TF Whitely

I have aquired a Besson trumpet and I'm trying to find some information on the model, year and value. The serial number is 319423. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks TF.

screamingmorris

The Web sites I looked at don't list such large serial numbers for Besson, apparently only giving serial numbers for "vintage" Bessons:
www.thebrassbow.com/Serial.html
www.musictrader.com/besson.html

Then a site said that perhaps I should be looking at serial numbers according to Boosey and Hawkes, owner of Besson after year such-and-such, so I went to this site which indicates that your trumpet was probably made circa 1960 (note that "brass" has its own column:
Lars Kirmser's Music Trader - Boosey & Hawkes Serial Number List

This site also says that your serial number dates from very late 1960 since #319805 dates from January 1961 ("From October 1954, instruments stamped with the "Besson" name were given serial numbers in the above Boosey & Hawkes sequence"):
Horniman Museum collections

Hope that helps.

- morris

Tootsall

The other consideration is that it "might" be a US-made horn in which case it will be stamped as such. If that is so, then contact the Kanstul factory at Welcome to Kanstul Musical Instruments since they had the licence to manufacture for Besson's North American market.

screamingmorris

I remember seeing one site saying that the White Company (having nothing to do with Besson) recycled serial numbers after a certain date, so that you could actually have several trumpets from across the decades with identical serial numbers.
If the people who make Besson have done the same thing, then that would certainly throw a monkey wrench into the dating I mentioned.

As far as who makes what, I had no idea Kanstul made Besson for North America.
I even saw one eBay seller claiming that the Holton T606 was made by Yamaha, although Holtons are usually made by Conn-Selmer.

Do you ever get the feeling that the manufacturers are trying to mess with our minds?

- morris

Tootsall

Not only did they... I have a Besson "international" and have been able to get parts for it from Kanstul.... but they made quite a few and they are generally pretty darn good ones too!

TF Whitely

Right on guys, thanks for the interest. The mouthpiece is stamped "Made in England" and there was a bottle of valve oil in the case labled BESSON LONDON. The only markings on the trumpet that I can find are BESSON and what looks like initials FB or just a very fancy B. The valves are stamped 1, 2 and 3. And of course the serial number is stamped on the middle valve. The case is hard plastic with a gold coloured tag marked BESSON. I don't know if that makes any difference in the identification. Thanks again. TF

Cornet1

If yo kook at the 'Besson' engraving on the bell you will find the model name in smaller letters either above or below. Don't get confused by the name of an English town such as 'Stratford' 'Oxford' etc as that IS the model name not the place of manufacture.