Asking about Steve Witser Benges...

[senenttrombo]

hi,

any of you have information or photos about the Benges of Steve Witser?
Not easy find information about him.

I bought one benge and the seller told me that the owner was steve witser.

Is one SilverSterling.

Never saw one.
Only this one...

[mbarbier]

He, along with the rest of the Cleveland section, played Benge 190Fs until Desano retired. Think he had a few, but wasn't playing it that much anymore when I got to CIM in '03.

At the time the section was working on a Benge/Conn hybrid for the orchestra with the Eastlake Factory. Lovely horns (I have one of the prototypes), but nothing came of it once Desano retired. I know he and Rick had a TON of parts from that, especially of bell materials that were never production. If I remember correctly the horn he left in the studio for lessons for a good while was a silver Benge. Really lovely horn.


Rick Stout, second trombone, switched back to his 42. Witser had Chuck Ward mod all his horns so he could mix and match Benge, Conn, and Bach. During my time studying with them he was always tweaking, but mostly played a Benge 190 slide, Conn open wrap valve, and Bach 42 bell. Pretty sure that's what he was still playing when he was in LA as well. Pretty sure that was the set up up last time I saw him play. He was the best- miss that guy quite a lot!

[senenttrombo]

Thanks mbarbier!
Steve was your teacher?

Do you remember if he had one or more silver plated? Was all the bell silver plated or with inner gold?

[mbarbier]

You're welcome!

Rick Stout was my main teacher at CIM, but they split a studio so had him for studio class and pretty regular lessons (and studied with him a bunch when we both moved to LA).

tbh I don't remember- he definitely had a number of silver plated horns, but remember if any had inner gold. The main silver horn I saw him with was just silver, but he also had a massive number of horns. Most of the ones he regularly played were in the modulator set-up he had Chuck Ward make.