983 All Around?

[jeopardymaster]

Anyone else remember British Leyland? There are so many fine Bessons around; the problem is finding them. Nonetheless, no matter what the equipment, if the player isn't getting the job done, the result is not going to be good.

[billeuph]

I visited the Buffet-Crampon booth at NABBA two weeks ago and the marketing/sales guys actually thought it was 'comical' that I was having so much trouble getting parts!

I visited the same booth the year before at NABBA, and the same clowns thought that it was funny that I was interested in a 983. They had NO IDEA when if ever it would be back in production and didn't really care to talk to me about it except to tell me that it wasn't a priority. They also had NO Besson tubas at their display last year. Pretty impressive sales and marketing effort, isn't it?

Has anyone gotten any believable information about new production of the 983, or is this now a dead end?

Bill Anderson

[Alex C]

I have heard through well connected sources that the 983 will "definitely" be back in Besson production. This is probably the intention of the reorganized Besson but if you read the previous posts you can determine for yourself when/if it will ever happen.

As an observer, this seems to be a strange time for the brass band market (including the 983 offshoot here). There are now half a dozen manufacturers who are now in the 3+1 tuba/euphonium market (Miraphone, Meinl-Weston, Nirschl, LMI, York, Besson, Willson, and I'm leaving out some) but I have seen precious few products. Lots of advertisements but not many products. I wonder if a shakeout is coming.

[Dan Schultz]

..... I repeat, the 983 is a great all around horn and also a great road model too - in the hands of a competent and qualified player. Robo

I totally agree that these are good horns (maybe not 'great'... depending on who you talk to).... but IF parts get damaged it's going to be pretty tough to swallow if your wonderful-playing horn is out of commission because of a bent piston stem or broken valve guide. It's gonna happen. I don't care how attentive to the care of your horn you are.

[Wyvern]

I think if a 983 makes a suitable all-around tuba depends on where you play and your personal sound concept.

I have only a couple of times tried a 983, but have found it very similar in weight of tone to my M-W 2040/5 Eb. It would be fine in concert band as one of a section with CC/BBb's. In fact from my experience an Eb is ideal for playing the upper part in divisi in a section - it adds definition to the bass line.

However in an orchestra, the use of a 983 would be limited. They do not have the breath of sound of the 981 and would just not provide a broad enough tone for much Russian repertoire, however good the player.

[pierso20]

My experience with this horn leads me to believe that it is an ALRIGHT all around horn. It will do a lot...A LOT....HOWEVER...it always depends on the purpose of the player. Yes, it will suffice for the amateur as an all around. But if you are a professional, then you will most likely need a C horn..why?

I find it interesting that so many people commented on needing the C for volume..NO! Believe me...any horn can put out volume. It is the quality of sound. The besson horn just CAN'T put out a sound with the same breadth of a C horn. This is the real issue.

Yes, it is good all around horn. No it is not a good ONLY horn if you are aspiring to be a pro ORCHESTRAL player. In this case you will need a contrabass.

Just my 3,947 cents...(up from last time to keep up with inflation).

BP

I'm not entirely sure EXACTLY what the original poster wanted to know, but as an amateur player the Besson would do fine in small ensembles, solo, etc. windensemble...but use your ears as well. Nothing feels better in a large ensemble, than the penetrating resonance of a contrabass.

[Yosef: Tubist]

I still do not believe the OP said anything about the prospect of becoming a professional Tubist.. He just asked people's opinion on the possibility of using the 983 as an all around horn.

[Tom Holtz]

I've been using my Besson 983 with the Marine Band for the last two years or so. It's been great having the Eb in the section. I play the top divisi any time one exists, and let the guys with the big horns handle the low divisi lines.

In the upper registers of the horn, there's plenty of volume and weight, and divisi parts balance nicely with me on an upper divisi by myself. In the lower registers, the 983 doesn't have the weight of the larger horns, but it still contributes to the overall section sound. I sit next to Cameron's Nirschl BAT as often as not, and I'm fully aware of the weight difference. The 983 does have quite a bit of weight to the sound--after all, it's still a tuba. Since there's three of us honking away back there, nobody minds a little less weight, especially the conductors. I just had my annual evaluation/fitness report this morning. Verdict from the top: Eb good.

For the "one-on-a-part" stuff that comes along, I get my share. Low string bass pizzicato stuff, Cameron plays it. High legato crap, he points at me and says, "Enjoy your test." When the section consists of a BAT, a 4/4, and an Eb, there's a ton of flexibility there that we haven't always enjoyed in the past.

For what little freelance orchestra work I get, the 983 is fine. If I get an orchestra call, it's for a pickup group, maybe 40 people total. The 983 has plenty of weight for that. Without the added weight of a BAT, I don't get The Hand, and I can still play loud without worrying about The Hand. If I ever get a call to sub in with a big orchestra, where I've got to balance 70 or more by myself, I'll leave the 983 at home. I don't get those calls, though, so I don't worry about it.

The Besson 983 (like most Eb tubas out there) is not a BAT. You can easily get BAT timbre, and you will never get BAT weight/projection. I've found that both of those traits work to my advantage. YMMV.

[GC]

The guy I talked to at NABBA thought that they'd go back into 983 production this summer. His take was that the 983 was mostly an American preference, that they'd sell more of the top-valve horns worldwide, so they started the 980-981-982 production first.