Author	Topic:   Are beson releasing a prestige tenor horn?
James	posted 12/18/06 4:12 PM     Does any one actually know if besson are releasing a prestige tenor horn. Iv heard rumours that they are but not 100%. IM currently thinking of buying a new horn coz mi sovereign has crap valves so is it worth waiting to see?
Craig	posted 12/18/06 10:32 PM     They don't have anything right now. They changed ownership about a year ago after the previous owner (who bought them from Boosey) ran them into the ground. They are setting up new production lines. The new models were supposed to be out by now, but nothing is shipping yet. I don't know if a Prestige is in the works. The previous owner was working on one.
Craig	posted 12/18/06 10:37 PM     Oh and another thing, the bad valves are due to the lousy company that owned them. The new Sovereign's should be of good quality. They are being manufactured by the Meinl factory in Germany which is supposedly the most advanced producer of brass instruments in Europe. Steven Mead has a preliminary review of the new Euphs on his site and they look promising.
tenorhorn girl	posted 1/28/07 0:00 AM     Prestige is on its way! The instrument has had a lot of work done to it in the past few years now Buffet/Besson will be completing it and should be out in the next few months.
alan s	posted 1/28/07 6:30 PM     who are tenor horn girl?hoe do you know this? pleasse tell all!!
HornPlayer	posted 2/25/07 2:42 PM     The new yamaha tenor horns are absolutely fantastic, I had the oppurtunity to play on one very recently during the trials, and was very impressed. I play on a besson sovreign at the moment, but Id definitely recommend this new horn, although I dont actually now when they will be available.
tenorhorn girl	posted 2/26/07 0:23 AM     I guess Its what you know and what you like. I am sure the Yamaha is not a bad instrument. I just wonder why the majority of horn players play on besson? It is the most favoured tenor horn and has been for a long time! I may be biased as I play on one and so does my teacher. I personally will be waiting to see the new Prestige before I buy a Yamaha . . i am willing to try out new but I am excited to see what Besson can do with their new Prestige horn.
Craig	posted 2/27/07 3:09 AM     The reason Besson/Boosey are predominate is simple, tradition. Boosey was there when the British Bras band movement started. They later bought Besson. Being based in England had a big impact in keeping with this tradition. Yamaha came to the game much later. The best instruments have the benefit of the best players giving feedback to the manufacturer. Tenor Horns have traditionally been treated as second rate. They get few solos and no one spent too many resources making really top notch instruments. The Sovereign and Maestro are good, but not high high level like you can get with trumpets. The Xeno and the Prestige are to change all that. Sheona White has been working with Yamaha on the Xeno. Besson has stated that Lesley Howie has been working with them on the Sovereign. I assume she is also working on them with the Prestige. Maybe other players are as well. I expect them both to be above anything available now. Which is better will be very subjective. Each player will have their own preference. There are players now that prefer the Maestro over the Sovereign.
alphorn	posted 3/17/07 10:24 PM     I am interested to hear that Leslie Howie is developing the new Prestige Horn. I am thinking about buying a new instrument in the near future and if this is true then i personally will be waiting to try out the Prestige. If it plays as well as she does then i want one! :-)
Surf Horn	posted 3/19/07 11:14 PM
Surf Horn	posted 3/19/07 11:25 PM     There's no reliable information from Besson. Their representaive was not helpful, he just said he was expecting some new horns any day. But to musical instrument distributors I talked to Besson appears to be disorganized and far from having any new horns. To me, that's not necessarily a recipe for receiving a quality instrument. Yamaha says their only pro level horn is the 602 and they have no plans for an upgraded Zeno alto horn. There appears to be a lot of confusion here and difficulaty in separating fact from rumors. But, it takes 30 days to get a new 602 from Yamaha. 35 years ago when I was in high school I bought a new Yamaha trombone for half the price of a comparable Bach or Conn. At the time Yamaha was looked down upon the way we today frown on Chinese instruments, but it was all I could afford. It wasn't the best Trombone but it served it's purpose. Wish I still had it. But now Yamaha makes fine instruments and with the confusion about Besson it looks like Yamaha is the only game in town. I know "Yamaha" doesn't sound as sexy as "Besson" but seriously, Besson is no longer Besson and Yamaha just keeps getting better.
joanne	posted 3/24/07 1:47 AM     I have to agree with Craig. The tenor horn is looked at as a second rate instrument and has had no support to develop the instrument for many years. Yamaha or Besson up until recently dont seem to have even kept up with the cornet and had slides on the first and third slides. To me this has been a major thing as all horn players have always had similar tuning issues to the cornets on bottom D's and C#(for example). I am just glad to hear that companies like yamaha, york, wilson and besson are finally listening to horn players demands. Who sells what is down to the product I am guessing. I am sure we will all have to try them all to decide which one is the best. I personally am really happy to see that instrument manufactures are putting money into developing the instrument . . it is much needed !!
alphorn	posted 3/25/07 10:14 PM     I dont know why as a trombonist you feel so qualified to talk about the tenor horn. I also agree with joanne, it is about time that companies put money into developing an updated instrument. I feel extremely strongly about this as all other instrumental players seem to have a good deal, why?? We need to get on board with the companies and develop these instruments to their full potential. After all, we are the ones who are playing them and want them to progress as a valued solo instrument within the brass band movement. We seem to be able to convince composers to write new works for tenor horn, now what we need are the instruments to match. I believe that the prestige horn is being premiered in Frankfurt fair next week (this may be rumours) but if this is true this is a massive step forward for besson and we can only wait in anticipation to see how good this product actually is. Going off how sucessful the soverign has been i am sure besson will exceed all expectations. I hope so and am very excited to see what is coming next !!
Hornman	posted 3/31/07 7:04 AM     Firstly, Alphorn I don't see where you get off with your opening comment! Surf Horn said that he bought a trombone 35 years ago NOT that he still plays it so you are making a big assumption here :(On a better note... Schreiber & Keilworth who used to make brass instruments under contract for Besson are now producing their own range of York brass instruments.Reading between the lines of the published articles about them they must be based on the Besson designs but improved. It is interesting to see that they will produce a tenor horn with a trigger for the main tuning slide (just like the Prestige eupho). Endorsees include David Childs and Alan Morrison so they are obviously serious about this new venture.CheersRod
Hornman	posted 3/31/07 7:16 AM     here is a link to one of the articles including a good picture of the new tenor horn. http://www.4barsrest.com/articles/2007/art661.asp
Surhorn	posted 4/1/07 8:45 PM       Correct. I am not a "trombonist" I am a French Horn player primarily but I dabble in alto horn - they are so much easier than the French Horn and have a wonderful sound. I played the trombone in high school marching band because playing the French Horn in marching band was, well ridiculous. The alto horns that were around then (bells front) were awful so I tried the trombone. But I am a middle brass player and I want an excellent alto horn and I am plainly frustrated by the inability to get reliable information and what is gong on with Besson.
VegasGeorge	posted 4/4/07 2:04 AM     Hey Surf Horn! I agree but would qualify what you said about the Alto Horn. I played French Horn for many years in LA. And, I was a serious player. Now I play the Alto (Tenor) Horn. The Alto is easier up to a point. But, perfection is always an elusive challenge. If you strive for real excellence, any instrument, including the Alto, is a life's work.
Surfhorn	posted 4/4/07 1:44 PM     I hear ya Vegas George. Currently I have an older Besson International and some of those notes are impossible to get in tune, no matter what I do. With a French Horn, as long as you can hear it, you can find in it in the horn somewhere. I guess that's why we're all hoping for a newer alto that will correct those tuning issues. Still, with an alto you can depress the first valve and blow an F without much thought. No such luck with a French Horn. I love the sound of altos, but to me when played correctly nothing stirs the blood like a French Horn. But it's just so much work to keep your lip and your ear. An alto is a nice break from that...
Johnathan	posted 4/10/07 5:40 PM     yes they are its bein developed by leslie howie and she had the finished horn delivered to her this week i hav played on it it is very good and she has put in some little helps tht get rid of bad habbits n it has a trigger looks quite impressive nd also plays impresive
Ludvig	posted 4/12/07 10:00 PM       So Is besson prestige coming soon!! I havn't heard abouth it any places.. it's enoying not to know anything!I think they could put some information on a page if the new prestige is going to exist. we sould get information!Hope it's coming:)
Ludvig	posted 4/12/07 10:00 PM       So Is besson prestige coming soon!! I havn't heard abouth it any places.. it's enoying not to know anything!I think they could put some information on a page if the new prestige is going to exist. we sould get information!Hope it's coming:)
Ron	posted 4/15/07 6:03 PM       At the NABBA championships this weekend Sheona White conducted a workshop during which she indicated that while she has been working with Yamaha, she intends to continue to play her Besson until something better is available. Her Solo on Saturday was incredible! Besson.....all the way! Also, in the exhibit hall at the Buffet booth, they had a 'mystery' horn there that was not branded and the sales guy would not comment on the name, but upon learning that I played a besson, he indicated I would feel right at home on this 'mystery' horn. It certainly looked and played like my sovereign, but has a pinky trigger that worked the main tuning slide for universal tuning. He led me to believe it was made by besson, so my imagination rambled bit and I am wondering if it is a new prestige demo horn. Played very nice, but I'm not sure if it's worth replacing my Sovereign yet. Was anybody else there, played it, or talked to the guy?
Steven	posted 4/19/07 6:16 PM     HAve a look at this link for the new horn:www.normans.co.uk/Items/be2050-2-0
ron	posted 4/20/07 1:21 AM       That horn looks similar, but the tuning trigger was actuated by the pinky, so I'm not sure it was the same horn. Thanks for the Presige url though, horn looks nice!
alphorn	posted 4/20/07 7:37 PM     Its not a pinky trigger. The trigger is operated by the thumb of the left hand (the gold bit!)the pinky thing your talking about is a finger ring. I guess for support as your using the trigger.
alan s	posted 4/21/07 8:00 AM     ITS HERE! http:/WWW.4BAREST.COM/NEWS/DETAIL.ASP?ID=5465
alan s	posted 4/21/07 8:05 AM     ERR SORRY HERE!...........AND FOLLOW LINK http:www4barsrest.com/news/detail.asp?id=5465
tenorhorn girl	posted 4/22/07 1:21 AM     I am very interested to see that Besson seem to have finally released a Prestige Horn ....about time !!! I hope it meets up to standards, I mean we have all been waiting for this for so long so it will have to be something special to make a difference ! What does the likes of the star horn players of Cory or Dyke think of this new instrument? .. Didn't the ex Black Dyke Solo Horn player Lesley Howie)design the instrument? or have i got this wrong?
Top Hat	posted 5/17/07 4:59 AM
Top Hat	posted 5/17/07 5:02 AM     The mystery horn was the York Preference which is being built by the Schreiber-Keilwerth company in Germany. I personally loved it. I play tenor horn with the Fountain City Brass Band, and hope to make the switch to the York - wife permitting...
Dave Kratz	posted 5/18/07 6:41 AM       Greetings all,...There are many interesting comments here on the subject of new horns and mechanical issues. I played a B&H professionally for over 20 years in the US ARMY Brass Band in Wash. DC and fortunately I have a repair shop in my basement too! The Tenor Horn, (sadly), will always suffer in the "development" area due to relatively small markets, the intense cost of retooling product lines and the short leadpipe length in typical configurations as well as an array of other accoustical issues. The bottom line is that the Tenor Horn will either have a great sound and questionable intonation issues or it has a well tempered scale and a boring tone and dynamic limits that make it not worth playing. For me, in a "pro" arena, I opted to find a B&H I could live with and add a rotor valve or two to deal with not only the wicked technical issues, but also to contend with pitch and viable alternative harmonic options! Anyone want to see an amusing picture or two? Drop me a line! When I was playing 2'nd with Brass Band of Battle Creek a few years ago, I set Billy Rushworth (England), up with an alternate 1/2 step rotor valve on his B&H and when he got his paws on a Courtois later next year, the bum hit me up for another free-bee installation, LOL! (beer will make you do things like that!) At any rate, I guess the point is, the Tenor Horn is a compromise of a design at best and frankly, I'd rather have the devil I know and work the pitch angles with a few tricks, eh? All the best, Dave Kratz (dkratz@nc.rr.com)
sarah	posted 6/11/07 5:34 PM     yeah they;ve released one, my mate has just got one..even though it looks good i think you would be better off keeping the one you have at the momeny..shes only had it about a month and says that the valves are rubbish.x
tenorhorn girl	posted 6/16/07 11:12 PM     are u talking abot B & H or York ? ... sorry you just said your friend had one? .. one what ..?
Saxor	posted 8/3/07 5:15 PM       The following is the response I received with regards to the release of the Besson Prestige BE2050 Tenor Horn: Thank you for your enquiry with Normans Musical Instruments. These horns are expected early December. We do despatch internationally, P&P charges would be £28.00. The price would be in pounds sterling therefore the price in dollars would be dependent on the currency exchange rate at the time of purchase. If you would like any further information then please do not hesitate to contact me. Yours sincerely, James Platt Normans Sales sales@normans.co.uk Freephone 08000 281415 www.normans.co.uk
Aidan	posted 11/11/07 4:10 PM       Hi all, just been perusing this thread and thought an update and few personal experiences were due.Prestige should have had the final go ahead today by Lesley, and subject to that will be in stores soon.The Yammy Xeno which Sheona is working on isn't far off either with Sheona off to Germany in a few weeks to brush up some final modifications.I've been testing a York Preference for the last few weeks which to be honest, in my opinion isn't anywhere near up to scratch.Feel free to mail any queries.Aidan.
Saxor	posted 11/17/07 8:12 PM     Aidan,Please give us an update. I want one of these horns. Any ideas on where I could purchase one in the states or would I get a better deal out of the uk??
Stanford Adelstein	posted 11/22/07 3:40 AM       I wish that you could all have tried the Ceverney Alto Horn. I ordered it on line in the States, though I did find a source in Germany.First of all, the tone is fabulous - deep, and full, almost as much as the French Horn (which I just to not have the embourcher) for anymore)The rotary valves are wonderful, quick and responsive. I have a Silver, top of the line Yamaha, and am always fighting their sticking. Not so with the rotaries.It is a pleasure to hear myself again!
GH HORN	posted 11/29/07 3:14 PM     Reading your comments I am intregued.... how can one person say what another person might like, its al personal opinion. everyone has there strengths and weakness' I seem to get on better with a big bore horn and a certain position of the valve block... And on the note about the new release of the prestige, the demo is being sent out very very very soon to a few players to do a final test... its a new concept horn, trigger on the main slide and in a good place, a deeper shape more like the besson 720 series... all very exciting... hopefully what a few of us want! :)
Andrew Oetegenn	posted 12/1/07 11:29 PM     hey all. Just thought i'd let you know that the first batch of prestiges will be sent out in january or february. Lesley howie is my tutor at the RNCM and i've played the first besson prestige (serial number 01) which is a completed version. In my opinion its fantastic, huge improvement on all other horns up till now. With the trigger and few adjustments that she's made, it takes a bit of getting used to, but defenitly worth it!!
Jay-horn	posted 3/1/08 4:56 AM       In reply to Ron who talked about playing a "mystery-horn" at the NABBA championships...I was also there, and I also tried the "mystery-horn." The horn, in fact, was not the Besson Prestige as you had guessed, but it is the York model. At the time there were trademark issues so they were not able to sell anything with the name York in the U.S. (someone else had already registered tht trademark)All that to say, that while anything from Yamaha and Besson is merely rumor at best, York has produced a fine instrument, and for those faithful to besson and for those simply looking for a great instrument, it is great. it is modeled after the besson soverigns (nearly identical) but it plays easily and with a rich tone.Quite simply, it will be my next purchase.
Stanford Adelstein	posted 3/6/08 9:17 PM       Well hello again everyone. I keep telling about the wonderful sound, and the responsive rotary valves, and in addition the unusual Bell shape of the the Ceverny Tenor. No one else seems to comment. Has anyone else tried playing one recently?I know it is a matter of individual choice, but I first heard these horn played by a touring Czech band in 1972. They sounded so wonderful, I looked for years to find one.I also have a three year old Yamaha - silver - which has a great sound, fair valves. The sound, while resonant and clear does not have the complexity of the Ceverny. As a "once upon a time" French Horn player in Colorado, I always seeking the ease of the Tenor (Alto) with a richer tone.
Greg	posted 3/22/08 7:04 PM       I'll start another thread for the Cerveny alto, Stanford.
Meredith	posted 4/17/08 4:23 AM       I've noticed the bore on the new prestige is a lot smaller than the sovereign (11.84mm/0.466" for the sovereign vs 10.40mm/0.409" for the prestige). Any thoughts on how this will impact on tone quality/will it make hitting high notes easier? Also, will the tuning slide be able to be adjusted indepentently of the trigger. I usually have my tuning slide out a little and would hate to think that I would have to engage the trigger continuously.
Craig	posted 4/18/08 4:04 PM     The specs on the website are wrong. The 2008 catalog is now available for download. It specifies the Sovereign at .402" and the Prestige at .409".
Steve	posted 7/23/08 1:30 AM     I am looking at the Besson International B flat Baritone or Tenor horn - a 3/4 size baritone, I guess. I played a Conn baritone ( American version) in my youth - in fact still have it. Am now interested in playing again, so interested in opinions about this little Besson horn through this site as there seems to be a lot of knowledge in the preceding discussion.

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