F. Besson Fabrication ca. 1923

The F. Besson Company was the pioneer of the modern trumpet. Their original designs from the 1880's became the template for nearly every trumpet made in the 20th century. Many famous American trumpet makers like Vincent Bach, Elden Benge, Reynold Schilke, and Domenick Calicchio took inspiration or directly copied the French Besson trumpet. F. Besson trumpets were preferred by symphonic, studio, and jazz musicians alike, and have the quintessential trumpet sound. 

This trumpet is in excellent condition. The lacquer is likely not original, but is in good shape throughout. The valves were rebuilt by Mark Metzler in 2020, and are as close to new as possible. There are no signs of major trauma or repair, and all parts appear to be original. There is a small amount of red rot in the leadpipe. We have replica Besson pipes available if the leadpipe ever needs to be replaced. The bore size is .445", and this instrument plays with a bright, compact sound with incredible ease into the upper register.

According to the Besson expert, Josh Landress, this instrument was produced in late 1923. The last photo shows a letter from the F. Besson factory dating instrument #87633 to June of 1925. This instrument was made approximately 18 months prior according to production estimates. Don't miss out on a piece of trumpet history and a fantastic player!