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Kenneth wrote:An easy guess would be that they place the serial number 1 to their oldest horn, the number 2 for the second oldest one, and so on. So if my yorkbrunner has the serial number 2000, does that mean the 2000th oldest among all of HIRSBRUNNER horns or among all of HBS-510s(yorkbrunners)?

Every manufacturer has its own scheme for serial numbers. Some are numbered chronologically from Day One, and others have complex date codes built into the numbers. Conn is an example of the latter. Some use a different series for each instrument. My Yamaha is that way, and you can tell from looking that it's the 72nd YFB-621 made.

I don't know about Hirsbrunner. But I'd be absolutely floored if they had made 2000 Yorkbrunners. I would think the total would be more like 200, or less.

Many of the German companies didn't use serial numbers unless requested by their distributor. Rudolf Meinl at least used to be that way.

Rick "not seeing Hirsbrunner in the usual sources" Denney

I believe that Hirsbrunner's SNs indicate the year in some fashion, ie. yours would be the first horn produced in 2000. Is it that new? If not, it could be Y2K influenced and be from 1900.

Doesn't Europe use the date format day/month/year? [thanks, Tubeast! I typed it wrong]
So maybe it's the eighth made in January?
or finished on Jan 8th?
just guessing

We use a date format as follows: Day-Month-Year
as in 30.08.1985 being August 30th of that year.

I have no clue as to Hirsbrunner´s code of serial numbers, though.

When they started serializing horns, each company is different. Even if they are just sequential numbers, some makers didn't start with "1" because they didn't want their buyers to know how many horns they HAD made. "1012" sounds much more experienced than "12", etc ...

Piston valvesets generally come from the factory with a serial number on them. With European instruments, there are more makers of instruments than there are makers of piston valvesets, so the serial number is not necessarily from the manufacturer of the instrument, unless the manufacturer makes his own valves.

Rudolf Meinl makes his fine rotors in-house, and his instruments are not serialized. However, when he produces a piston-valve instrument, there is a serial number on the valveset, therefore that instrument has a serial number. To my knowlege, all Hirsbrunner instruments are serialized.

I have a Yorkbrunner in the shop at present, and a quick look revealed a serial number of 082540. I do believe that this instrument was finished in the Spring of 1982, but I do not know if that accounts for the serial number or if that is a coincidence. I would suggest that you go to the Hirsbrunner website and contact Peter Hirsbrunner, Jr. directly. I would think that he'd be happy to answer your query.

on the valveset is the serial number. Lee is correct. My Yorkbrunner is number 094XXX and according to Hirsbrunner it was the XXX horn made in 1994, though mine has been back for some retrofit work.

Just my $0.02.
Roger