Kanstul 1588 - Thoughts?

[BillinMich]

I don’t know anyone who has played the Kanstul 1588 so I thought I’d get some opinions here (I’m considering trying one). Just to give you some background, I’m mostly a jazz player. My main horn is a Yamaha 891Z (.508 bore). I also play a Getzen 1062FD bass bone occasionally.

My current large bore tenor is a Besson BE944 Sovereign. I only play about 3-4 gigs a year with it. It’s heavy and unbalanced (even with an added counterweight and an CalderPips grip) and the first generation Hagmann valve is touchy so I’d like to move on from it.

I’m looking for a large bore tenor that is flexible enough to cover orchestra, church, or quintet gigs and is well-balanced, preferably on the lighter side. I had been thinking of a Shires Q30GR or a Conn 88HNV before I heard about the Kanstul.

Given the above, is the Kanstul 1588 worth checking out?