This is a list of makers and types that I’m interested in. Some brands I have instruments for sale, some I don’t [see the separate list, which is not exhaustive or complete]. Some of them are my personal favorites – but there are lots of intangibles which come into play in instrument brand preference, and – unlike the stereotypical brass teacher who wants all students to sound the same – as a player be awake to the differences in sound, feel, and satisfaction between different brands of an instrument.
A word on Chinese instruments: China has been making brass instruments for a lot longer than many people choose to acknowledge. Brass bands have existed in China for a couple of hundred years, furnished with imported instruments by – at least – the French and the British. Chinese made Yamaha brass has been with us for several decades. I am aware of skilled and experienced brass players publicly enthusing – 20 years ago – at the sound quality and build of Chinese instruments, whereas there are others who decry them. Generalizing is a lazy approach.
My perspective of musical paths and tracks to follow were laid out by my first trombone [a Buescher] 65 years ago, and my first trumpet [a Boosey & Hawkes] 60 years ago]. My journey has also been informed by the recorded sounds of jazz players and they sounds and dynamics they created – the horns and dynamics of Louis Armstrong, Bix Beiderbecke, King Oliver, Kid Ory, Miff Mole, Red Nicholls, Jack Teagarden, and Miles Davis – to name a very few.
Student instruments
The concept of a student horn was a marketing device which began around the time of the great depression. But before that it was common for manufacturers to offer cheaper alternatives for purchase by beginners. A hundred years ago Besson offered Class A instruments [the better class] and Class B instruments [what we might call student horns].
Nowadays one way to select an instrument for a student is to go to your local music shop. In our Australian cities choice is limited: for learners the shelves tend to be monopolized by a few somewhat soul-less brands, some with better quality models within the brand. The modern method of anonymizing provenance is for the seller to place initials, or some bland description on a shiny instrument: generally you will get what you pay for. From time to time Aldi stores have a variety of cheap instruments [including trumpets, trombones, flutes, and others] for around $167 Australian dollars.
Professional instruments – upgrade instruments
New instruments: An establishment close by Melbourne’s CBD that I checked out last week had many boxes of new trumpets, but only two used ones. In reality, as you can see from the player’s preferences [if you follow the link In the next paragraph and check out who plays what] there are many brass players who don’t get involved in the process of semi-snobbery which distinguishes student and professional instruments.
Players’ Preferences [what they use]
There is an interesting list of instruments played by various trumpet players: the list has been around for years, and seems to be evolving: one iteration is here – https://ojtrumpet.no/playerhorn/
Mouthpieces
Mouthpieces: can make an enormous different to the sound and feel of an instrument. Playing a trumpet with a Bach 7C mouthpiece can be satisfying, but deeper, shallower, wider rimmed, heavier mass mouthpieces are there to exploit: they DO have the capacity to change an instrument’s dynamics. Switching from a narrow bore mouthpiece to a more open bore mouthpiece can change how much effort you need to put in as a player.
My brands of interest
- Abbott – US – New York – imported Bohland & Fuchs instruments – Bells marked Abbott Mfrg
- Adams
- Ahlberg & Olson
- Al Cass [mouthpieces]
- Allmen
- Amati [Czech]
- American Band Instrument Co
- American Model – various manufacturers
- Arigra – including the octagonal bells
- Arioso
- Arnolds & Son [GB]
- Aubertin [France]
- B&S [Germany]
- Bach [USA]
- Anton Bach [Czech]
- Bandmaster [USA]
- Barcone [Italy]
- Baronet
- Bauerfeind [valves] [Europe]
- Beaumont [US]
- Benge – Chicago
- Besson – UK and France
- Blackburn
- Blessing – Elkhart Indiana
- BOHEMIA various inc Czech German
- Bohland & Fuchs
- Bohmanns American
- Boosey – UK
- Boosey & Hawkes
- Boston Musical Instrument Manufactury
- Bruno NY
- Buech
- Buechel website
- Buescher – Elkhart Indiana
- Buffet
- Calicchio
- Callet
- Carl Fischer
- Carol
- Cavalier
- Century
- Cerveny
- Champion –
- Charles Ponte
- Chicago Distributors
- Chicago makers
- Civil war – Civil war horns including OTS [over the shoulder] horns
- Clinton [Czech]
- Concertone
- Conn – Elkhart Indiana
- Conn Pan American
- Conn Victor
- Couesnon – France
- Couf H
- Courtois – France
- Couturier – US
- Crown – Holland
- Cundy Betoney
- Custom horns
- Dallas UK
- De Lacy – Brixton
- De Vries
- Dearman – “Foreign” to UK
- DeNicola – US
- Distin
- Ditson
- Diver [Chicago]
- Dixie Music House Chicago
- Douglas & Son Glasgow
- DuPont
- Durand Paris
- Ebblewhite
- Eggers Suisse
- Elkhart
- Emo – Ernst Modl
- Erich Lange
- Ernst David Bielefield
- Eschenbach
- Evette-Schaefer
- Finke
- Flip Oakes
- Foetisch Freres Lausanne
- Foote
- Foreign
- Franklin
- French makers or names
- Furst Pless
- Gautrot Ainee
- Gebruder Alexander Mainz
- Getzen
- Giardinelli
- Glier
- Graves
- Gretsch
- Grinnell – US
- Halari
- Hall of Boston
- Hamilton
- Harrelson
- Harry B Jay [Chicago]
- Harwood
- Hawkes [UK]
- Hayes Band Instruments
- Heald – US
- Heckel Dresden
- Henri Gautier – France / Czechoslovakia
- Henry Keat – US
- Herco
- Herman Trapp – Neukirchen
- Hess
- Higham – UK
- Holton [Chicago then Elkhorn]
- Hopf
- Hug & Co Lucerne
- Huller [Europe]
- Hutchins [Mass]
- Huttl [Germany]
- Imperial – Williamsport
- J.Gras
- Jackson
- Jaubert & Cie
- Jenkins [KC]
- Jestadt
- Jiran Chicago
- John York – Sydney
- Jupiter – Taiwan
- Kaempf NY
- Kalashen
- Kallison
- Kanstul – US
- Kawai
- Keefer
- Keilwerth
- King [H.N. White] US
- Klier
- Koeder USA
- Kofmann Geneve
- Kuhnl & Hoyer
- La Fleur
- LA Sax –
- Lark – PRC
- Lawler
- LeBlanc
- LeComte
- Lidl
- Lindberg
- Lockie Music Exchange LA
- Ludwig
- Luxor
- Lyon & Healy – Chicago: a formidable music house which imported and manufactured
- Lyons Band Instrument – Chicago
- Mahillon
- Manchester
- Marceau
- Marcinkewicz
- Martin Band Instrument Company
- Martin 0 to 100000
- Martin 100000 to 200000
- Martin 200000 onwards
- Martin 700000 onwards
- Martin Brasswinds 2020
- Martin catalogues and documents
- Martin Committee info
- Martin committee membership
- Martin in Australia
- Martin Indiana
- Martin information
- Martin Mouthpieces
- Martin stencils
- McMillin – Cleveland
- Meinel
- Meister Anton Koln
- Meredith – US
- Mersel
- Merson
- Milliens Paris
- Miraphone
- Missenharter
- Monette
- Monique
- Monitor
- Monke Josef
- Monke Wilhelm
- Noblet by Courtois
- Nuss
- Ohio Band Instrument
- Olds
- Orsi Prof. Romeo [Italy]
- Other makers Asia
- Other makers Germany
- Other makers Italy
- Other makers Russia
- Other makers UK
- Other makers USA
- Other makes France
- Pan American
- Parduba
- Parisi Torino – Italy
- Paul Le Grande
- Paulus Markneukirchen
- Pedler
- Penzel Mueller
- Pepper
- Phaeton
- Pilczuk Accusonic
- PLASTIC brands
- Pollman
- Pollter Leipzig
- Pruefer
- Quinby
- Ralph Kenny
- Raymond Dubois Paris
- Reynolds [USA]
- Reynolds [NOT USA]
- Rodig
- Royal
- Rudall Carte
- Rudy Muck
- Salvation Army
- Sansone
- Sax
- Schagerl
- Schediphon
- Schenkelaars
- Scherzer
- Schilke
- Schmidt
- Schubert – Carl
- Schuster Markneukirchen
- Sears – mail order instruments US
- Seefeldt_W
- Selmer
- Sherwood
- Shires
- Silvertone
- Sinfonia
- Sistek Cleveland
- Slater NY
- Sonare
- Sorkin
- Spiri
- Stenberg
- Stencils
- Sterling
- Stomvi
- Sudre
- Taylor
- Taylor & Horn Chicago
- Temby [Australia]
- Thibouville Lamy
- Tonk
- TopTone
- Triumphonic
- Unknown
- Vega
- Vito
- Vox
- Wahlich
- Warburton
- Weril
- Weymann
- Williams & Wallace
- Williams query
- Williams Toronto
- Willson
- Wm Frank
- Wohlrab
- Wolfram
- Wright
- WS
- Wunderlich
- Wurlitzer
- Yamaha
- York
- Zeus
- Zimmerman Leipzig
- Z-stencils
- Z_ Defunct makers