Holton – Vintage Brasswinds Australia

As at 21 December 2025 in Melbourne Australia
Contact David – 0415425350
Email: play_that_quail@hotmail

Arioso Super trumpet

Arioso – Unusual handmade Professional Arioso Super Trumpet – Bb – by Joseph Lidl’s [circa ]1892 and is the oldest music instrument manufacturer in Maehren, Czech Republic] which was merged into Amati. Arioso production by Amati continued through 1970s and 1980s
Has a “Bohemian” or “French” rim and features a reverse leadpipe, 1st valve trigger, and large bore. Plays very well. Valves and slides operate as they should. Raw brass with patina, with some nickel trim – Original case – $1000

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American model professional trumpet

“American” is the model name of this trumpet – French or Czech made – these trumpets were sold under the name of Buffet Crampon in the US but not in Europe – Bauerfeind valves – with original pigskin style Buffet hard case – Professional – similar appearance to Selmer – Tone ring built into bell – a delight to play

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Conn Ballad Horn

Ballad horn – Conn Elkhart Indiana – piston valve actuated Ballad horn / French horn / mellophone – silver – with hard case and mouthpiece – circa 1919 – very good playing condition – $850

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Champion cornet

Champion: Chicago jazz age horns. When Louis Armstrong learned to play at the New Orleans Waifs Home it was on a Champion Silver Piston trumpet [see my post] which history wrongly designated as a cornet. This instrument IS a cornet in nickel plate which I guesstimate to be from mid to late 1920s. Very good playing condition with full engraving on the bell and also on the horizontals This has the original mouthpiece and “case”: the red satchel type period case is leatherlook material with a zip top, with a label inside “Artistic covers, New York” – $1000

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Dixie Music House trumpet

Dixie Music House trumpet – a piece of early jazz history – a Chicago horn from the Dixie Music House, 320 South Wabash Avenue Chicago Illinois, circa 1929 – probably a stencil – plays well – original hard case – $750

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Emo brand World trumpet –
“the finest horn that I have ever played in my whole life” – Satchmo

Serial #2104 [photos and details @ – https://www.vintagebrasswindsaustralia.com/tag/emo/ ]
See Louis Armstrong’s handwritten letter to the maker, Ernst Modl, enthusing over Emo trumpets – $2250

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Holton banana trumpet MF horn

Fabulous and iconic Holton MF horn banana trumpet –
Maynard Ferguson horn – Holton ST305 MF `banana` trumpet 0.484 bore, case, mouthpiece – Very good condition – Original case – $6000

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Weril Master trumpet

Weril Master trumpet from Brazil where Weril [based on European design] has been manufacturing since 1909 – gold brass lacquer finish and Nickel Silver Trim – serial number F-07913 – This has a slide ring on the third valve slide and a saddle slider on the first valve –
Weril master trumpet – Professional level – $1000

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Zeus trumpet

Zeus TR250 from USA – plays well – looks good – with hard case shown – $650

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Olds Valve trombone SERIAL #664841

Nice playing Olds Valve trombone – circa 1968 – good condition and great sound – hard case missing a latch but serviceable – with mouthpiece – $1000

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Olds Recording trombone

– great sound and good slide –

Dual bore – Fluted inner slide – 7 1/2″ Bell has some slight dings.
Finish has wear – most of the lacquer is off
Slide action is excellent after a service by Melbourne’s Don Stewart, @ Broken wind]. Tone warm and clear tone. Bell is red/rose brass [lots of copper in the mix].
King case in good used condition – no mouthpiece included

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Harry B. Jay Chicago Columbia euphonium – a piece of jazz history –

Harry B. Jay Columbia Euphonium – Chicago – circa 1921

Harry B. Jay instruments and the Jazz Age

Harry B. Jay was a cornet player in what was America’s best-known internationally renowned band, the Sousa band, which was based in Illinois not far from Chicago. In around 1909 he set up Columbia Band Instrument Company.

His Columbia instruments were renowned in Chicago, a major jazz center, and are responsible for the cornet sounds in Jelly roll Morton’s Red Hot Peppers and the sounds of King Oliver’s Dixie Syncopators (where they were played respectively by George Mitchell, King Oliver, and Louis Armstrong). George Mitchell played one of the cornets on all the Jelly Roll Morton recordings (and others) as did Tommy Ladnier of the Original Dixieland Jazz Band. Jabbo Smith {Rhythm Aces] who was seen as a rival to Armstrong also played one. A lot of other traditional jazz band cornet players used Columbia instruments in the 1910s and 1920s. An example of H.B. Jay instruments being at the epicenter of 1920s jazz in Chicago is what was said by cornet player George Mitchell –

“When I made the [Red Hot Peppers] records with Jelly Roll, I used a Harry B. Jay cornet, made here in Chicago. The reason I bought that Jay cornet was, I was working with Jimmie Noone at an after-hours club down on 35th Street, and Muggsy Spanier used to come and sit in with us. One night I was telling him that my horn was going bad and that I needed a new one. He mentioned the Jay he had and said, “You can play that tonight.” He left the cornet there, and I liked the tone so much that I went to the factory the next day and bought one, a Jay. That’s what I used on those records. …”

Harry B. Jay produced a variety of instruments, including several varieties of Euphoniums, trombones, trumpets, cornets and trumpet cornets. The quality of his instruments is fantastic, in terms of playability, design, construction, and sound. They live on!

Just over ten thousand Columbia instruments were produced between about 1910 and the late 1920s: they were not marketed in Australia, where mostly British instruments – Besson, Higham, Hawkes, Boosey & Hawkes – and some Bohemian instruments were sold by Australian Musical instrument shops. In 1918 Harry B. Jay advertising [in Boy’s Own, and Popular Mechanics] offered 10 days free trial, and payment on terms.

It is completely playable. The valves are pictured and are in very good condition. Compression is very good. There are no leaks: the instrument is tight and fully functional. The slides all pull. Tuning slide architecture is reverse leadpipe, the subject of a Harry B. Jay patent.

EXTREMELY good vintage condition but has some slight pings/dings and finish wear: No major dings – see the photographs below

tuning slide works – warm clear ebullient tone – solid and straight – No case – The mouthpiece shown works well and is included

This iconic Chicagoan is an absolute treat to play and is absolutely gig ready – I played it with Havana Palava at a Kindergarten open day on Separation Street Northcote a couple of months ago –

Martin Band Instruments for sale –

Some Martin Instruments are shown here: Martin Committee – Vintage Brasswinds Australia

If you’re interested in a Martin, make me an offer: Mobile 0415425350

Martin Indiana cornet [Indian Chieftain model] #77942 –

This is one of those timeless vintage cornets which underscores the validity of the mystique about Martin instruments . Valves perfect. Slides working. Makes you the player sound good and feel good. Some of the lacquer has worn off where there is hand contact – $800

Callet New York trumpet

Jerome Callet New York, Large Bore Bb trumpet. Valves and slides are all in very good shape. {Un}original Bach hard case – $2000

Dearman Wornell model

This stylish UK designed and patented trumpet was built to Wornell’s specifications in Czechoslovakia and came with either a copper finish [like this one in the Horniman Museum] –

or a silver plate finish. Unusual features include the tubular valve ends, the telescoping valve tops, and the French ring on the bell. A slide can be removed for quick change to A. Has the original case [shown] in reasonable condition. Excellent quality and construction and Extremely collectable. $1400

Helmut Finke rotary baroque trumpet

From 1950 Helmut Finke was involved in making and assembling instruments, running his own workshop, and making copies of sackbuts and baroque trumpets. In the mid 1950s he was the first 20th Century maker in this field. His instruments included high trumpets and french horns and other bigger brass instruments. In 1959 he designed the coiled natural trumpet (also known as a Clarino).

GREAT playing condition
third valve trigger
foam holding cover [seen in the photos] is in good condition
bell size measures just under 100mm
All slides move
mouthpiece included
rotary valves are excellent
cosmetically excellent but with some very minor imperfections
straight and solid
engraving is crisp

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Bach CR300 outfit – a steal at $450

Bach CR300 cornet outfit – Vintage Brasswinds Australia

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Jackson trumpet

Some comments and photographs on this site – https://www.vintagebrasswindsaustralia.com/2020/12/14/jackson-super-trumpet-from-switzerland/

Brilliant sound – great intonation – full range of sound from lowest whispering to highest screaming! A real collectors item!” – $2250

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and many more trumpets, cornets, trombones, euphoniums, flugel horns etcetera – in Melbourne Victoria right now

Fantastic engraving on gold

Intricate floral bell engraving – with a butterfly on each side

Showing part of the engraving against the open case

Shows the deep Holton 40 mouthpiece, the counterbalance mounted on the tuning slide, and the handslide with patent marking and the Revelation stamp

The engraving extends right along the bell – surrounding the Revelation name and manufacturing details – and the outside face of the bell is engraved as well

Despite the obvious wear in some places the overall effect is stunning

The horn is marked L.P. = low pitch and has a “3” which ordinarily means large bore: however some Holton catalogs referred to bore of “4”.

Has the original Holton 40 deep mouthpiece. With this mouthpiece [the only one I have tried it with] slotting is excellent, and high notes are attainable.

Photographs show that this has seen plenty of use and shows typical finish wear, with some dinging/denting in some areas of the bell section, but the horn is solid and straight. The not particularly well done solder repair on the bell stay near the slide is obvious, [photo below] as is the tape on the slide handle. The unevenness on the bell could be worked through by a competent brass tech

The slide moves extremely freely without dragging and does not appear to have high points or dings. is pretty good, but – with this much potential as a great horn – could do with attention from a brass tech.

The period case – complete with Holton badge and one out of three working latch and hinges – shows a lot of wear and is in only fair condition. Handle is disintegrating.

Friction fit slide/bell attaches well and feels solid

I have seen many Holton Revelation trombones, but not one with the rare finish of this one which – from the serial number – was manufactured in about 1926. The probability is that this was a custom engraving for a professional trombone player.

Frank Holton was firstly an artist on trombone, and the first Holton promoter. Holton sales literature from the 1920s noted that Holton always kept a trombone at his desk to play for guests and promote his products.