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UK made Besson sousaphones - Were any ever compensating?
Posted: Mon Dec 12, 2022 10:57 am
by bloke
Were any of these ever at least three valve compensating?
It's quite apparent that the valves - similar to Yamaha and Kanstul tactics - are top action valves with knuckles twisted around for front action use... this being a pertinent observation to the topic/question.
Re: UK made Besson sousaphones - Were any ever compensating?
Posted: Mon Dec 12, 2022 11:07 am
by YorkNumber3.0
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Re: UK made Besson sousaphones - Were any ever compensating?
Posted: Mon Dec 12, 2022 11:25 am
by bloke
YorkNumber3 wrote: ↑Mon Dec 12, 2022 11:07 am
For many years there sat in a music store window display near where I lived a Besson Eb sousaphone with 3 compensating valves in lacquer. They said they used it as display because they believed that no one would possibly want it. I have no idea where it is today.
pre-internet, or just epic naivete ?
Re: UK made Besson sousaphones - Were any ever compensating?
Posted: Mon Dec 12, 2022 11:40 am
by YorkNumber3.0
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Re: UK made Besson sousaphones - Were any ever compensating?
Posted: Mon Dec 12, 2022 1:02 pm
by YorkNumber3.0
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Re: UK made Besson sousaphones - Were any ever compensating?
Posted: Mon Dec 12, 2022 2:51 pm
by bloke
I'm currently just about spent out, but - before going up into the loft, grabbing some junk, and making either a viable King or viable Conn sousaphone to replace the one I sold (Mardi Gras gig on the horizon), I would love to stumble across something like that and be able to have it be close enough geographically to give it a test run.
Re: UK made Besson sousaphones - Were any ever compensating?
Posted: Mon Dec 12, 2022 9:28 pm
by jtm
YorkNumber3 wrote: ↑Mon Dec 12, 2022 11:40 am
Eb tubas had long fallen out of fashion/use in the US. Brass bands weren’t even a thought yet. Internet may have been in its infancy last I was in its vicinity. It sat out in the open in a window facing a busy street and had to be occasionally dusted from being ignored. It was seasonally decorated.
When did brass bands become a thought in the U.S.?
Re: UK made Besson sousaphones - Were any ever compensating?
Posted: Mon Dec 12, 2022 9:32 pm
by bloke
jtm wrote: ↑Mon Dec 12, 2022 9:28 pm
YorkNumber3 wrote: ↑Mon Dec 12, 2022 11:40 am
Eb tubas had long fallen out of fashion/use in the US. Brass bands weren’t even a thought yet. Internet may have been in its infancy last I was in its vicinity. It sat out in the open in a window facing a busy street and had to be occasionally dusted from being ignored. It was seasonally decorated.
When did brass bands become a thought in the U.S.?
Though a few were around, the formation of British style brass bands in the USA exploded around the time that more people had "the internet - late 1990's - after the release of this movie...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brassed_Off
...just as "Scottish societies" in the USA greatly expanding in number around the same time, due to this movie having been released around the same time...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Braveheart
Re: UK made Besson sousaphones - Were any ever compensating?
Posted: Mon Dec 12, 2022 9:52 pm
by DonO.
bloke wrote: ↑Mon Dec 12, 2022 9:32 pm
jtm wrote: ↑Mon Dec 12, 2022 9:28 pm
YorkNumber3 wrote: ↑Mon Dec 12, 2022 11:40 am
Eb tubas had long fallen out of fashion/use in the US. Brass bands weren’t even a thought yet. Internet may have been in its infancy last I was in its vicinity. It sat out in the open in a window facing a busy street and had to be occasionally dusted from being ignored. It was seasonally decorated.
When did brass bands become a thought in the U.S.?
Though a few were around, the formation of British style brass bands in the USA exploded around the time that more people had "the internet - late 1990's - after the release of this movie...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brassed_Off
...just as "Scottish societies" in the USA greatly expanding in number around the same time, due to this movie having been released around the same time...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Braveheart
I played in a British style brass band that Phillip Catelinet directed while he was teaching at Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh PA. This would have early 70’s - maybe ‘73?
Re: UK made Besson sousaphones - Were any ever compensating?
Posted: Mon Dec 12, 2022 10:08 pm
by bloke
Yes (as pointed out), a few were around.
That Pittsburgh brass band enthusiasm was - or course - continued forward - beginning in the early 1980's - with the formation of the River City Brass Band.
James Gourlay, virtuoso tubaist, took over direction of that band - as it's third music director - in 2010.
I'd love to play in one...
There's never been one nearby...
There are some wonderful 3+1 Besson/B&H instruments - here - that could be polished up and readied for such a task (as long as I, too, could measure up.)
Re: UK made Besson sousaphones - Were any ever compensating?
Posted: Fri Dec 16, 2022 8:56 pm
by Tuba1153
bloke wrote: ↑Mon Dec 12, 2022 10:08 pm
I'd love to play in one...
There's never been one nearby...
@Doc and I have seat warming for you if you ever make it down our way!
Re: UK made Besson sousaphones - Were any ever compensating?
Posted: Fri Dec 16, 2022 9:06 pm
by Doc
Tuba1153 wrote: ↑Fri Dec 16, 2022 8:56 pm
bloke wrote: ↑Mon Dec 12, 2022 10:08 pm
I'd love to play in one...
There's never been one nearby...
@Doc and I have seat warming for you if you ever make it down our way!
@bloke, we DO need another player.
Re: UK made Besson sousaphones - Were any ever compensating?
Posted: Sat Dec 17, 2022 1:45 pm
by bloke
Just for a bit more clarity, this one (though odd-looking, due to repurposed top-action valves) is NOT compensating:
Re: UK made Besson sousaphones - Were any ever compensating?
Posted: Sat Dec 17, 2022 3:15 pm
by Three Valves