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Re: List of Manufacturers in the United States

Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2013 1:04 pm
by bort
Current manufacturers, or historical?

Re: List of Manufacturers in the United States

Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2013 1:05 pm
by ASTuba
BAC Horn Doctor in the Kansas City area (Olathe) is one. Blessing is still in Elkhart, along with Fred Powell, who is now making his own trumpets. Blackburn is in Louisville still making trumpets, as well.

Re: List of Manufacturers in the United States

Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2013 1:37 pm
by ASTuba
the elephant wrote:
ASTuba wrote:BAC Horn Doctor in the Kansas City area (Olathe) is one. Blessing is still in Elkhart, along with Fred Powell, who is now making his own trumpets. Blackburn is in Louisville still making trumpets, as well.
What does BAC actually manufacture? Assembling parts is not manufacturing. Is he making stuff on his own now?
I know he has been making bells for many of his instruments, including the sackbut. He is making some parts from scratch, but does buy things from other places. Many other companies "job" the small parts (crooks, knuckles, etc.) to other factories and just make certain aspects (bells, leadpipes, etc.) in house.

Re: List of Manufacturers/Assemblers in the United States

Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2013 3:54 pm
by Jay Bertolet
One of the best repairmen I ever had work on my instruments was Roy Lawler. He used to be located in the Orlando area but moved to Tennessee a few years back. He also makes his own trumpets and has a website:

http://www.lawlertrumpets.com/" target="_blank

Re: List of Manufacturers/Assemblers in the United States

Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2013 4:18 pm
by tbn.al
ASTuba wrote:Blackburn is in Louisville still making trumpets, as well.
He is stil making trumpets for sure but I believe his current shop is in the woods of East Tennessee, kind of a bloke mirror image.

Re: List of Manufacturers/Assemblers in the United States

Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2013 4:45 pm
by Cameron Gates
Lawson horns? Still around?

Re: List of Manufacturers/Assemblers in the United States

Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2013 4:54 pm
by tofu
Schilke still handcrafts instruments in Melrose Park,IL

Lee Stofer is starting up creating his own tuba line in Comanche, IA which uses as its basis the old CB/GB-50

Re: List of Manufacturers/Assemblers in the United States

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 12:24 am
by Tundratubast
Lee Stofer, in rural Iowa is now assembling his own Tubas from inventory of a former mfgr of tubas at a US musical instrument company. The difference, Lee puts the personal quality control into the custom element of these now "handcrafted" instruments.

Re: List of Manufacturers/Assemblers in the United States

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 7:09 am
by corbasse
Cameron Gates wrote:Lawson horns? Still around?
Yes, Kendall Betts took over when Walter Lawson died. They're still producing high quality instruments.

Re: List of Manufacturers/Assemblers in the United States

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 10:42 am
by bububassboner
Monette trumpets.

Re: List of Manufacturers/Assemblers in the United States

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 10:52 am
by Frank Ortega
Dick Akright of the SF Bay Area used to make a line of Trumpets that Doc Severinson endorsed.

I found this:

Dick Akright has over 40 years of experience in instrument repair. His career started with a training program and later employment at the Getzen Band Instrument Company in Elkhorn, Wisconsin.

Dick now owns three music stores in the Bay Area. They are A & G Music in Oakland, Union Music in San Francisco, and the House of Woodwinds in San Ramon. He also owns Best Instrument Repair in Oakland. Dick has extensive contacts in and knowledge of the music industry and of musical instruments. Dick is well known and highly respected by musicians, schools, and music retailers throughout the Bay Area.

I had some specialty work done by Dick while I was living in San Francisco in the late '90's.
His work was exceptinal. Particularly, he turned an Alex F from a 3&3 configuration to a 4&1 configuration for me. You would never know it wasn't factory original!
(Sold that horn to someone in the North West and have been looking for it ever since!)