Posted by LV on July 20, 2003 at 18:17:48:
Hi all.
I had the opportunity to spend a little time (about a week) with a new Besson CC and thought I'd share a few notes on the experience. All in all I'm sure it will be a good seller. It is a good sized horn with a great sound. It falls in the category of 4/4, maybe slightly 4/4 "plus". It has what seems to be a full sized "York" valve set. I bet a side by side with a Nirschl York model would confirm this. If you think that the MW or PT "big valve" valve sets are big, then this would be enormous. I have fairly large hands and the spread was a challenge. It also has a non-adjustable thumb ring which adds to the discomfort.
The one thing that was a bother is that, as already reported, the horn is VERY mouthpiece sensitive. Pitch can be a problem with the wrong set up. I found that intonation settled in fairly well with a Laskey 30H. The first slide was pulled around 3 inches(!), the second 1/4 inch, the 3rd 1/2 inch, the 4th 3 inches and the main 1 inch. These settings seem to be consistent with others playing this horn.
My comparison is based on my PT6S as "home", FWIW. As i've said, I'm sure it will sell with the price ranging from $5500 to $6500 (I understand the price of a new PT6 is another couple of thousand), but Besson quality is evident. This has the markings of a massed produced horn. Solder joints, slide fit (some loose, some tight/out of alignment) and finish are "Besson", but with that said it was pretty good (but nothing like the PT6).
I like being able to use different mouthpieces for different sounds (I can do this with the PT6 really well) and for me, the pitch took some muscling on the Besson, but I sure I could get used to it. I'm not offing the PT for a new Besson, but I'm sure Besson won't have any problems selling the limited quantity of the 995 that will be available.
I'm now looking forward to trying the new Miraphone CC due out in late '03 early '04.
again, FWIW,
LV