RENOVATING my 100-YEAR-OLD Besson Bb/A Trumpet

This video is sponsored by Vennture Mouthpieces! Use my coupon code THEOLDMAN to get 10% off anything from Vennture Mouthpieces (and to help support my channel) - explore all the possibilities at www.vennture.mp
This year, my 1923 London Besson Bb/A Trumpet turned 100 years old! To honor this milestone, I decided to showcase a few features I had added make this vintage trumpet play more like a modern instrument, while still maintaining it's vintage charm! After some amazing work by Scott Sweeney of Sweeney Brass and Vennture Mouthpieces, I now have a 100-year old antique trumpet with a quick change rotor valve that can play IN TUNE in both Bb and A.
Original Besson Video: • My *almost* 100-YEAR-O...
LINKS
Sweeney Brass in Raleigh, North Carolina - www.sweeneybrass.com/
Vennture Mouthpieces in Raleigh, North Carolina - vennture.mp
All mouthpiece comparisons were shown in Vennture's FREE mouthpiece software, VennCAD - www.vennture.mp/venncad/
GEAR
1923 London Besson Bb/A
1930 Couesnon Monopole C/B/Bb/A Trumpet with Double Barillet
2014 Yamaha Chicago II Bb
Original Besson Prototype Mouthpiece
Modified Bach 1C 23 throat
Vennture “Old Man” Mouthpiece
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[@James_Dawes]

Honey wake up, Jon new Jon upload!!!!!

[@JonTalksTrumpet]

Feels so good to be back!! Thanks for supporting me!

[@SamuelPlaysBrass]

Absolutely awesome video, Jon. I love how long that 3rd slide pull is. A lot of older instruments without a tuning ring on the 3rd have only a couple inches of movable tubing. And the final result sounds amazing all the way down to that concert D! Thanks for documenting this process!

[@JonTalksTrumpet]

Thanks, Sam!!! I’m super pleased with how it turned out. Yeah, I was lucky - I didn’t think to take a picture of it before the modifications, but the male slide legs were HILARIOUSLY long on the 3rd slide. And then I told Scott to give me as much movable slide as I could possibly get. 😂😂😂

[@seth094978]

That old school mouthpiece reminds me of the one that is stuck in my Dad's old Conn bugle. It's my favorite mouthpiece ever. You'd almost think it was made from thick sheet metal instead of a billet with how svelt it is, and the rim is just perfect. Nice sharp throat, too. I really wish modern mouthpieces were more like that.

[@richardmason7107]

The early Conn Victor cornets had linkages that automatically adjusted the 3 valve slides when switching between B-flat and A. The also had version that came with a set of slide to play in C which gave you 3 keys to chose from. The Cornets were commonly sized in the Conn 2 1/2 bore, which is .465 inches.

[@JonTalksTrumpet]

Yeah, I've seen that kind of mechanism before - so involved but very impressive when it works well!! Thanks for contributing and for watching!

[@armandogiordano1226]

So happy to see you back at it!

[@JonTalksTrumpet]

Glad to be back!!! Thanks for your support!

[@GordonHudson]

I just did a video about a Bb/A cornet that covered the same issue - people playing on the A side for pieces in sharp keys to avoid the C#.

[@amidtheruins02]

Aw man I love this channel!! Glad youre back

[@JonTalksTrumpet]

Hey thanks!!! Me too!!!

[@cilantro5221]

He’s back!!!

[@JonTalksTrumpet]

Heck yeah!!! 🤓🎺

[@cilantro5221]

@@JonTalksTrumpet it’s odd I watch trumpet stuff as I am a saxophonist lol. I do dabble in the trumpet though.

[@JonTalksTrumpet]

Well I appreciate your support regardless!!! 😎

[@raptor1488]

I know Scott Sweeny! I have my Bass Trombone sent there for repair. Scott is an incredible music repairman!

[@JonTalksTrumpet]

He’s amazing! Such a diligent, thoughtful, and creative worker.

[@kevinhateswriting]

Jon Talks Trumpet is back!!!!

[@JustLuke08]

HE’S ALIVE

[@JonTalksTrumpet]

🧟‍♂️🤓🎺

[@taylormanning2709]

Welcome back

[@JonTalksTrumpet]

Thank you!!! Great to be back - I have so much to show you all!!

[@flash7355]

You can wax raw brass or just clean it with 0000steelwool and handsoap in the 0000 steelwool then wait for new patina (takes about 2 years) edit... YOU CAN NOT DO THIS TO SILVERPLATE IT WILL JUST DESTROY THE SILVERSURFACE, but rawbrass just gets clean if you dont use high preassure.

[@James_Dawes]

Absolutely love what you've done to the instrument Jon, it's looking and sounding brilliant! Is there a reason why you couldn't swap the mouthpiece receiver for a modern one? Would it mean you'd have a wierd gap from mouthpiece reciever to leadpipe?

[@JonTalksTrumpet]

James! That’s funny, that didn’t occur to me - but probably the mouthpiece fix was a bit simpler and didn’t require me to know anything about the internal dimensions of the leadpipe. My guess is that truncating the mouthpiece like we did has a smaller effect on the playability than switching out the receiver. The other idea I had would be to make a screw backbore with the Besson sized shank end that I could use on any of my screw tops - but the Old Man does the job more than well enough. 😎

[@flash7355]

If besson shanks are anything like boosey and hawkes shanks a new modern one won't fit just saying. It would need to be modified or changed leadpipe but the sound would then change.

[@NeelReddz]

I play Middle school trumpet and hate it but this changed my mind

[@JonTalksTrumpet]

that's awesome!!!

[@bonerici]

Hey Jon Talks trumpet why not just use a cornet mouthpiece? That has to be the exact right fit. Any mouthpiece you can get in trumpet you can also get in cornet. Of course a custom mouthpiece is pretty cool.

[@JonTalksTrumpet]

Nope! Cornet mouthpiece drops all the way in. This custom piece is right between the shank sizes of a trumpet and a cornet, which is what seems to work for this trumpet’s reciever.

[@bonerici]

@JonTalksTrumpet Wow thanks for the reply

[@bubblehead5394]

I feel stupider