I said, not an Eb player (yet) so telling what's good or bad is tough.

Thanks for any advice!

Your serial # would suggest early 2000s. And production moved to Germany in 2005, so somewhere just before that. I don't think there are any caveats regarding these models. I have "heard" that the English horns are better made than the German horns. But that might be speculation. I would be concerned if production moved to China... but Germany? No. I own two 1970s Besson Eb's and they are extremely well made horns. And they sound great with excellent intonation. The only complaint I might have is the weight. They are 18 to 19 lb, which is pretty heavy for a small horn - comparable to a lot of 4/4 BBb tubas. But it is certainly manageable and I think the compensating system is worth it.

Have fun with your demo!

Thank you, that's helpful!

Buy it

I did, the other day! I decided it was a great horn at a fair price and it was already in my house so shipping was a breeze.

gnimoyw wrote: ↑Fri Aug 27, 2021 8:21 am I did, the other day! I decided it was a great horn at a fair price and it was already in my house so shipping was a breeze.

PICS, OR IT DIDN'T HAPPEN


Audio is also much appreciated.

Congratulations! Hope it works out perfectly.