Paul AyickVintage Brass

Besson Serial Number List

Trumpets, Cornets, Brass, Misc Other Winds..

A short demo of a slightly modified Besson 2-20 Trumpet. Amado-style water keys added and lyre holder removed. Makes a nice jazz horn, with a mellow tone.Hey.

• The fake instruments, particularly pocket trumpets, cornets, euphoniums, bugles and B♭ trumpets, are likely to feature a 'serial number' of H.75983 (or 84059) embossed on the top of the bell and valve keys are often hexagonal in plan view.
• I’m assuming that the pre-1900 Bb Besson trumpets (serial numbers before about 65,000) were very much like the later instruments that we are more familiar with although this is an important deficit in my discussion and additional data may alter my thesis. If any reader knows more here, I’d.
• This French Besson trumpet was made sometime in the mid 30's probably and rather then me bore you with opinion I will post what I learned from noted authority Niles Eldredge: 'Two concerns were importing Besson trumpets to NY in the 1930s- both without the Besson name, as it was ilegal to import Bessons from France then (because the English.
• Used Besson Class A New Standard LP (low pitch) series. Serial number 219801 (1957). Used nice condition. Typical useage wear for a trumpet of 60 years old silver plated is 65%. All slides and valves are loose. A few small dents, In good playing condition. Supplied with original trumpetcase and standard mouthpiece. Please look carefully at each picture as photos speak a Thousand words.

I buy, sell, and trade vintage trumpets, cornets, and other brass and wind instruments as they become available. Some of my satisfied customers include players from the Chicago Symphony and Boston Pops orchestras. More and more, players seem to be discovering the joy of playing and owning some of these wonderful vintage instruments. The workmanship, detailing, and tone can be astounding.

MY COLLECTION

I currently am offering some really nice horns check them out in this section as well as mouthpieces , other instruments and musical items!!! If something on my site you see interests you e-mail me at: bulos@earthlink.net

I will sell just about any of the instruments for the right price.

(if you see a mouthpiece on the list that interests you e-mail me for images and price)

Once you go to any particular directory it is a simple matter to view all the images therein as thumbnail sized images. To accomplish this merely click on thefileman.htm file and wait for the thumbnails to load.

(bulos@earthlink.net)

I strive for accuracy in the descriptions of each horn I sell, and all horns are shipped securely packaged, fully insured and sent promptly. If you are someone who just discovered 'Uncle Harry's' old horn in the attic, well then, you are just the kind of person I would like to hear from! I work entirely from my home in South Florida where I also work as a trumpet player. I enjoy hearing from anyone with a question, comment, or just to say hello, I always have time to 'talk trumpet', however I am not a free appraisal service so please don't e-mail me asking what your horn is worth; I can provide this service however.

Here are some shots of some of the horns in my collection. To see all the photos and all the horns pick the appropriate horn from the 'my collection' area above. Lots of horns to see!

A Few Of The Horns In My Collection

Bach NY #1387 14 1929

English Besson Trumpet Serial Numbers Pdf

An all original 1929 NY Bach. It had some small tears in the leadpipe but rather than replace it I opted to keep it all original by adding 2 small patches to it. This horn plays great.

English Besson Trumpet Serial Numbers Lookup

Besson Brevete Circa 1908

W.C.Handy and his Conn 2B!

Conn 2B Gold Plated Bb Trumpet

Another late 20's gold plated 2B Conn This one plays a bit darker and more open than the one above but I like them both, these 2B's are one of the best designs Coinn ever produced in my opinion. Check out the great engravings.

Rare French Besson 'Fabrication' Bb Trumpet Circa 1935

This French Besson trumpet was made sometime in the mid 30's probably and rather then me bore you with opinion I will post what I learned from noted authority Niles Eldredge: 'Two concerns were importing Besson trumpets to NY in the 1930s---- both without the Besson name, as it was ilegal to import Bessons from France then (because the English branch kept anglophone export rights when they bought out the French family in 1895-1896).Both said only 'Fabrication Francaise Perfectionée'; Later, there was the diamond Meha stamp added. One was the Leisch boys (Oscar, predominantly)--- who brought in what would have been a normal 'Grands Prix' trumpet (i.e. with the medals), --set up with third slide tuning--with the throw ring below and the stop rod on top; this is the ax that Bach copied (but with the ring on top--the stop rod on the bottom) (Besson thought you shouldn't have your left hand in contact with the bell--so they set it up lower).The other was Joseph Rapuano--who brought in a model we have never seen for sale in Europe--but which is a throw back to their earliest days (I have a 1888 'Rapuano): long third valve slide, no tuning; first valve tuning (again underneath--). '......Thanks to Niles. This one is a Rapuano that I was able to restore recently. .445 bore but surprisingly free and powerful.

Before:

After:

I am trying to decide how, or even if, to refinish this horn ; it looks kind of nice like this what do you think?

Rare French Besson 'Brevete' Bb Trumpet Circa 1935

French Besson Trumpet Serial Numbers

The standard by which all other trumpets are judged is the orignal French Besson trumpet. Bach, Benge, Schilke, Olds, Conn, King, etc; they all studied and tried to copy the designs of these great old horns. Besson had a few different models; the 'Fabrication' , the 'Meha' (named after one of the Besson family daughters) , and the 'Brevete', (which actually just means patented), like the one pictured here from my collection is a .464' bore. Information on these old pre-Boosey & Hawkes (pre- WW II) Bessons is hard to come by, but, noted vintage brass expert and master technician Robb Stewart told me this; 'The large bore (.468') MEHA didn't appear until after WWII. The Rapuana versions are usually medium bore, but this one (a pre- WWII Meha he has) is ML (.460'). I don't believe that there was a .464' bore.' Anything Robb tells me I take as fact, he is the man, along with Niles Elderedge who has compiled the best Besson dating chart I know of. The Benge MLP, long a favorite of lead players, is a direct copy of these old Besson 'Brevettes.' A truly sensational trumpet to play.

Very Rare Conn'Rosebrook' Bb Trumpet Circa 1923

This is the only Conn trumpet from this time period that I have ever seen with the forward facing 2nd valve crook and hanging 3rd valve slide ring. Both of these features are specific to the old French Bessons; perhaps Conn was copying them? I have never seen this horn listed in any of the old Conn catalogs either. If anyone has any information I'd love to hear about it. This is a .458 bore finished in satin and burnished gold.

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