FS/FT: Besson 225 Compensating BBb

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ATschetter
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FS/FT: Besson 225 Compensating BBb

Post by ATschetter »

I have for sale a Besson 225 Compensating BBb tuba with a recording bell. I received it several years ago and very recently had it cleaned by Jim Langenberg in Elgin. The horn is from the late 50s/early 60s, placing it ~60-70 years old. All of the slides and pistons work very well, and the bell is detachable and dent-free. The horn itself has very few dents, and it also retains a solid 90% of its lacquer. The tuba's receiver has been replaced to accept modern mouthpieces, and it responds well and has a very large sound. Perfect for outdoor gigs or community band.

The price is $2000. I accept cash and PayPal. I am willing to drive up to 2 hours from Geneva, IL to meet a buyer. I would much rather drive than ship the tuba; it is very heavy and bulky and not idea for shipping at all.

I will also throw in a Blessing 24AW mouthpiece if the buyer would like.

Here are some pictures of the horn circa when I bought it: https://imgur.com/a/tHd4E
Last edited by ATschetter on Sun Jul 15, 2018 2:36 pm, edited 8 times in total.
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Re: FS/FT: Besson 225 8-10 Automatic Compensating BBb

Post by ATschetter »

Bump.
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Re: FS/FT: Besson 225 8-10 Automatic Compensating BBb

Post by ATschetter »

Bump.
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Re: FS/FT: Besson 225 Compensating BBb *PRICE REDUCED*

Post by ATschetter »

November Bump.
Last edited by ATschetter on Sun Jul 15, 2018 2:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: FS/FT: Besson 225 Compensating BBb *PRICE REDUCED*

Post by ATschetter »

Christmas week bump. The horn is still for sale and in good condition.
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Re: FS/FT: Besson 225 Compensating BBb *PRICE REDUCED*

Post by ATschetter »

Thanks for the response Bloke. Still for sale.
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Re: FS/FT: Besson 225 Compensating BBb *PRICE REDUCED*

Post by ATschetter »

Still available and in great condition.
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Re: FS/FT: Besson 225 Compensating BBb *PRICE REDUCED*

Post by TheGoyWonder »

or...a King bell fits the tenon. I wonder how well it fits, but it does. Maybe the 19 or 22 upright bell pops right on, unless they are too wide in the bell throat-flare transition region (or not enough rise before flaring) and don't clear the top bow.
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Re: FS/FT: Besson 225 Compensating BBb

Post by ATschetter »

2018 bump. The horn has been cleaned by Jim Langenberg and fitted with a modern receiver. I will still sell the Blessing 24AW with it free of charge. Price is $2000.
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Re: FS/FT: Besson 225 Compensating BBb

Post by KingBassTrombone »

Inquisitive PM sent
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Re: FS/FT: Besson 225 Compensating BBb

Post by Steve Marcus »

I’m not in the market for a used BBb, but I had personal reasons for wanting to try the Besson 225.
- I’m always interested in meeting fellow Chicago-area tubists.
- It was in the vicinity of an orchestra rehearsal where I was playing a demo horn.
- The high school that I attended had dinky little convertible tubas for our concert instruments. When another school’s band visited us for a joint concert, they brought their two Besson 225’s. To date, I had never played a forward-bell tuba (besides sousaphone). They gave me permission to try it. I thought that it sounded so much more powerful and warm than the little tubas that our high school had.

So when I read Alex’ listing of the Besson 225 for sale within driving distance, I wanted to refresh my memory: is the 225 as big and massive as I remembered?

The Besson certainly is heavy for its size. Despite the large, unusually located forward bell, the overall appearance of the 225 is not as large as a Conn 2XJ or 3XJ. In fact, because of the placement of the bell, I sensed that much of the sound that the horn might be giving out was lost behind the bell. The horn played well. I had forgotten that this was a 3+1 valve set; I thought that the Besson that I played briefly at that high school concert had only 3 valves. The valves work well, but (surprisingly for the not-so-large size of the horn) the player must fully stretch one’s arms to effectively reach the top 3 and side 4th valve.

Conclusion: The Besson is everything that anyone looking for a horn like this would want; in other words, it’s a very safe investment.
Steve Marcus
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