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I played in the 1st section Besson brass band finals at Harrogate last week. Before the results were announced the compere informed us that Besson are bringing some of their new instruments to the Championship section finals at the Royal Albert Hall next month.

4 bars rest website have just posted this article with more details

http://www.4barsrest.com/news/detail.asp?id=4112

looks like we'll have to wait a bit longer to see any of the new tubas but it's great to see the Besson name back again.

10 minutes later we found we'd come 12th. Ho hum.

Russ Kennedy

Oh, to be in England!

It will be interesting if these will be updates on the previous Besson models, or completely new models.

I was also recently intrigued to see the London Musical Instruments new range advertised http://www.broadlandmusic.co.uk/. The "Royal" R082 EEb tuba from the illustration looks very much like the old Besson 982. I wonder if these are made from the old Besson tools as I heard only the Besson name was bought by Buffet?

Yo

Or go to :- http://www.londonmi.co.uk/

Looks like they are a new company using staff from the former Boosey/Besson empire.

I was told that latterly, the Besson operation in the UK was principally just an assembly operation with kits of parts shipped from JA in Germany and that the student end of things (imports from the Indian sub-continent) were built on machinery in India that was on lease again from JA. Leaving Besson in the end to be very little more than a name.

I do of course stand to be corrected...............

Andrew M

Neptune wrote:It will be interesting if these will be updates on the previous Besson models, or completely new models.

I was also recently intrigued to see the London Musical Instruments new range advertised http://www.broadlandmusic.co.uk/. The "Royal" R082 EEb tuba from the illustration looks very much like the old Besson 982. I wonder if these are made from the old Besson tools as I heard only the Besson name was bought by Buffet?

Apparently no tools were bought or taken to the new Besson, I think LMI has them. Therefore, it probably is a direct copy, better made!

Only what I think though

AndyCat wrote:Apparently no tools were bought or taken to the new Besson, I think LMI has them.

Therefore bets must be on the new Besson to actually be based on the Courtois models as they are both in the Buffet Crampon group.

In which case I wonder what they will do for the BBb tuba, as the smaller Courtois 182 version does not seem to have been well received?

LMI has the Besson Cases...

http://www.londonmi.co.uk/index.php?pag ... &Itemid=47

So, if you're looking for a "real" Besson, you buy an LMI, it seems.

How far along is the LMI enterprise? All instruments seem to say 1-4 weeks between ordering and delivery. Do they have a distribution network established for non-UK sales yet?

It sounds as if the Buffet "Besson" will be completely new models, along the lines of Courtois.