Benge 90B quick review

[JeffTheHornGuy]

About two months ago I purchased a Benge 90B, and I feel that I have played it enough to share my initial impressions.
About the horn - it is a .462 bore from the early 90's and has a lacquer finish.
Ill start with the good things. My favorite thing about it is the sound. The word that I would best use to describe it would be "pure". It just sounds really smooth and controlled throughout it's entire register, regardless of how much air I put through. Now, don't think that it sounds boring. It can still brighten up nicely, but it never gets out of control. In my opinion, it is a great "trumpet sound". Another great thing about it is the ease of it's upper register. For me, the blow is open enough that I can put as much air in as I want, but has just enough resistance that it is not horribly tiring to play despite its relatively large bore size. It also allows for really easy, yet firm slotting in the upper register. Finally, the valves and slides all feel excellent and do not require CONSTANT maintenance.
Now to the bad things. The most obvious negativity is the intonation. Its not really BAD, but its just kind of inconsistent considering how great the other aspects of this horn are. The only other bad thing about this horn is that in your hands, it doesn't really FEEL like a professional horn. What I mean by this is that it just doesn't feel completely solidly built, etc. The build quality is certainly better than that of a student trumpet, but I don't think that it lives up to it's title of a "professional trumpet".
All in all, this trumpet is FANTASTIC. I encourage any of you who are in the market for a new horn to try one. I may try to post a video of me playing it.
OH! I forgot the best part about it! THE PRICE! Compared to my $1800 retail Stomvi Forte, my $400 Benge 90B plays just as well, if not better.
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[hiandlo]

I had the same horn, only it was marked "BL", denoting large bore .462. I agree with you. A great sounding and playing horn and mine was lacquered and done very nicely. I regret selling it, but I am presently (and probably forever) playing a Kanstul French Besson. I just cannot find another horn I like better and I've tried all of them. Hang on to yours'...........you'll have a tough time finding a horn of that quality for anywhere near the price you paid.
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"Those who fail to prepare should prepare to fail"

[googanelli]

I picked up a medium large bore about the same time back. I fell in love with it. I have to agree with some of the intonation. I also found below the staff hard to focus on. BUT, I love the way the horn sounds. It's a good horn. It will be my Bb back up from now on.

Joe
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