The F Besson Breveté
This horn we've just received on consignment and it is a joy to have in the shop. According to horn-U-copia this horn's date of manufacture is somewhere between 1917 and 1918 making it a pre-war horn and was probably manufactured in the UK. This horn does show some signs of use, (considering its over 100 years old!) but is still a wonderful player that has lots of life left in it. There is some scratching and general lacquer loss around the body of the instrument. Primarily on the typical contact points of the instrument but also on the leadpipe near the main tuning slide. There are a few light scratches around the horn, notably on the leadpipe, receiver, and inner bell flare. There are a few barely noticeable pings on the bell stem toward the logo and on the first valve slide. There are some patches on this horn, notably on the leadpipe and bell near the first valve. The 3rd valve slide also has a patch. The 3rd valve slide stop nut is also missing on this instrument. Beyond these cosmetic blemishes this is a great looking and playing instrument. The slides work smoothly and valves moves quickly with great action. The compression on this horn is fair but as with most vintage instruments we recommend a thicker oil such as berp bio oil #3. The horn is great and does sound pretty stellar with that classic Besson spin and carry!
A very little bit of Besson history
The Besson trumpets of the early 20th century were the first truly modern trumpets. The innovations in leadpipe design, bell shape, and wrap (the overall shape of the tubing and instrument) resulted in a far superior instrument to the trumpets of the day. Bach trumpets were inspired (or copied) from early Besson trumpets, and most modern trumpets closely follow the same pattern. Most modern trumpets are in fact close copies or clones of early 20th century Besson instruments.
The Besson Brevete was a very popular choice for generations of Jazz trumpeters, and was played at various times by artists like Miles Davis, Rafael Mendez (the Olds Mendez was basically a copy of his old Brevete), Lee Morgan, and Fats Navarro.
The Besson Meha was also a very popular choice, being a brighter horn more suitable for lead and big band playing, played by the famous Conrad Gozzo and others.
Specifications:
Bore .460
No 1st valve slide ring or saddle
Leaver waterkeys
Fixed 3rd slide ring and slide stop Rod
Flat pearl inlay finger buttons
Comes with NO case or mouthpiece
If you have additional questions send us an email.
Prior to ordering please check our Shipping and Returns policy.
Also note weight indicated in the ad is shipping weight not actual weight of item.
