FB Besson Cornet

[John Pereira]

I am thinking of bidding on an instrument advertised as
"Besson FB Cornet - Westminster"
claimed to be in Very Good condition.

I have gathered that the Westminster line was Besson's "entry - level" or "bottom of the range" line. Perhaps, with a name like Besson, that's still a perfectly viable beginner cornet?

I wonder just what the "FB" marking signifies? does it signify a smaller (higher pitched) size of cornet? such as an Eflat or F cornet? If so it's of no use to me as my range is very limited in the upwards direction. A Bflat trumpet has proven ungrateful and I am playing around with an Eflat tenor for that reason. I should like to give a Bflat cornet (if that's what this is) a try provided it does not cost too much.

Oh! Incidentally, I should add that I am not particularly enamoured of the New Brass Band Sound as represented by Grimethorpe. I find it over brilliant and would much rather a more old-fashioned brass band sound so if this instrument has the old stodgy sound, that would recommend it rather than the reverse so long as it speaks easily and the notes fall in tune.
_________________
John Peel
". . . the sound of his bugle brought me from my bed . . ."

[delano]

FB means simply F. Besson. It's not completely clear where the F. stands for. One explanation is that the F. stands for Fontaine, the husband of one of Besson's daughters, mrs. Marthe Josephine Fontaine-Besson, the other explanation, maybe more right, is that the F. stands for Florentine Besson, born as Ridoux, the wife of Gustav Besson, the founder of the company. Anyway, it has nothing to do with the tuning of the horn.
The Westminster is sure an entry-level instrument but not bad at least in my opinion. The quality of the valves can range from excellent to quite bad, depending on the production period and the damage done so that is a point of care. The Westminster is produced in high pitch and low pitch. You can find it probably on the valve housing as hp or lp. Stay away from the hp ones.

[John Pereira]

Many thanks for that information, especially about the High and Low Pitch versions
_________________
John Peel
". . . the sound of his bugle brought me from my bed . . ."