Used Besson Brevete Bb/A Trumpet - 1019XX

• Key: Bb/A
• Bore Size: 0.466"
• Leadpipe: Standard
• Leadpipe Material: Yellow brass
• Bell Size: 4 5/8"
• Valves: 3 pistons
• Intonation Aids: 1st valve slide saddle, adjustable 3rd valve slide ring, 3rd valve slide stop rod. 
• Manufacture Date: Approx. late 1920's/early 1930's
• Finish: Raw brass
• Mouthpiece: None included
• Case: Used leather triple gig bag

Besson horns from the 1920s and 30s set a new standard for concert and jazz horns. Their designs influenced nearly every manufacturer that was producing trumpets at the time, and their instruments were favored by many of the early greats (Lee Morgan, Miles Davis, Rafael Mendez, etc). The bell flare on this particular model has a VERY sharp flare, resulting in a brassy, bright, and broad tone. The unlacquered finish will help darken this horn's response, making this an excellent jazz horn in ensemble, combo, or solo settings. It's also got a quick-change tuning slide, making it very easy to detune this instrument to the key of A on the fly.

This horn is showing signs of use, which speaks to the credit of this instrument. The lacquer on this instrument has worn of almost completely, and the raw brass has begun to darken with age (VERY classy, in our opinion). There are some spots where some re-lacquering has been attempted (valve block, 1st and 3rd valve slide, and the underside of the bell) and It's also showing some signs of previous repairs. The front tuning slide brace and water key look to have been resoldered at some point, and some dents were also worked out of the bell and left a scar behind. There are also some surface scratches on the bell stem near the valves. Cosmetically, this horn is imperfect, but rare horns nearing 100 years old really never are! 

Functionally, this horn is in playing condition. Our brass technician only needed to clean this horn into good working order. After the ultrasonic cleaning, it got a play-test and was listed for sale after that. Interested players may notice some friction when using the first valve - this is due to an old and tired valve guide that is no longer in production, thus no longer replaceable. We see this horn being most appealing to a collector who enjoys playing through horns in their collection, as well as display and admire them.

If your goal is to put this horn through its paces in a gig setting, we strongly recommend coming out to play-test this horn to get a feel for it. We recommend a play-test for any of our horns for obvious reasons, but we find it especially valuable when considering vintage horns such as this one. So bring your mouthpiece over and try it out! It's here waiting for you! 

Stand not included.