Posted by K on July 26, 2003 at 00:55:32:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Silver Boosey & Hawkes " REGENT" BBb Tub posted by Chuck(G) on July 26, 2003 at 00:25:39:
B&H Emperor/Besson Conqueror were less common, than the other lines we speak of.
Sometimes in the 60-ies a series of B&H International trombones were issued as a top line. I think there also were trumpets, but I haven't met them in my country. The trombones had a globe with a banner in the tuning slide stay. These trombones did not catch the market, as they were too dry in sound. A British sound ideal, which was dying out at that time.
Actually I think the Emperor line was the second to the International. I got an offer to buy a new Emperor trombone at a rather favourable price in 1974. But I didn't like its sound. And the valve tubing was flush with the bell frame. That implied, that the valve tubing could not be emptied without un-mounting the main tuning slide. Very bad design. So they didn't get a foothold on the market either.
Instead I bought the Sovereign .547" tenor trombone with two main tuning slides. One of them had an F-valve. I sold it 12 years later to afford my first real bassbone. I still regret that sale.
That B&H Sovereign trombone model also was sold for a brief period as Besson Mark II.
There has been a lot of names used in the B&H/Besson marketing. I am not sure, that all of the names made it to the infrequent main catalogues. I haven't even seen all of the names in the more frequent special issue flyers.
I still have some flyers, that I have not scanned and uploaded. Most of them are about the Sovereign and 700 series.
But the scales and Tjaikovsky projects have higher priority. And somebody now tries to turn me on with Swedish folk music.
Klaus