robmatthews

Anyone know what a Boosey & Hawkes 78 is? When and where was it made? Is it a student, intermediate or pro horn? More generally; Are Boosey & Hawkes horns any good? They don't seem to be making trumpets anymore. Why not?

Cornet1

The 78 is/was a student level instrument made some time back......

B&H was the amalgamation of two of the worlds greatest brass makers in 1934. B&H sold brass and other musical instruments around the world in vast quantities until recent years. Immediately after WWII they aquired the Besson Co. although the two remained largely independant for the next 30 years.

For many years B&H and Besson were brass innovators with extensive design and research capability. Their many patents for brass included those for the compensating system, early precision valve manufacture, phoretic and electrophoretic laqueuring, precision soldering and the 'microbor' valve machining system which enables all B&H instruments of the last 50 years to be fitted with new valves as spare parts.

Research included many manufacturing processes still used by many industries throughout the world and much that has not yet been used such as the formation of instrument bells by high pressure water.

In 1975 B&H ended the existence of Besson. Circa 1990 B&H re-introduced the 'Besson' brand for all of it's own brass range.

as well as inexpensive items, B&H/Besson made numerous models that are unmatched by any other volume maker extant. These include the 'Sovereign' range wherein the cornets and euphoniums are world benchmarks

Using the products of B&H/Besson the brass band movement in the UK reached a level of perfection and artistry unmatched in the rest of the world.

Due to habitual bad management B&H finally failed in 2006 after 168 years of manufacture.

Veeboi

A less complicated answer (no offense to Cornet1) is that Boosey and Hawkes are great trumpets and cornets, they are of high quality and, back when they were still being made under that name, you would expect to pay quite a bit for one. They are still being made but under the name of Besson instead.