KellyWelly

Hello, new to this site and hoping for some advice about a Besson cornet I've had for many years. I Rt is in a sorry state and was badly treated by whoever owned it before me. Thanks to this site, I have discovered lots about Besson - knowing nothing of these instruments before. The serial number suggests that it is late 1920's but I cannot find details connecting "Prototype" to Brevete. Although it doesn't play and is in a sorry state, I wonder if it deserves restoring- it is still very pretty with lovely engraving. It's statistics are as follows:...
Silver (Plate I assume)
Bell: Class A, 50 Madals of Honour
FB Besson & Co.
"Prototype"
198 Euston Road, London, England, (star)
On the valve there is stamped Besson Brevete (star) serial number 121XXX
I am keen to hear anything anyone knows about this instrument, such as, the style of music played on one. Also should it stay gathering dust or be resored.

Many thanks KellyWelly

s.coomer

Do you have any pictures? They would be quite helpful.

KellyWelly

Besson Cornet - Windows Live


Hello again, above is a link to some hastily taken pictures. I have just begun to clean the cornet (after 18 years) and I am happy to have it as an ornament as there is no escaping the damage it has. It looks like it must have been crudely nailed to a wall. I do love it though and like to imagine the life it has had.

KellyWelly

MFfan

Specifications on instrument #

Id 110 on HUC looks a lot like yours. As you probably know, Prototype was a model name used by Besson for some years and Brevete merely means "patented" in French and was a carryover from when the French company set up an operation in England. There was a recent thread on this subject.
It was probably used for brass band or military band playing in the UK.

Whether or not it is worth fixing up is entirely up to you and your finances. Sounds like you would gain in a number of ways by restoring the old horn to it's former glory. I hate to see instruments nailed up in Applebees and Bennucci's restaurants and all the remaining notes forever silenced unless they are rescued and restored. Your might enjoy registering with Horn-u-copia and looking through all the Besson section and postings.

__________________
Dave Rafferty
Lemar Trumpet (peashooter-Conn?)
Lyrical Trumpet (Tokan)

Besson 609 Trumpet
1955-60 Besson 8-10 Trumpet
1948 Besson cornet
1946 King Master Cornet
www.kalamazooconcertband.org

Voltrane

Hello,
I have one like this one but in far better shape (SN 97XXX):


It needs valve repairs to be fully operational (lack of compression and bad low register).
But I still hesitate to do that because it already plays nicely like that and because...I bought a Yamaha 2310 for 150€ that was in mint condition, directly operational and plays very well.
Moreover, my Besson does not accept modern mouthpieces (unless you seriouly tinker the shank) but only vintage'one (I was lucky, I found a Prototype mouthpiece on e-bay).
The sound of this vintage set is very different of the sound of my Yamaha. Interesting and nice but I am not sure I could use my Besson to play in a "Today Band".
So, in my opinion, from a player point of view, you can find a good used cornet for less than the cost of the repairs needed by your horn (it seems need a lot). From a collector or sentimental point of view, as said MFfan, it is up to you and your finances.
Regards.
Marc

KellyWelly

Thanks so much for the really helpful replies. Great to see the picture of another one. I think then that for now due to the cost, I'll clean it and display it (without using nails!). I am though, going to look out for something affordable for me to begin learning with. Marc, in response to your note about the mouthpiece, do you think that mine looks like the
original?

Thanks again for your time

Regards
KellyWelly

Voltrane

Hello,

it is difficult to say something about your mouthpiece from the picture. But a vintage looks like that:



On this picture, you have a Frederic vintage on the left and 2 modern Wick on the right.



And my Prototype with its Prototype mouthpiece is this one:



It is in great shape compared with yours despite it has now @100 years (What was done to your cornet is a shame.)
Mine plays well, valves are very fast and light. Only compression is bad. It is an "agile lightweight" compared to the "heavyweight powerful" Yamaha.

Now, for the fun: I bought my Yamaha from a guy who needed money to restaure a ...Besson Westminster.
So it is a small world!
Regards.
Marc

MFfan

In looking at your photo, it looks to me that a modern mouthpiece is inserted, probably not far, into the leader pipe. If you look at the HUC model, you can see there is an adaptor between the vintage cornet MP and the leaderpipe.
That was common back then for many cornets to have shorter leaderpipes and adapters of varying length to be able to play in different Keys (A,Bb). Yours is also probably a "high Pitch", set to tune cents higher that "low Pitch" .
Here is an interesting article on pitches' history in England.
The Rise and Fall of English Pitch

__________________
Dave Rafferty
Lemar Trumpet (peashooter-Conn?)
Lyrical Trumpet (Tokan)

Besson 609 Trumpet
1955-60 Besson 8-10 Trumpet
1948 Besson cornet
1946 King Master Cornet
www.kalamazooconcertband.org

kristen63

KellyWellys cornet is a soprano (Eb-cornet) by the way..

KellyWelly

Again, thanks for your replies. I've learned loads - I really didn't know anything about my cornet till last week. I found it in a puddle (or it found me)18 years ago and assumed it was a trumpet. Curiosity got me investigating, and I can proudly say what it is now. Kristen, is it a soprano as the bell is shorter than the others I've seen? Or is that just it's particular shape?

Regards
KellyWelly