Besson 160/162 vs. 260/262 question

[Andy Cooper]

Has anyone done a side by side comparison the Besson 160 or 162 Stamm trumpet with the 260 or 262 Najoom models? (Assume A bell vs. A bell, B bell vs. B bell). The specs look the same except for the leadpipe. If possible how do they compare to a ML Bach Strad 25/37, Olds Ambassador, Schilke, or ML or L bore Xeno. I'm trying to narrow the field a little. As a "bonus" question - has anyone compared the discontinued Getzen Stamm and Najoom models to the new Besson models that carry their recommendations?

[Martin]

You might try to contact TH member Levermann, he has had his share of Stamm horns and currently owns one with an A bell and a Najoom lead pipe.

Myself, I own a .462 bore Stamm in lacquer with the A bell and a silver plated .460 bore Meha (also Kanstul made). No Najoom experience (yet), sorry. Both are exceptional and very versatile horns, but quite different. The Stamm is lighter in weight and has a mellower sound, but can brighten up significantly when pushed. The A bell, so I was told, is the equivalent of a Bach 72 - from what I´ve read about the 72, this is perfectly true. My Stamm plays absolutely effortlessly and evenly in all registers, a perfect allround horn for every situation I can think of. Very easy to get around on, almost like a flugel. I use mine with the D shaped slide, BTW. The rounded slide makes the sound too broad for me, but it is a great option to have if you do not need to cut through an heavily amplified funk band like I do.
The Meha (I know you were not asking about that one, but let me rave about it anyway ) is a little more demanding to play, but still my favourite horn nowadays. It plays very much like your typical ML Bach 37 in terms of resistance and slotting, but IMHO more evenly and with an easier high register, and with superior projection (I´m not attempting to bash Bach, I just haven´t found one that really worked for me so far). This is an excellent trumpet for all kinds of playing as well, but a little brighter sounding than the Stamm, with tighter slots and a bit more resistance. As I said, I need to concentrate more when playing the Meha (it doesn´t tolerate sloppyness very well), but it´s worth it. Hope that helps!
_________________
All the best

Martin
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"I have found that it is enough when a single note is beautifully played." - Arvo Pärt

[DaveH]

I have a French Besson Classic with the Najoom leadpipe - I believe this is the 260 model as it has a .460 bore. I think the 262 has a .462 bore.

I am very satisfied with this trumpet as it meets my needs; that is, a very good playing and sounding horn for the money. Could I buy a better horn? (What is a better horn, anyway?) Maybe... but more money is involved - perhaps quite a bit more - and I would have to justify the extra expense, which I could not do in my case. I cannot comment on how it might compare with other horns as there are so many other horns, and so many opinions of those other horns, that you may very well drown in all the "information."

I would contact Donovan Bankhead, General Manager at Springfield Music. I bought my horn from him. He can be contacted at 1-888-849-9600 or at http://www.trumpetplayer.net

It might be argued a dealer might be biased, but I do not think so in this case. Donovan is a dealer for several brands of horns, and I found him to be very professional and helpful.

I have played a Bach Strad 37, an LA Benge, a King Silver Flair, a late seventies model Yamaha, and a Blessing ML1. IMO, the Besson plays and sounds as good as any of those horns. I think there may be some slight differences among all these horns, but I think the differences are slight and are simply just that - differences. I cannot say one is necessarily better than the other, although I would put the Blessing in a lower class than all the others.

[ This Message was edited by: DaveH on 2004-02-04 19:37 ]

[Levermann]

The only way to find out is to play them all.
The Stamm is great sounding but also a little clumsy. It requires some work to get happy with a Stamm.
I recommend the Najoom reversed lead pipe with the Stamm A* bell.
It is a little bit brighter but still warm and full.
It is more responsive compared to the Stamm. Especially in the upper register. As far as I remember there is also a Besson Classic bell with a star ( lightweight)and Najoom.
Very confusing with all those different Bessons.