Posted by Steve Bloom on October 26, 2000 at 20:59:32:
In Reply to: Re: Eb vs CC posted by Gus Pratt on October 26, 2000 at 17:57:09:
Well, Gus, if that were true you'd have held onto that Besson you traded me for the King BBb back at Seattle Center about 12 years ago! I ordered a 981 lead pipe for it and it did make a difference. Unfortunately, I don't own it any longer.
By the way, I question whether or not anyone could find a "decent" 981 for only $2,500, since the used ones in "average" (read: beat up) condition are all well into the $3K range. Wish I'd kept the King, but the Besson mystique was too much. After trying the lot at the Brasswind last week--including the vaunted and equally overpriced Willson, my choice is the 983--hands down...I "A-B'd" the 982 and 983 and couldn't find a useful difference in sound. As for the CC, the fingering is just too "out there" for old guys like me who don't have the time or energy to learn everything all over again. John Fletcher, perhaps history's most prolific Eb artist, never chose to play anything else. He was forced to play the CC because his compatriots were looking for a "different sound", which is the American sound. They still use the Besson Eb in British orchestra, if that is any indication. Bottom line: if you're good at whatever you play, stick with it; the key of the horn is really not as important as what comes out of the bell.