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Hi all. Need help identifying model of this horn and appropriate pricing.

This is one of Rex Martin's horns that I am helping him sell while he is out of the country.

It is a Silver Besson 4 V compensating, serial #578725.









Any help you can give is greatly appreciated!

Mike Hogg

I have the same(ish) horn. (It is a Besson New Standard) It's just in lacquer and has some custom stuff. I have it listed for $3500. I think you could get in the ballpark of that, but (as I've figured out) it's going to take a while to sell. If you price it lower you'll probably sell faster. Looks to be in great shape, I would polish it prior to the sale and post some pictures of the valves since it is an older horn, probably made in the late 60's or early 70's if it's as similar to mine as it looks. The guys over on Mr. Werden's forum can help you with the exact date of manufacture, there's tons of knowledge over there. I don't know if I'm correct, but like I said it looks very much like my Besson.

Yes to checking with Dave Werden's forum.

What I can tell you about the horn from my limited knowledge, having owned a Besson tuba, now owning a Besson bell on a Miraphone tuba, and owning a Boosey & Hawkes 3-valve comp euph: your horn was made @ 1975, give or take a year. The horn was made when the company was changing over the receiver from the older "middle" sized shank, which was the common shank then, to the now adopted by everybody current "large" shank for euph mouthpieces. Take a new "large" shank euph mouthpiece and see how it fits in the receiver. If it goes in about an inch, you have the newer large receiver, so you have the entire universe of euph mouthpieces to choose from. If it goes in about a half inch, you have the older "middle" sized receiver. Good news: Denis Wick still makes the classic mid-sized shank mouthpieces, if this is what your horn takes.

You are lucky to have all the original hardware and fittings, made at a time on the Besson side of things when more euphs were lacquered than silver plated.

As far as value, check with Dave's forum.

$3500 is ambitious. If you hit it with some TarnX and find the silver is still 100% coverage, and not even any pings or even dent removal evidence, then yeah that might be right after all.

oh come on you can do better than $2000, for silver and not dented. Chynese euph-shaped objects might work for many but a New Standard is still its own thing and will always have fans.

I sold a 60s Besson New Standard with no dents and a scratched lacquer finish for $1800 last year. You might want to check out Dave Warden's Tuba/Euphonium forum to check out what they are selling at.

I'm assuming the valves are in good condition. I don't think you'll get $3500 for it.( I don't even think I'll get $3500 for my less than 10 year old Yamaha 642S)

10 years ago, I would have thought that $2500 was a good price for it. Today I'll say $2000 and that you're going to have to be patient to sell it.


FWIW, I've owned two of the same vintage. Both were beat up and under $1k even one was under $500 (Still playable, but not pretty) .

I think you can get 3000.00 for the instrument if you did some cleaning, polishing, and fixed up the case. Those things not being done than 2500.00 would be the sale price of the next instrument. I agree the Besson is hands down a great instrument, but the real factor affecting your sale is the popularity and price point of the Yamaha 321 euphonium. Many schools and students use these throughout their entire school careers and never make the jump to a compensating instrument. Because of this the market, here in America, the pool of buyers for a compensating euphonium is smaller and the pool of used compensating euphonium's is rather large.

Thank you all! Will be following up and posting here when Rex has come to a price.

Thanks again,
Mike

Is that a satin finish horn? If so make sure you use some wrights cut with dawn dish soap as to not ruin the finish. It would be a shame to see that classic finish get ruined.