Besson Valve available?

Hank74 · Post by **Hank74** » Mon Apr 26, 2004 4:42 pm

Hello,

First of all, I am pleased to be here on the TubeNet discussion board. There seems to be a lot of posters and lots of topics which interest me.

I can tell you that I'm a beginner sousaphonist/BBb tuba player. Am very happy with what I have right now and hope to do better in the future.

My quesiton now has to do with a Besson BBb tuba which I bought this weekend on E-bay. It looks great except for the 2nd valve missing on a BBb tuba. I can tell you it was built in the 70s.

If anyone out there has a Besson tuba that's only good for parts now or knows of someone/someplace where I can contact about it, the best way would be by private message. Thanks!

Hank

WilliamVance · Post by **WilliamVance** » Mon Apr 26, 2004 11:48 pm

Hi there,

I had a Besson Sousaphone with a missing valve last year and I ended up having to order the valve new from the Music Group (owns besson now) through my local brass dealer. They don't sell their parts for fair prices unless you are one of their dealers. I would suggest going through your local repair shop. My valve costed $127, for the piston, with guide and stem attached plus i needed a new top cap and that was around $20. Then another $20 to have it fitted in perfectly. That was a 1930 horn and they still had modern parts. It plays great now. This would probably be a worthwhile option since it sounds like th horn you picked up is a nice one. If you're patient you may find someone on here with a used one, but it may be a wait. Any how good luck and don't give up hope, it can be done.

Dan Schultz · Post by **Dan Schultz** » Wed Apr 28, 2004 10:39 pm

schlepporello wrote:Han, I wish you luck on your search.
I went through the same ordeal trying to find a third valve for a Conn 10J. No dice! And nobody would even think about making one. This tuba is now hanging on the wall of an antique shop in Canyon, Texas.

Got four of 'em in my parts box. Just kidding!