Up from down under wonder

[saintsday]

I just got a nickel/silver sop that came from Plant back from my tech. Don't let anyone tell you that a 1925 Couesnon sop isn't worth some time and trouble. Here is the PM I just sent Plant.

"Wow! My tech is often skeptical of some of the old horns I bring him and this one was a challenge. The key cups are so shallow that he had to use bassoon pads in some of them and after he thought it was done and test played it, something was still wrong. He ended up turning out all the lights except his leak light and discovered some of the silver solder on the tone holes had let go. One was glued on. But after he took care of the tone holes and started playing it in his basement shop, his son came down drawn by the sound and played it for a while too. Understand that besides his full time job in one of the busiest shops in town, my tech repairs literally hundreds of horns every year at home as well, and his son grew up with that. In other words, it sounds great! I just got back from my lesson and my teacher was also blown away by the sound quality- and that was with me playing sop for only the second time in my life. Great horn. This one is a keeper."
This manufacturer, known primarily for brass, deserves a much
bigger reputation.

[Saxland]

I have a very minty structural condition 1925 Couesnon soprano. :D It needs an overhaul. I have to agree about the quality. For me, intonation locks in, and thats a first on the soprano. I have been playing it against my Kohlert soprano and find the tone is not as big, but is very refined. I hesitated to buy because of the perceived smaller tone, but I'll choose the Couesnon over any pro Selmer and pro Keilwerth I have tried. I play it over the Kohlert, and that has a pro very solid body and sound.

It speaks to me like no other soprano I have tried. It has a vocal singing quality. It has finnese and flexability over tonal mass.

There is something else about it, an almost haunting quality.

I found for me that a Vandoren S35 has a really great tone.

Do you have any pictures? I would really like to have a good look at a properly set up one.

[saintsday]

Hi Saxland. I don't know if we really have it "properly" set up, but it sure works. The key cups are so shallow that it has some bassoon pads here and there. The trickiest part was re-soldering some of the tone holes without loosening adjacent tone holes and posts. I'll take some pics and post them here. The thing that most amazes me is what you refer to as a "singing" tone. A half dozen people have heard me on this thing and they all commented positively about the sound which really doesn't seem possible as the only other time I ever played a sop was a few minutes at junkdude's on a Buescher with a mpc borrowed from a friend who was with me. Plant was kind enough to send a vintage mpc with the Couesnon that I suspect is original as it looks like the Couesnon logo on it and the horn was original enough to still have the white kid pads. I'll get the pics on later today or tomorrow.

[saintsday]

Here you go Saxland. If there is anything in particular you'd like to see a pic of, let me know. I included a pic of the mouthpiece and one with it next to a C* for comparison.http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i262/saintsday/IMG_0421.jpghttp://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i262/saintsday/IMG_0422.jpghttp://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i262/saintsday/IMG_0425.jpghttp://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i262/saintsday/IMG_0431.jpghttp://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i262/saintsday/IMG_0433.jpg
John

[saintsday]

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i262/saintsday/IMG_0433.jpg