Willson CS 241 Full Double horn (serial nr. 241023) Willi Kurath Hornmanufaktur, Flums (CH) 2010
I got to know the Willson horns, produced by Willi Kurath in Flums, Switzerland during a visit at the Frankfurter Musikmesse back in 2000. I was immediately intrigued by the instrument's great response, fantastic build quality and overall lightness, at a very fair price. It's a great and agile modern horn, although it does not provide the same sound I had from the Alexanders I previously owned (a 107 GM, a 103M, a great 200GM -which is still my preferred Alex model...- and a 308 tripple). The valve set, built by Rotax, can be an issue after neglecting the machine during intensive natural horn periods, but overall this is a fantastic horn for chamber music and teaching.
This CS 241 unlacquered goldbrass model was custom built for me in 2010. It is completed with a Horn Crafts mute -by far the nicest sounding mute in the world.