B & H - Where Has all the Money Gone ?

[iancwilx]

In the past 4 years I have had 3 new Besson EEb Basses from B&H,(2 Laquered, 1 Silver Plate) mostly of victims poor quality control and inferior manufacture.
In my opinion the laquered instruments were thin gauge metal and unsuitable for serious brass performance.
They were riddled with "Black Spot" and raucous at high volumes
The difference in weight to a S. Plated instrument was very evident.
SP was more robust and sonorous.
B&H have had a once in a lifetime opportunity to really "Clean up" through widespread Lottery grants to bands to purchase new sets of instruments,so I cannot understand why the company is up for sale with substantial debts (I'm told).
They have churned out the goods and taken the money.
The instruments were not subjected to proper quality control, the laquered instruments suffered from "Black Spot" - there were no "Dent guard plates" on vulnerable bends as in the past.
Even the much vaunted "Prestige" range are said to be fine instruments, but with poor finish and peeling laquer or very thin silver plate.
Questions :-
1) Where has all the money gone ?
2) Why is the company in trouble.
3) Whose "Ripped Off" the money ?

 

[Hornblower RN]

B&H were not on their own churning out inferior instruments for lottery grants. Even the respected Bach Strad flugel that my band bought is not in the same league as the one I bought myself in 1988. Third valve trigger spring sticks out and initially cut my finger....black spot at base of bell........solder spots bell to valve casing and lead pipe to bell coming adrift (obviously soldered under stress!)

 

[MoominDave]

I've heard that for Bach Trombones at least, the instruments we see in Britain are essentially the ones that weren't up to scratch for sale in America.

Dave

 

[Naomi McFadyen]

hehe; prolly cos B&H have been sponsoring more or less every single band contest for the past X years! Prolly went into debt and bankrupted themselves

Ppphhh, I dunno... Prolly cos they are not selling as many instruments as they thought- with all sorts of different makes and models around now they're probably just struggling and not selling as much...


B&H RIP 2003?

:lol: :wink:

 

[alks]

It may have escaped notice but B&H no-longer manufacture the instrument division - a new company was formed called the 'Music group' which has now taken over all the former B&H instrument manufacturing here and in Europe.

 

[Naomi McFadyen]

yea, I know B&H no longer do it all now... it was announced at the area contests

:wink:

 

[carlwoodman]

B&H

It may have escaped notice but B&H no-longer manufacture the instrument division - a new company was formed called the 'Music group' which has now taken over all the former B&H instrument manufacturing here and in Europe.

Boosey and Hawkes had been looking to offload bits of the company for years. 'The Music Group' bought the instrument division from the parent company for £33M and is left with music publishing. The Music Group was formed by the managers of the B&H instrument division who gained finance from another organisation called Rutland Fund Management.
Read all about this management buyout on this link from February this year;
http://www.thisismoney.com/20030211/nm59047.html

The Music Group have their own website which is basically a reworked B&H site;
http://www.musicgroup.com