I first became aware of Hirsbrunner horns in 1978, while I was in college. At that time, nobody I knew, had heard of the brand.
I played an HB-2 at the NYSSMA convention in New York, and I fell in love with that horn, right then, and there! Being a poor college student, however, precluded any possibility of ownership at that time.
It wasn't until many years later, that I was able to own one for myself (purchased used), which coincidentally was from that vintage (actually, 1977).
I am very happy with my horn.
I doubt that this helps anybody, but I just thought that I would share!
Back in 1977 I was going to Long Beach State in SoCal and there was a tuba clinic hosted by Cal State Fullerton, so all of us Long Beach tuba players when over for visit. they had lots of tuibas on display and I got a chance to play a Hirsbruuner... and loved it. But sticker shock made me look elsewhere. After reading this thread I started thinking and remembered I still have the papers I collected at that clinic. So I fired up my scanner and made these PDF's for anyone intertested.
And for those that can't wait for the download, here is the 1977 Hirsbrunner Price Sheet in lower resolution. My, but hasn't inflation been nice to us?
I remember that brochure, as I was a sophomore in college at the time. I believe that it was early in 1977 that Western Kentucky University bought an HB-2 from Custom Music, and we were told that WKU was the first university music program in the US to own one. At Midwest Clinic in 1978, Custom Music had the HB-2 at their display, but I do not remember other models being on display. I play-tested that instrument quite a lot one day, as well as the Rudolf Meinl 3/4 CC(the first one I'd ever seen), and at the end of the day decided that the HB-2 was not worth paying $5,000.00 when I could get the Rudolf Meinl for $3,500.00. My roomate had just paid about $1,800.00 for a new Cerveny "piggy" CC. Oh, there was one other Hirsbrunner tuba there that I remember, although I did not get to play it. When Mr. Jacobs came by the Custom Music booth in December 1978, Fred Marrich pulled out a new Hirsbrunner with old-King-style string-linkage rotors, and invited him to play-test it. Mr. Jacobs did, and from the gleam in his eyes and that smile, I think he really liked it!
According to one of the old brochures from Custom Music, Peter Hirsbrunner, Sr. obtained a U.S. patent in 1949 for a compensating BBb tuba. I had never seen one and had no idea of what it was until I visited the factory in 1993. I asked Peter,Jr. about it, and he showed me a BBb tuba about the size of an HB-2, with 3 front-pistons. This instrument had automatic-compensating pistons. I tried it, and it played quite well. I asked Peter, Jr. if they offered it in a 4-valve model. He replied that no, it was intended for community band use, that it played perfectly well down to the low E, and as a 3-valve instrument would cost less and therefore be more affordable.
Although the Hirsbrunner family has been involved in musical instrument manufacture since before 1750, their instruments did not gain a following in the US until Custom Music "discovered" and marketed them in the mid' 1970's.
Peter, Sr. told me that, as was typical in that region of Switzerland, their family were farmers, and that when the weather was too cold and bad in the winter, they resorted to cottage industry. When Christian Hirsbrunner was documented as a musical instrument maker in 1748, he was making woodwind instruments in the wintertime. It was not until Hansulrich Hirsbrunner officially founded the company in 1811 that the Hirsbrunners became full-time instrument makers. The oldest Hirsbrunner brass instrument that I have seen is an alto horn from circa 1890, a well-built little instrument. I'd like to see some of their early tubas.
After reading this thread I started thinking and remembered I still have the papers I collected at that clinic. So I fired up my scanner and made these PDF's for anyone intertested. 
