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I am very interested in these horns, and I wanted to know what everyone thinks of them. I'm going into college as either a tuba performance major or a music education major. Anyone who owns one of these, would you be able to tell me about the consistency of these horns, the playability, what kind of mouthpiece you use on it, normal tonal and intonation problems they have? Any information at all on these horns would be helpful. All I have heard is that they are really nice and are essentially the Nirschl 4/4. I'm really itching to try one out...I may have to make a trip to Indiana this summer just to try one.

I played this tuba allot at TMEA this year. It made it into my final 3 along with the 1291 and THOR. I really liked it allot, played great and had very nice ergonomics.

I, too, played it at TMEA but was not excited by it at all. It plays great in the mid-register, but once you get lower than GG, the notes turn into garble. The high register does not sing as well as the mid-register either...well, IMHO. I honestly preferred the PT-6P, Thor, and 1291 compared to it. It sounds cliche to name the Thor, but damn, that's a pretty badass horn.

Joseph

Just my .02

The Besson CC's can be quite varied in quality. Sure they shine up real nice, but the intonation was the main reason I sold mine. This was the first CC I purchased, after playing some school owned Daryl Smith Kalisons, and a couple yamaha 822CC's. The sound is quite colorful, but intonation was a pain. Not as bad as the Yamaha or DS model, but not very good. The 1st slide was intentionally short, to make sure the 1st valve 'D' in the staff was in tune. I can remember my low BBb (1st) was pushed almost all the way in; but a half step down, the AA (1+2) , needed to be pulled at least four inches to be in tune. Yeah, really odd. The F# in the staff was pretty sharp.

At the time, I was using a Conn Helleberg mpc, so I (or the mpc, or both) didn't make the low register seem to impressive. I seem to remember the pedal Eb fingering was really weird, not at all a 'normal' fingering. After a year of fighting the horn, I traded it in (with some $$$) for an (also used) HB2.

I'm not the same player I was then, but I would be a bit leery of buying one. The 4/4 Nirschl CC's, which the Bessons were copied from, however, were the real deal. The 2 different 4/4 Nirschl CC's I played back four or five years ago both were excellent examples; the sound was a bit darker, the response was quicker, and the intonation was very good. The sound was a tiny bit more 'spread' that I was looking for, but the above mentioned good qualities far exceeded my slight personal preference. I should have jumped on one of them, but I was too stubborn and set in my ways to consider other options.

I tried the latest version on display at the NAMM show in January. I didn't care for it at all. The bell seemed very thick, and not resonant. There was a MW Thor down the isle, and for me, it played circles around the 995. The Thor had that light vibrant sort of bell that you also get on a Gronitz or Hirsbrunner, or maybe even Alexander. I think the 995 would project well and feel stable, but it just didn't easily let me do what_I_wanted to do.

When these 995s were in the $5-6K range a few years ago, they were a great deal even with their quirks. Now at $10K+, I'm not so sure. In silver plate with a case at that price could seem fair, but then you can buy lots of other fine new tubas for less.

Best,

Ferguson

You could also consider something like this:

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=32606" target="_blank

As has been pointed out, this is the "real deal" that the 995 was derived from. It is in excellent condition and is great value; essentially the same price as a new 995.


Good luck with your search,

Cam

A Besson 995, as designed by Walter Nirschl, is like the little girl with the little curl: a good one is very good; a bad one is horrid.

Woot @ cambrook. A real nirschl for the same price, seems like a no brainer to me.

having a real 4/4 nirschl myself, I concur it plays very well. I chose it over the Hirsbrunner 21.

UTSAtuba wrote:I, too, played it at TMEA but was not excited by it at all. It plays great in the mid-register, but once you get lower than GG, the notes turn into garble. The high register does not sing as well as the mid-register either...well, IMHO. I honestly preferred the PT-6P, Thor, and 1291 compared to it. It sounds cliche to name the Thor, but damn, that's a pretty badass horn.

Joseph

Just my .02

I tried both of these instruments at TMEA. To me, there was no comparison. The Thor is a really nice horn. The Besson was only so-so. I certainly agree with Joseph's assessment, here.

I got to try a Nirschl 4/4 CC last August. If I played CC, it was my preferred horn, or at least definitely on the short list for overall score balancing tone, intonation, ergonomics, etc., great all-round instrument. But I'll stick with my BBb instruments for now, including my Besson!

Thanks for all the help! I definitely would go for the "real deal" as well. The only thing is, I don't have $10K upfront...I have to do the "rent to own" thing...That's really why I asked about the Besson. I was going to go to the WWBW location in Indiana during my spring break and try a few out there, while also comparing them to other horns. Anyways, thanks again!

Keep on keeping on....

Rich