Benge Cornet *8Z

Paul Lester · Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2007 8:49 am Post subject: Benge Cornet *8Z

Hi,

Wondering if this is a student or pro horn?

It has a .468 bore with a 5 in bell.

There is no ring on the 3rd valve slide.

When did Benge stop building the horn?

Thanks for any info.

Cheers,

Paul

Andy Cooper · Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2007 9:37 am Post subject:

Pro - very Pro! I am not sure when they stopped making them - but the UMI built version was still available in the mid 90's.
Kanstul has a pro line cornet of a similar style.
Many older cornets lacked the 1st and 3rd slide rings - it was assumed that you would just lip the notes in tune - which is quite possible on a flexible cornet with the correct mouthpiece. Adjustable, removable 1st slide thumb hooks are available if you do not want to have the slides re-soldered.

tom turner · Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2007 11:11 am Post subject:

Benge made some great cornets and trumpets!

The UMI bought 'em out and took the "name" and the shape of the famous Benge horns to their production line in Ohio . . . leaving the tooling, AND the workers behind, and chosing to build their own tooling. In other words, it was a totally different horn from the small production, skillful days of the Benge company.

Frankly, I found it quite stunning how different the horns played, and obviously lots of other working musicians who played Benge horns at the time did too. However . . .

. . . the early Benge horns are great!

I'd consider one with a serial number of 15,000 or below from the Benge glory days. Some will go as high as 20,000.

If this inquiry is about the Benge cornet on ebay right now, which I suspect it is, that horn is a much later UMI horn.

T.

Tpt_Guy · Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2007 7:21 pm Post subject:

I have an LA built 8Z which was built sometime in 1979 which is a great player. I have a few intonation issues with it, but the valves are a bit worn, so that might be part of the problem. It's s/n is 33XXX, so I know it's not from the glory days, but I love it anyway.

I solved the slide issues by having rings put on the 1st and 3rd slides.

I love that horn.
_________________
-Tom Hall-

"A good teacher protects his pupils from his own influence."
-Bruce Lee

jcathey · Regular Member Joined: 21 May 2009 Posts: 68

Tom, I bought this horn from you nearly 5 years ago. Tonight I'm taking it to a trial BBB rehearsal. I've been thinking about joining this group for some time, and this is my first choice from among the 5 playable cornets I own. (Other contenders are 12A, 17A, and 18A copper-belled Conns, and a Conn New Wonder, with the A/Bb mechanism, should the Benge somehow prove unsuitable. The Benge, however, fits in cosmetically the best, and BBB is partially why I bought it.)

I'm sure I'm going to have to do something different mouthpiece-wise than the 1.25C I currently have on it, if I do join the group.

OP: Benge built nothing but pro-level horns. UMI, however, built some student-level horns with the Benge name on them, such as the 65B and 90B horns, in addition to building some of the Benge designs they'd bought---possibly with care insufficient to maintain the Benge reputation.

Regarding UMI: I once got a chance to compare a pristine UMI Benge pocket trumpet against several decent pocket trumpets, and the UMIB was the clear winner according to all present. Later I got to compare it to a well-worn LA Benge pocket, and it was clearly better yet. (Not hugely, but enough.) With regret I sold the UMI, as I had no justification to keep two of the things, and it was gorgeous.

Tpt_Guy · Posted: Wed Jan 10, 2024 2:45 pm Post subject:

Hey Jim!

Has it really been that long? That's crazy. Every now and again, my son still asks me about that horn (he was 5 years old when he went with me to mail it off). I miss that horn and its nice, sweet sound. I'm glad to know it's working well for you.

When I bought it, I purchased a Wick 2B. I was a naïve college student and thought I could be like Phil Smith but was in for a rude awakening. It wasn't long before I switched to a Curry 1VC, which was much better for me and sounded more along the lines of the American cornet tradition (and actually suits me better). If you're doing British Brass Band work, you might check into the Curry BBC line. I have a 2BBC and with it my buddy's Bach long cornet sounds quite cornetty.

How did the rehearsal go?
_________________
-Tom Hall-

"A good teacher protects his pupils from his own influence."
-Bruce Lee

dershem · Posted: Sun Jan 21, 2024 10:49 am Post subject:

Carol Brass currently makes a copy of the 8Z. They look alike, but I haven't played one yet. I love my 8Z, though. Great horn, warm rich sound.
_________________
BKA! Mic Gillette was my mentor and friend.
Marcinkiewicz Mic G. trumpet, Custom Marcinkiewicz mpc. (Among others)
Marcinkiewicz Rembrandt flugel, Benge 8Z cornet, King 2B, Bach 36, Benge 190, Getzen 3062... many more. All Marc. mouthpieces.