Besson Brevete Compensating Euphonium

This is a Besson Brevete three valve compensating euphonium with a removable front facing bell. The finish is raw brass. It was made in England sometime in the 1950s or 1960s. It plays, but is in pretty rough shape and would benefit from some repairs. Besson is highly regarded for making good euphoniums. This particular instrument may have been one at some point, but it has gone through a lot of wear and tear over time. There are dents all over the body, and a few braces appear to have been resoldered at some point or another. One brace near the bottom bow was crushed in pretty badly, and as a result it is hard to take the main tuning slide out. There was barely any lacquer left on this euphonium when I got it, so I stripped the rest off and polished it. This euphonium was built with a medium shank receiver, which has proved to be very inconvenient for me. I don’t have a medium shank mouthpiece (they are rather hard to find) so I bought a small to medium shank adapter and inserted it in the leadpipe. I couldn’t get it to go as far in as it’s supposed to, so it sticks out by a bit. As for playability, it plays alright. Not amazing but it does the job. I feel like having an adapter and a small shank mouthpiece in place of a proper medium shank mouthpiece harms the resonance somewhat. However it does bring out that classic warm British euphonium sound that Besson horns are known for. Comes with a Besson 8 small shank mouthpiece and Faxx adapter (jammed in the leadpipe). I don’t have a case and I’d imagine it would be difficult to find one that fits, due to its curved bell design. Feel free to ask me any questions! Local pickup only, and cash only.

Condition

Used (normal wear)

Finish

Antique brass

Brand

Besson

Skill Level

Intermediate

Finish Material

Brass