TubeNet

Howdy,

If you're looking for an entry level into the world of English baritone for your brass band, here is a decent horn to get you going.

With that, here's some detail.
Besson New Standard baritone horn. 3-valve compensating.
The horn is in Central Texas.
621xxx, which I think puts this at 1978, 1979.

23.5" tall, 8.5" bell. Typical small receiver. Satin silver, original.

For sale at $450 and actual shipping in US, but we can talk. I don't think you could do too much better than that to enter baritone world.

I'll give you my take, as always, mileage may vary. Below I'll reference notes in concert pitch, thinking in bass clef:
I played a few different Bach mouthpieces in my collection, which the horn rejected, but my Dennis Wick 6BY works well.

• 5th partial is flat when played open, possible to lip, but takes some effort, okay to play D with 1&2. Same issue for D, Db, C
  1&3 3rd partial C in the staff is pretty in tune with the compensating. But a bit stuffier than a 1980s Sovereign baritone I used to have.
  2&3 combinations flat with 3rd slide all the way in. If my horn, I'd trim the slide. And I think that would help Gb Db and the C in the staff might still be reasonably close.
  6th partial is pretty good, just a little lip. 8th partial G may be a bit squirrelly 1&2, okay 3rd valv, but the Bb, A, Ab were doable with regular fingering.
  Not actually stuffy, but less open on 2nd partial. I wondered if a smaller throat mouthpiece might help.
  Barely apparent repair on 3rd valve slide, where I can see a resolder. Looks like new corks and felts.
  All the slides move easily, tho the lubricant is quite think. Caps and bottom caps move fine.

It feels like a solid horn to me, a few minor dings. Not as singing as my former Sovereign, but I think fine for brass band. Little evidence of repair work. Some tarnish. I put Hetman #2 Lubricant on the valves and got some compression. But valves are fairly clean.

Let me know if you're interested.

Austin, TX. For Texas, that's just down the road. Any plans to come down this way?