You can also find numerous threads discussing the company on the various other brass and woodwind forums, such as this one:Įxcuse me. If your French is good, you can read all about the company, including both its history and current range of products, including the flugelhorns, here: The remnants of the company were purchased by another family owned company the old craftsmen were put back to work and today about twenty-five people make a relatively small number of new brass instruments, including the flugelhorns, each year. Later, to add insult to injury, the factory remains were ransacked and most of the mandrels went missing as well, except for the famous flugelhorn mandrels. So there is no way to reliably date any particular horn unless you have the original sales tag and receipt, although there are those who think the two-digit number in the "pineapple" or "grenade" stamping on the bell of the Monopole models indicates the year of manufacture in the 20th century.
The company used to make a full line of instruments from picc to tuba, including some woodwinds, but the factory burned some decades ago, and almost everything was lost, including the serial number lists and other factory records. How I got the mouthpiece is a true story of serendipity, which I'll PM to anybody who is interested.
I did not get the horn and mouthpiece together.
Yes, instead of the bottomless funnel mouthpieces that are today's rage, I actually play the factory mouthpiece (I'm probably one of the very few), and the number stamping must be a "mid-size" indicator from instrument from instrument, because my factory Couesnon flugelhorn mouthpiece is also stamped with just the company name and the number 3, although it is about the same inner cup diameter as a Bach 7, not a Bach 3, and only moderately deep as modern flugelhorn mouthpieces go. Unfortunately, the desire for a piquant, smokey character of tone has been superceded by a desire to just simply be as dark as possible, and to me that loses the true flavor of a flugelhorn. (OK - mine has a "two-piece" bell instead of the "one-piece" bell that is the hallmark of the "Monopole Conservatoire model," but it was made on the same mandrels and everything else is the same, for much less cost. It's not a Monopole model, but it has that, oh, so, lovely, dark, smokey, piquant, delicious, inimitable flugel sound that all the jazz greats played in the '50's and the '60's, and it is the make by which all other flugelhorns are measured and judged. In the past few months I recently put a thirty-year old quest to rest and actually was able to acquire a Couesnon flugel myself. Chasing the right Monopole model is for some high brass players the equivalent of chasing "York #3" for tuba players, except that there are actually a few out there to be had for the right price. Rascaljim wrote:Has anyone heard of this brand?Ĭouesnon is most famous for their flugelhorns.
I'll be trying a cheap plastic Kelly bass-trombone mouthpiece next time I get my act together. Failing that, you could get hold of a Vincent Bach (with "B" shank), or try a bass trombone mouthpiece. If that's the right size, a Denis Wick tuba mouthpiece should fit Mine plays a bit flat on a DW 3, but that may be me or the mouthpipe - a DW 4 might be less demanding. The shank is probably the "small European" size similar to the old Boosey's and Bessons - I have that size receiver on mine, but the mouthpipe got stomped flat during its career in education, so what's on there now came off a dead bass trombone, and may not match the original. My wife has the speakers this week, so I don't know what it sounds like, but it looks like a fair sized 3-banger, so the larger mouthpiece would make sense.
There's a video of someone playing one on U-tube ( ). For the shoulder strap I just use the strap from a flight-bag, you should be able to get one in most luggage stores - just be careful the clips are steel and sturdy enough to take the weight - I broke a couple of cheapo plastic ones.Īs for the mouthpiece: most of the Couesnon tubas you see for sale are the little 3/4 Eb, but there are a few Couesnon BBb tubas around. Can't help with the gig bag (I'd be interested if you find one) the nearest I came was a big hockey-sock or a bag for football armour, but I'm looking for a bit more protection.