Antique Musical Instruments/25 yr old Besson

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Expert: - 3/5/2008


Question
is it ok to buy a 25 yr old besson euphonium, was it made in the UK?, my gal is going to study this instrument in college, the seller says that the valves have been realigned should I be wary, its suspiciously  cheap,but I must buy one  and everything seems very expensive, I am worried about buying a besson knockoff? I hear they make em in India now. aaaarrrgh help Carole

Answer
A UK made Besson at least started off as a good instrument.  The fact that the valves have been aligned is much like having the spark plugs changed in your car.  It is a good thing, but the doesn't mean much as far as the overall condition.

Suspiciously cheap would be a concern.  

Antique Musical Instruments

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Kenton Scott

Expertise

Please note: My area is BRASS instruments, not other wind, string or percussion instruments. I will provide information on antique, obscure and out of production BRASS instruments. 1) Please don't ask for evaluations, I'll not provide them on this site. 2) I am often asked very similar questions, so I'd invite you to first check on Horn-u-Copia.net. Much of the information I have garnered about this topic, I have posted on this WEB site.

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I perform in several historical bands, have informally researched the area, repair brass instruments, and operate a Forum dedicated to the topic at http://horn-u-copia.net

Education/Credentials
B.S. Ed, M.S.

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