The Best Cornets

Besson

Since the company's founding in 1837 by acoustic scientist and inventor Gustave-Auguste Besson, the Besson instrument company has established a reputation of producing fine instruments. The top-of-the-line Besson Sovereign cornet features spit valves with long-lasting synthetic rubber seals, valve springs and slides designed from non-corrosive phosphor bronze and nickel silver. The instrument has a bell rim rolled and soldered over brass wire, creating an impact- and dent-resistant shape. The Besson Sovereign uses high-quality materials in a design that allows for fine-tuning with an emphasis on durability.

Henderson N. White began building instruments at the age of 13, with his first Cuban cigar box violin. He carried his love of instrument making into adulthood, founding the H.N. White instrument company, which has become known for its King instruments, including the King cornet. King cornets feature a variety of intricate decorations on their bell and body, including gold leaf floral designs. H.N. White claims the King has flawless intonation, tonal range from soft to brilliant and a rugged construction. The company reconditions its vintage cornets and makes them available to the public.

B&S cornets feature many of the elements common to high-end cornets, including a hand-hammered, one-piece bell and components with optional silver or gold plating. The Challenger models feature Challenger Monel pistons designed for maximum responsiveness. The Challenger also features triggers on the first and third valve slides, as well as nickel silver outer slides for fine-tuning. Additional options include heavy bottom caps with O-rings. The Challenger line produces sounds ranging from those of a traditional British brass band to the symphonic music of the Belle Epoque.

Bach produces some of the most expensive, finely crafted cornets on the market. Their history dates back to the company's founder, Vincent Bach, who himself played trumpet and specialized in developing superior-quality mouthpieces. His first trumpets received the nickname Stradivarius, and the name stuck. The company still produces cornets with the Stradivarius brand name, produced with exacting standards from fine-tuned mouthpieces to semiprecious gemstone finger buttons. Like the Rolls Royce of the cornet world, a Bach Stradivarius is a finely hand-crafted instrument and it comes with an appropriately inflated price tag.