Besson CC Tuba

[David Zerkel]

Had the pleasure today to play the prototype of the long-awaited new Besson CC Tuba. The instrument is a HUGE success! Very responsive and lively, great intonation, nice flexibility to the sound, ergonomically comfortable. It is, in my opinion one of the finest 4/4 tubas that I have ever played.

The good new is that, according to Tim Ornato (head of Besson North America), a shipment of them should make its way to the US by the end of November. The price will be very competitive with the rest of the European market, probably a smidge lower than comparable horns.

If I had the cash, I would have ordered one today. Any buzz about this instrument is warranted... play one if you get the chance! They got it right!

Cheers,
DZ

[THE TUBA]

I had a chance to play this horn on Wednesday, and I think it can hold it's own among some of the best 4/4 CCs. I certainly like the "new" 995 a heckuva lot better than the "old" 995.

[luke_hollis]

I have a 4/4 Nirschl, so what's the difference between it, the old and the new. I happen to think my nirschl is pretty darn nice.

[THE TUBA]

Actually, I wrote a stunningly mediocre paper on the changes to the 995 CC (as described by Kelly Thomas) this morning for my Band Instrument Repair class. Rather than submit my little paper to receive flamboyant criticisms via the good 'ole TNFJ, here is the cliff notes version:

*Besson Instruments are now manufactured in Germany with a new set of tools (copied from the old crusty ones)
*Slightly different brass alloy (a little heavier than before)
*Larger leadpipe (in terms of bore, I guess)
*"Floating" leadpipe (braced in two places instead of soldered all around)
*Water-keys on the third and fourth valve slides
*Extra inch of pull added to the main tuning slide
*New (adjustable) thumb ring
*Throw of the rotor reversed
*Shortened 2nd valve slide rod
There might be one or two other small changes that I left out.

I'm sure Kelly Thomas or any of the Besson reps will be eager to answer any questions about the development and availability of the 995 line in much more detail than I can decipher from my scribbled notes.

[imperialbari]

Wasn't the "old" 995 made in Germany?

Weren’t the parts made in Germany (Nirschl?) and the assembly then done in the UK?

K

[Ferguson]

Sounds good. I liked the old 995's that I've tried, and I_must_have the new one. I just placed an order. Thanks for the gossip - it spurred me into action.

Ferguson

[MaryAnn]

I'm probably not qualified to comment, really, on tubas because of my comparative lack of expertise. But I do remember playing two 995s; one was Sam Pilafian's and I liked it quite a bit. The other, subsequent to that, was at a dealer, and that one was a dog. I suspect that Sam had "done some stuff" to his to make it play as well as it did. It certainly did not have intonation problems that I could discern, and it didn't feel like I was dragging a bowling ball through the notes either. Possibly some of Sam's improvements made it to the standard model. I don't think he is a Besson guy any more though.
Still too big for me, though.
MA

[bort]

Dare I ask...

...how much?

[SPerry]

It was great to hear that some changes are being made to the Besson 995. I'd love to hear the difference in the alloy, as well as a larger leadpipe that doesn't alter the intonation. Plus, I have always enjoyed the immediate affect of the leadpipe away from the bell. I do have an earlier model that I had commented on the TubeNet when I first bought it. There were definitely problems with the horns that I had tried, the biggest being the fact that they were sharper than what was remotely acceptable. I have a Nirschl York 6/4 that did not mirror the same results. Matt Walters put on an inch of tubing to each side of my main tuning slide of the 995 before I bought it. That solved the intonation problem with the horn.

Whose selling these babies now on the east coast? Dillons? I would be surprised if they were since they are now carrying the Nirschl line.

Anybody got the word on that? ...

Thanks -

[SPerry]

I have found that larger mouthpieces, bore and cup sizes, have affected a horn's pitch slightly. Nothing that cannot be compensated by an 1/8 inch adjustment with the tuning slide. Years ago, Brass Lab in NYC made a few leadpipes for me when I needed a replacement for my Hirsbrunner HB-2. I ordered a stock pipe from Peter. Chuck made 2 pipes that were slightly larger than the Hirsbrunner pipe to try to open up the lower register. The largest of the two gave the horn a huge bottom register, but threw off the intonation around the 5th and 6th partial enough where it wasn't a acceptable possibility. The middle pipe that was made was a nice balance and was an improvement from the original pipe. Chuck did great work. Worth the bill.

My $0.02

[Tom Waid]

Today was my day to try the Besson BE995 and I have to say that I’m every bit as enthusiastic about this instrument as Dave is. Since I’ve never played the earlier version I’m not in a position to offer anyone a comparison, therefore what I have to say is as one who has played it for the first time. It is a very “nimble” 4/4 CC tuba with a sound that is in no way bright or edgy but is well defined. The low register is exceptional. I can almost put cracks in the wall with the low f. I can envision a broad range of performance venues where, in the hands of a good player, this tuba can prevail.