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My wind band has just got a new practice room and while moving some old instruments and stuff (most of which hasn't been looked at, let alone touched for years) I came across an old three valved (piston) helicon in E flat (I suppose, the leadpipe extension is missing so it's really in E natural at the moment). The horn is in rather good condition and has an East-European feel to it. I am, however, not familiar with the brand name, which is Symphonia (model number 623 according to the serial number). I would like to get a new leadpipe extension so that I can use the horn for marching etc., thus keeping my Besson 981S out of the rain and sleet.

Therefore, I have two questions for the experts that roam the forum:
1. Do you have any information on the Symphonia brand?
2. Where would you suggest that I look for a replacement leadpipe extension?

Thanks in advance,
Finnbogi

The problem with identification is that words like Symphonia cannot be claimed as trademarks. So by the name alone it could have been from anywhere.

Without knowing whether the valves are pistons or rotors guessing will lead nowhere. A series of photos, some of the blueprint type outlining the full structure, some presenting essential details like engraving, leadpipe, and valve close-ups, might lead to more foundation for a good guess or an exact determination of the instrument's origins.

Scandinavian dealers, in Norway even the band association, had their own stencil trade names for instruments of Dutch, GDR, and Czech origins. I don't remember Symphonia being one of them, but then British dealers followed the same pattern with school instruments.

Following the usual trade routes in our corner of the world, your helicon could have come to Iceland through any of these channels.

Before the determination of the origins supplemented with good views of the leadpipe receiver (plus measurements of its inner diameter, when tightened) nothing sensible can be said about sources for a re-supply of your missing parts.

You may be lucky that the model is still in production with Amati or that Besson or even US spare parts can be used.

If no obvious source can be pointed to, you may take a sample from Joe Sellmansberger, who made a unique York Eb helicon out of a York Eb sousaphone body and a York Monster Eb tuba bell. He made a very elegant one-piece leadpipe obsoleting the need for bits:

http://photos.groups.yahoo.com/group/yo ... ble%20bell

If you don't have a space to upload photos of your helicon, you may send them to the webmaster of the groups linked to below here (thats me). I would be happy to upload the photos to my galleries anyway.

These galleries present several different helicons already. You may browse via the index to find something similar to yours.

Klaus

I finally got my hands on a digital camera to take pictures of the helicon.





Does this instrument ring a bell anywhere?