Hi,
I played a besson trumpet about 4 weeks ago and loved it and would love to buy one. However, I can't find anything.. please excuse my ignornace but are they still being made?.. Can't seem to find anything... hmmm...

Claire

Which Besson? There have been several manufacturers, one in France (the most popular), one in England, one in the U.S. (cleverly disguised as Kanstul) and presently one in India, all producing trumpets labeled as Besson.

One of my favorite trumpets is the English produced Besson 10-10, with the U.S. produced Besson 709 a very close second.

There have been no actual Besson designed and made instruments since 1975 when the factory with it's superior design ability was broken up by B&H thus ending over 130 years of Besson instrument development.

Since 1975 Besson has merely been a brand name which various factories have had the use of to put on their own products, usually to give them some cache and persuade buyers that the instruments are high class.

from 1975 'Besson' lapsed entirely for over 10 years until B&H sales had fallen and the company was desperate to lift its brass image (always inferior to Besson) and the 'Besson' name was dug out and used for all B&H brass instruments but these were the existing B&H models which had had no Besson design input although B&H would try to claim that there was.

Originally Posted by ClaireSpillane

Hi,
I played a besson trumpet about 4 weeks ago and loved it and would love to buy one. However, I can't find anything.. please excuse my ignornace but are they still being made?.. Can't seem to find anything... hmmm...

Claire

I like your taste in trumpets. I love my vintage English Besson's and Kanstul 609. I would go to ebay and search for Besson listings under Musical Instruments. besson trumpet items - Get great deals on Trumpet Cornet, Vintage Pre-1980 items on eBay.com! Here are the current listings from different eras and different actual makers as described by Cornet1.
The Besson Loyalist Here is an informative Besson loyalist site with links to other valuable Besson material.

Several big music dealers sell good used Besson instrument on the web. Dillon's is one.

FIrst, read up on Besson at the links MFFan provided.

Next, if you liked a Besson you played recently, you need to figure out who made it.

Finally, I would suggest you try a Kanstul Besson. Kanstul makes great horns and Ziggy Kanstul has been involved with a number of companies whose horns were built around the early Besson. There are a number for sale on e-bay currently.

I have a vintage Besson 10-10 in mint condition and it is a wonderful horn to play and is a first class Pro level horn. Like so many vintage horns the newer horns of the same name just are not the equal of their predecessors. Two respected manufacturers that come to mind are Conn and King. Their new horns just do not compare to the vintage pre 1960 horns they made. Fortunately as others have pointed out the new Besson horns made by Kanstul are very nice horns and Ziggy has made a big effort to replicate the winning designs and quality of the originals but using modern manufacturing techniques. I would either look for a real vintage Besson in excellent condition or go with a Kanstul made newer horn. Stay away from anything that is spelled "Bessons" as they have proven to be cheap poorly made horns from India or China.