Antoine Courtois 157 Bb Flugelhorn

8-Jan-2002

The French can always be relied upon to do something a little bit different...

Any nation that can produce a rugby team that one week can beat the mighty "All Blacks" and the next lose to Tonga, or manage to produce over 300 different types of cheese, nearly all of which are almost inedible, or get away with being able to plonk a glass pyramid in the courtyard of the Louvre museum and make it look stunning, is a country that is ruled by the heart and not the head.

The results of their nations labours come not from the technical bureaucrat but from the romantic idealist in search of perfection not through hard work, but inspiration. The French love playing up to this self possessed image, but for the most part it's a load of bullshit � however, the French are just as good (and invariably as bad) as the British or Germans in the mass production market place.

With this in mind then, we took delivery of Monsieur Antoine Courtois 157 Flugelhorn and put it to the test.

Courtois have been making musical instruments since 1789 and the earliest example of a cavalry trumpet of theirs can be found intact in a museum in Paris where it was once the property of an officer of Napoleon himself, who was sent to discuss terms with the inhabitants of a town that the old Emperor then invaded in 1789. Whether or not this was because of the standard of the poor beggar's bugle playing is not noted.

Since then the company has built itself a pretty sound reputation as an instrument maker of quality and since 1956 has built its instruments in the lovely Loire valley town of Amboise, where each year the French Open Brass Band Championships are held.

The Courtois family no longer runs the company, as Antoine Courtois Jnr died in 1880, but by Jacques Gaudet as part of the TA Musik Group. The sole importers of the instruments to the UK are Fred Rhodes Ltd of Oldham who has been in existence since 1971.

With the advent of lottery money and grants in the past few years, the name of Antoine Courtois has become better known as they have provided many bands with full sets of brass instruments. However, the one instrument within the brass band that can cause the most headaches in terms of intonation, pitch, tone and timbre is the flugel and so we set out to test whether the Courtois 157 is better than it's rivals in a very competitive field.

The usual scoring system of 25 points for each category of Build Quality, Intonation, Ease of Blowing/Tonal Quality and Overall performance/ Value for Money gives will give us a total out of 100.

A few weeks ago we tested the Le Blanc- Holten Arturo Sandoval and we gave it 82 points, which we felt wasn't too bad at all. This is how the Courtois measured up for us.

Build Quality:

Courtois have in the past had a bit of a reputation of not quite putting the nuts and bolts together as good as their competitors, but in the last couple of years things have improved a great deal, and the 157 Flugel really did feel well made for us.

The major plus was that the instrument felt balanced when holding in the playing position, so that the instrument's centre of gravity didn't mean you having to have forearms the size of Popeye's to keep it in place on your lips. Many flugels seem weighted to the front due to large bells and therefore feel heavy in the hand and uncomfortable to use, but the Courtois had a neutral balance that made it a delight to handle.

The main valve housing was therefore ideally placed - even for those with hands the size of General Tom Thumb and the third slide trigger was accessible to operate. The central strengthening arm also gives the instrument a rigid feel and the waterkeys, trigger and valve tops and buttons have a well-made look about them.

The valves themselves are slick and quiet, but the felts are a little thin on the top of the valves. The main shank is long enough to accommodate even the sharpest of players and the shank key is solid enough to last a lifetime of fiddling about with. Slides fit well and the little finger crook can safely be used to help screw the flugel onto your chops when you've got to play the high stuff!

The lacquer finish was of a high standard and there were no signs of solder blobs in the nooks and crannys. The finish had no defects even in the darkest recesses and you would have to have sweated like the monster from the Alien films to tarnish it.

Impressive stuff � 21 points.

Intonation:

The Achilles heel of just about every flugel in the world. Flugels are notoriously difficult to play in tune within a brass band as in reality they are not designed to be razzed to high heaven or blasted until your blood comes out of the waterkey. Most are perfectly in tune if cosseted like a new born babe in arms, but given that most conductors want you to sound like a soprano trombone getting to play in tune is usually difficult to say the least.

Most flugels play flat the higher up the range you go, so that anything above top G can sound like a small wombat in distress, whilst amazingly the same usually occurs when playing below the stave as well. Fortunately good players can accommodate this somewhat (usually through practising at home and not just in the bandroom on a rehearsal night), but it still remains a bug bear.

The Courtois had fine intonation in the hands (and lips of our guinea pig) and the higher octave range sounded well in tune. The shank was out about one and half inches and so gave plenty of scope for fiddling about with if others felt it was flat, and top G's and A's seemed perfectly fine. It started to go a bit when giving it a bit of welly, but even to top B and C it was pretty good indeed.

On and below the stave needed a bit of help with the trigger for D's and C#'s, whilst bottom Bb was noticeably flat (as was the F first space).

Still not bad at all � 21 points

Ease of Blowing/Tonal Quality:

Although the instrument is noticeably smaller than the LeBlanc - Holten we tried a few weeks ago, the Courtois was still a very free blowing instrument that could accommodate the more delicate blowers as well as those who can shoot more air through than a Sperm Whales blowhole.

The 10.50mm bore is small compared to the Holten (10.69mm) but it's more than big enough to accommodate the louder blowing flugels out there (and you know who you are), whilst the advantage at quieter dynamics is pronounced as a constant airstream provides a dark lustrous tone with no edge or fuzzyness.

The difference in bell size between the two also contributed to the Courtois having a slightly lighter timbre and it has a distinctive resonance even played next to horn section, that other larger flugels lack. It may not have the biggest or darkest sound we have heard, but it has a distinctive individual timbre, which we liked.

Very nice thank you � 21 points

Overall Performance/ Value for Money:

Buying a flugelhorn that you can live with for more than a few years is like looking for an ideal woman. With apologies to all feminists out there, a good woman must be like Delia Smith in kitchen, Germaine Greer at work and Debbie Does Dallas in the bedroom � if you can get one that can do all three with a smile on their face then you are laughing.

The same goes with the flugel. Get one that sounds great, stays in tune and doesn't fall apart in your hands and you've got yourself a winner. The Courtois does all three very well indeed, and although it may not quite be up there with Delia, Germaine and Debbie individually, as a whole we think it's a very good package and one that you could have hours of fun and games without upsetting your wife.

Overall it did everything we asked of it and it was well put together, freeblowing with a lovely sound. Intonation was generally very good and we must add that Fred Rhodes did take the instrument back off us to amend the problem with the first slide tuning. It was returned within a week (with a courtesy instrument provided) and came back with the problem solved and the repair surgery flawless. This is very good aftercare and one that others should follow.

A nice solid case, mouthpiece and bits and bobs are provided and the shank can accommodate just about anything you wish to shove in it. Contact Fred Rhodes direct to see what deals can be done for you. They offer a personal service that in our experience is first rate and very accommodating. Terms etc can be negotiated, which is a very welcome idea and "testdrives" are available before you make up your mind. The aftersales back up are first class.

A very good overall show from the French Fancy � 22 points.

We enjoyed the Courtois 157 very much and we think that at present it justifies it's position and reputation as the leading flugelhorn that is used by the majority of top players in the bands in the UK. A good solid piece of workmanship with a lovely tone and good intonation. In fact it does sound very French at all does it?

Overall Score: 85 points

Technical Specifications:
Bore: 10.50mm (0.413")
Bell Diameter: 160mm (6.299")
Optional Gold Brass Bell
Water Keys on 1st, 3rd and main shank
Third slide Trigger
Monel Valves
Deluxe Case
B1 1/2C mouthpiece.

The Verdict: