Couesnon

[noelpaz]

Hi,

I am seeing 3 Couesnon on ebay. Can anybody share experiences with these horns. Sound - is it focused/centered, keywork - compared to Balanced Action or MArk VI, durability, mouthpiece friendliness and other quirks. Thanks a lot. I am a Tenor - soprano player and I would just like to have an alto to PLAY.

Thanks

Noel

[stitch]

Hi Noel
Use the search button near the top of this page to see past threads on Couesnons, and also have a look at http://www.saxpics.com/dolnet/index.htm - you'll find some good stuff there. Couesnons are becoming more and more appreciated, so if you do bid, here's hoping you get a good price!

[noelpaz]

I did search about it and there was only 1 - 2 articles telling about the Cousenon, but not as comprehensive to give a good comparison. Rest was about serial numbers or telling about something for sale. Saxpics does not tell much about them

[noelpaz]

BTW Stitch, the URL is for Dolnets which have more info than Couesnon.

[stitch]

BTW Stitch, the URL is for Dolnets which have more info than Couesnon.

oops :oops:

[stitch]

... I meant http://www.saxpics.com/Couesnon/index.htm .... sorry!

[rek]

I have a Cousnon alto that I was lucky enough to grow up learning on. It has a very pure focused sound - great for classical in the French tradition. With the right setup it can wail too, but the sound isn't as complex as American horns or even Selmers. Intonation is terrific, it is very even across all ranges and altissimo is easy. The keywork is OK, but Selmers are better.

[noelpaz]

Thanks Rek - are you on the East or West Side of Madison - my friends live on the East Side off Spaight St by the lake. Haven't been there since late 1989 - long time ago

[rek]

West side, maybe 2 miles from the university. I love this town... has everything you want and within a small space. I ride my bike everywhere.

Spaight street is a very nice area, but it's changing. The whole Willy street area is undergoing gentrification and losing some of it's funky character.

[BrandyLee]

I just happened upon a Coesnon tenor. I called up my local music store to see if they had a line on any tenors within my starving student price range. They said they had a vintage horn that played nice, but they didn't know anything about the label.

I looked at the horn and fell in love. It's in pretty good shape, scratched in a few places and there are a few welds on the neck and bell. Other than that, it's fabulous. Has a great sound characteristic of a vintage horn. One of my friends took a look at it and told me that she figured the horn was one of the lesser quality French Selmer copies because of the bell engraving. (I think she's just bitter because her Mark VI is dying ... very badly.)

I've been having a bit of trouble with the high end though. It takes a lot of pressure to get it out at all. Could be my mouthpiece though. The one that came with the horn was an old hardrubber fat one. It brings the instrument down 3/4 tone! I'm borrowing a Claude Lakey jazz from a friend now. It's got good projection with no substance though.

I'd recommend them, but as with all vintage horns, buyer beware.

Edit: The saxpics site says that there isn't really a Couesnon serial numer catalogue, but my horn's number is 46xxx. Anyone know when that might be from? Just for curiosity's sake.

[GaryLee]

I have a Couesnon bari that was formerly a school horn. It was pretty beat when I got it. I had a friend play it and she said if she had that horn the first thing she would do is buy another horn :( Of course she was comparing it to her Selmer Mk VI low A that cost over 15 times the price.

This is the only bari I have played for more than a few minutes (I normally play tenor) so keep that in mind with my comments. Also I have never seen any other Couesnon horn so I have nothing to compare to.

Despite some previous sloppy repairs and my own DIY work the horn plays quite well. It has a lush mellow tone and once I got the key heights adjusted the intonation is reasonable. The keywork is a bit funky. The front F and the G# keys don't seem to blend style wise with the rest of the horn. The left hand pinky articulation mechanism looks to be either modified or tossed in as an afterthought by the factory. And the octave mechanism seems overly complex and a bit sluggish. :?

My horn has rolled tone holes but the one near the bell brace was filed flat :evil: after an apparent dent repair. If the alto has RTH's make sure they are in good condition because they will be difficult (impossible?) to repair if they aren't.

I am a Tenor - soprano player and I would just like to have an alto to PLAY.
I was in a similar situation when I picked up this bari "just for fun" and I am now playing it more than I ever thought I would. For all of its quirks it is a decent horn and has served me well in the amateur jazz ensemble/combo situations I am in.

I would expect that a horn with a less abused past would be able to hold its own against all but the best pro instruments. :)