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I never played a 3+1 but I played a Besson 3 valve comp horn. It was a good horn. Pitch was super easy and it responded well. The lack of false tones and only three valves made it not very useful in an ensemble. ChuckG, who used to post here had one.

These were more similar to extended Eb's than chopped BBb's, right?

TheHatTuba wrote:These were more similar to extended Eb's than chopped BBb's, right?

Closer to BBb than Eb. I remember it being taller than the Eb but not quite as tall and hard to hold as the BBb. I remember ChuckG wanted to to get a 3+1 valve block, cut it to CC, and install it. I don't think he ever did.

I have one of these horns that is surprisingly good. While the pitch is not perfect, it is manageable; and the horn is nicely agile.

Mike

Mikelynch wrote:I have one of these horns that is surprisingly good. While the pitch is not perfect, it is manageable; and the horn is nicely agile.

Good Morning Mike. Did you happen to buy the one that was at Dillon's for quite a while? Someone I know played it and thought it was the best CC tuba avialable at Dillon's at the time.

Chuck

Chuck,
It wasn't that one, though that one was there not too long after I got mine. That is the only other one of that configuration that I have been aware of, though I am sure there are more.

Mike

Mikelynch wrote:It wasn't that one, though that one was there not too long after I got mine. That is the only other one of that configuration that I have been aware of, though I am sure there are more.

Cool, Thanks. Do you think they were cut jobs or actually manufactured in CC? Sorry for the continuing queries, but this is quite interesting. The friend who played the instrument at Dillon's said the only bad notes were E and Eb in the staff (12/23 respectively solved it I was told as the open and 2nd finger were 25c flat), which leads me to wonder if it was, indeed, a complete work up instead of a cut job as the corresponding notes, D and Db, on their compensating BBb's also had this quirk. My friend said that, unlike the BBb's, the low register was astounding. Any thoughts you may have would be very much appreciated.

Chuck

Chuck Jackson wrote:

Mikelynch wrote:It wasn't that one, though that one was there not too long after I got mine. That is the only other one of that configuration that I have been aware of, though I am sure there are more.

Cool, Thanks. Do you think they were cut jobs or actually manufactured in CC? Sorry for the continuing queries, but this is quite interesting. The friend who played the instrument at Dillon's said the only bad notes were E and Eb in the staff (12/23 respectively solved it I was told as the open and 2nd finger were 25c flat), which leads me to wonder if it was, indeed, a complete work up instead of a cut job as the corresponding notes, D and Db, on their compensating BBb's also had this quirk. My friend said that, unlike the BBb's, the low register was astounding. Any thoughts you may have would be very much appreciated.

Chuck

The one I played didn't look like a simple cut. Now they used the same bell, valve bock (shortened to CC of course), and bottom bow/leadpipe. I think everything else was redone for CC.

bububassboner wrote:

TheHatTuba wrote:These were more similar to extended Eb's than chopped BBb's, right?

Closer to BBb than Eb. I remember it being taller than the Eb but not quite as tall and hard to hold as the BBb. I remember ChuckG wanted to to get a 3+1 valve block, cut it to CC, and install it. I don't think he ever did.

So it's different from the Boosey CC? viewtopic.php?f=2&t=36804" target="_blank

TheHatTuba wrote:

bububassboner wrote:

TheHatTuba wrote:These were more similar to extended Eb's than chopped BBb's, right?

Closer to BBb than Eb. I remember it being taller than the Eb but not quite as tall and hard to hold as the BBb. I remember ChuckG wanted to to get a 3+1 valve block, cut it to CC, and install it. I don't think he ever did.

So it's different from the Boosey CC? viewtopic.php?f=2&t=36804" target="_blank" target="_blank

Yes pretty different from that. It wasn't that tight looking and did not have the curly third valve tubing like that.

My underg-grad teacher tried to get me to buy one. He was a Besson artist/clinician and must have felt obligated. I was told that it was the only CC Besson in the country at the time. There aren't many of them.

It was a good tuba, not a great tuba. It had that special Besson sound and pretty good pitch. The school owned tubas were BBb Bessons and I hated them. That probably had a lot to do with my not buying it.

Alex,
I can identify exactly with your experience. There were a few times in Jr. and Sr. High when I had to play on one of the huge Besson recording bell BBb's. I could never get comfortable holding the things, particularly in a position where I could reach reach the 4th valve; and those I had access to didn't play well even apart from the ergonomics. I almost didn't even try this Besson when it turned up due to those experiences in my early years.

Mike

Back in the late '80s, I played in a Band with a former Jake student who played one of these obviously derived from the large Eb carcass. It was a stunningly flexible, if only 7/8 size, tuba, and easy to play next to as well. I'm not sure of the tubists name, but it was a very fine Band around Bellevue, WA, and he may have been from Federal Way. Great horn, though

Hello,
Just thought I might add a bit of info for this particular thread.
Paul Lawrence played a Besson 3+1 CC with the London Philharmonic from the mid 70's into the early '80's (His other instrument was a 'one off' compensator F-identical in design to the 1930's Besson Leviathan EEb model).
He told me a fair bit about the background to these instruments when we met some time after his retirement.
Paul said that Besson only made a handful of them and that they were purpose built-( They were factory cut down BBbs-pretty much as the very last F's made in the UK were cut down high pitch EEbs).
The main difference was that-as they produced separately from mainstream BBb production- the CCs were more carefully measured & put together. The result was that the instruments were more consistent blowing wise.
I never got the opportunity to play on Pauls CC,but talking to those that pretty much all agreed on the fact that-though good-it felt very strange compared to the more free blowing 'continental' CC's that they were used to.
(Probably it was a confusing mix of a familiar seating/holding position from their EEbs combined with the key of C!!)
The instrument was sold about 10 years ago now-I believe outside of the Uk.