Lo

Hi all!

I was just pondering a question. How much do you guys think it costs to produce a trumpet? I'm talking about in raw materials? Does the brass costs more because it has to be made out of certain alloys? Anyone have any experience in this area of trumpeting? Just curious. Thanks for your time!

MUSICandCHARACTER

Well ..

If the China/India horns are any indication, the raw materials are not the biggest issue. Sheets of brass can be had relatively inexpensively.

But to make a fine horn takes craftsmen. Conn found this out when they move from Elkhart to Abilene. They left the expensive craftsmen for cheaper labor -- and it took decades to recover (some would say they still haven't).

I know that Zig Kanstul said in an interview a couple of years ago that Kanstul's greatest asset was its craftsmen. They have a strong program to train younger people to be craftsmen and have the older ones impart their knowledge.

A fine horn is made of fine materials by fine craftsmen!

Jim

old geezer

I am a machine repairman by trade and had to spend 18 months in a tool and die shop. Your biggest expence is time and labor, you can throw a horn together pretty cheap or take your time to make sure the pieces fit together correctly and use skill to solder them correctly and end up with a decent horn. You may notice that I used the word correctly - a lot of your mass produced horn are placed in jigs and the parts forced together while they are soldered in place. A craftsman hand fits the parts to match or if needs be adjusts the parts by hand to fit. As a tradesman we have a saying - if you have to use force its not right. It also takes a person who understands the function of each and every piece to make a horn play to different charateristics. When you put every thing in perspective a Kanstul,custom Getzen, Schilke, Lawler, ect. are really a bargain. old geezer Dave

Tootsall

Roger that, old geezer. Just like everything else in life... if it is worth doing, it is worth doing RIGHT. No half-measures, no shortcuts.