Besson Sovereign Flugelhorn Review - Czardas and Slavische Fantasie 

That looks like a cool instrument. It won't stop me from crying at night, and it won't stop the nightmares, but it's cool.

Dude, your videos are so amazing, you are like my idol for playing brass instruments as I am a brass player myself.

And now i am going to play something more interesting... You got that right!

One of my favourite instruments

The old Sovereign tenor horn that I play in my band has some drainage issues, too. The first water key is behind the valve assembly, so the bottom half of the horn gets drenched if you're not careful. I hope they've figured things like this out with their newer horns.

So smooth!

It sounds beautiful

I bought a 1982 B&H Imperial flugel a couple of months ago. It plays beautifully, only a couple of minor scratches on it, hardly used. Looks identical to this round stamp sovereign, excepting the 1st valve slide is horizontal instead of vertical so also has no water key, and the finger ring isn't a full ring. I love it. Shame I'm playing tenor trom, bass trom, and euphonium for 3 different bands on 3 nights a week and the flugel sits there doing nothing unless I practice...

Wow, I can't believe I missed this this video. I could tell from the very first note how gorgeous of a sound this horn has, despite many of these pieces not being flugel friendly. Makes me want one. We'll see I suppose. If you don't mind me asking, how much did you pay for it?

My flatmate picked up a late 50's-ish besson cornet for $100. Better as a shelf piece perhaps as it's in terrible shape (ex-Woolston brass, was probably put through the kids in its later years before being passed off to the pawn shop he found it at). However, all dings, bends, stuck slides, and structural breakages aside, the valves are still more or less mirror-finish and work flawlessly, no sticky pistons at all. I'm half tempted to buy a set of dent balls and a gas torch and get to work. I must have watched every repair video on RU-vid now about 3 times over.

Very true! When it comes to used but well cared for brass instruments you should look at Alisyn Valve Slide Key Oil! Not only does it make old valves feel like new but it keeps your valve no matter if they are rotary or perinet valves lime new longer. Some guys will think poorly of it because it feels slowly than water or kerosene based valve oils. That said they can not hope to voice notes as fast as the pistons can move anyways so it is a silly thing to even say! It is like the difference between 0W20, 5W40, 10W60 oil in your car. Ow20 looks good on paper and might even produce a bit more power on a dyno but at what cost long term! Cheers!

Are you interested in the hybrid plastic/brass instruments being put out by Tromba recently? I'm considering getting the flugelhorn to replace my crappy Tristar trumpet, and I'd love to know your thoughts on the range.

what is the first piece that you played?

Even through my crappy little plastic cased speakers that sounded great , a lovely warm tone. BTW how much was it (£) ?

What song is that and where dou think I could pick up the sheets? It sounds fun to play.

are cornets and flugelhorns still considered trumpets?

That’s a fantastic horn

The mouthpiece on the horn looks fairly larger than on a trumpet. Are Flugel mouthpieces usually that large?

Is that's your mellophone behind u???

Good horn. I play and old Besson New Standard euph. While I definitely agree about old instruments in good shape, an instrument like the euphonium which has changed over the last few decades will have a different sound than the older ones. Not bad, but different.

You play for salvation army band who are the pastor's Trent?

You should play theme from green bushes by Percy Grainger

The remainder of Czardas isnt necessarily uninteresting... Interesting instrument! It might be the mobile phone speaker, but it sounds a bit, well, undefined or inprecise, i cant really find tge words...

Czardes sounds so good on flugelhorn

i have to play Slavische Fantasie...good reference thanks

Have you ever played a bass flugelhorn? It seems to be the only instrument missing in your collection.

Looks like a Boosey and Hawkes (roundstamp or globestamp, if you prefer) Sovereign rather than a Besson to me... not that it makes much difference, if anything the old roundstamp B&H sovereign instruments are more desirable than the Besson sovereign instruments. That said, there have always been 3 exceptions to the stellar reputation that most sovereign instrument models have had... those are the soprano cornet (which was absolutely appalling), the trombones and the flugel. The pristine condition of this one may well mean that it sat in a bands cupboard for years whilst a better instrument got the actual use (often a Bach 183 strad or a Yamaha 631, though there are many others). Still, if it works as intended then all is well - it could be a particularly good one that was overlooked on reputation alone, or it could've been overlooked because the flugel player had their own instrument that they preferred....

Pull the main slide out

eeer, you have a band??

Is that's your mellophone behind u???