keyfamily1

I have made a Google Search as well as here on this forum and have not found any info about the Orpheum Cornet. I just bought one with the serial number of 12032. It has no dings nor dents and is apparently still in great playing shape and with googd lacquer. It was baought in 1948 although I do not know if it were new or used. The parents of the one and only owner was 10 years old at that time. Since it was bought for a kid I would think that it may have been a mail order or at least a cheaper instrument.

Can someone help me identify this cornet as well as to the history (if any) for Oprheum?

screamingmorris

"FA Buescher formed a new company after he left. Buescher with Harry Pedler and made some really interesting and great playing horns for a short time and then passed away. This is one of those horns. They made many stencil horns that were made from some Buescher parts and some of theirs. This is marked as ORPHEUM SUPREME. They have many cool features! Ive had a couple so far under Gretsch and Lyons Band Inst names which have heavy metal, extra heavy rings on each slide and they played really well but this one has other very cool features. It is a balanced model, valves further forward. Also the bell taper is different and must have been modeled after a Committee as it has a very gentle taper."
- quoted from
Horn-u-copia - Orpheum Instruments

- same quote also found at
Specifications on instrument #

NOTE:
The Horn-u-copia Web site is perhaps the best Internet resource for info about extremely obscure instruments:

Horn-u-copia

- Morris

screamingmorris

I did some further Googling and found that Buescher left the company circa 1932 and Buescher died in 1937, so if the above info in my original post was correct, then the Orpheum instruments were probably made 1932-1937?

True Tone Series

Horn-u-copia - Pedler History

Antique Musical Instruments: Harry Poddler & Sons Trumpet, old trumpet, pedler

- Morris

MFfan

Not to be confused in quality or name with later Orpheus , rather than Orpheum, instuments, made in Germany, I think, for students. There have been threads on that either here or on TH.

__________________
Dave Rafferty
07 Barrington Trumpet
55 Besson 8-10 trumpet
52-55? Roth by Reynolds Cornet
73 Olds Ambassador Cornet
? Czech small bore Trumpet
Getzen 80 cornet
66 Olds Ambassador Trumpet
www.kalamazooconcertband.org

keyfamily1

So you are saying that there is a German made cornet called "Orpheus" as well as the "Orpheum." The one I bought is stamped "Orpheum." I can not get the serial number link on Horn-U-Copiua to work so I can look at serial numbers. However, I do not think Orpheums are list there. Is there a listing somewhere else for Orpheum?

screamingmorris

I doubt that a serial number list exists for Orpheum.
If it was a stencil, made from Buescher parts, and was only made for a short time, nobody would have kept a record of the serial numbers past the closing of the company in the 1930's.

No serial number lists exist for many of the better-known stencils of the early 1900's, and Orpheum is one of the least-known.

- Morris

MFfan

On doing a search on Trumpetherald, I found a thread from 2003 where someone put down an interesting stencil list from a sax web site.
On that one :
Orpheum:Conn
Orpheum: Super Conn I Don't know if these apply to cornets also.

Here is a post from 2003 by Gary Torello.
"The "Orpheum" I referred to is my only remaining horn..which I blow maybe once every 3 yrs and I know NOTHING about it, except I received it as a gift from a Jazz Musician (Sal Ronsi) friend of my father who I'm told made a great living playing the jazz clubs back in the 50's. It is a unique tri-color horn, Copper/Gold silver and has the single "name" ORPHEUM engraved vertically on the bell. It wasn't new when I received it either so it could be quite old- it came from his collection. ..." There were no responses to this thread for info on the instruments.

I recall a thread years ago about Orpheum, Orpheus horns, but can't recall much, other than the Orpheum was a good horn and the Orpheus I saw on ebay was a student import.

__________________
Dave Rafferty
07 Barrington Trumpet
55 Besson 8-10 trumpet
52-55? Roth by Reynolds Cornet
73 Olds Ambassador Cornet
? Czech small bore Trumpet
Getzen 80 cornet
66 Olds Ambassador Trumpet
www.kalamazooconcertband.org

old tom

i got a orpheus cornet off ebay with serial number 8381 on the second valve caseing it is bottom sprung and very light it seems to play realy well

MFfan

Good, glad you got a player. Post some pics if you can.

__________________
Dave Rafferty
07 Barrington Trumpet
55 Besson 8-10 trumpet
52-55? Roth by Reynolds Cornet
73 Olds Ambassador Cornet
? Czech small bore Trumpet
Getzen 80 cornet
66 Olds Ambassador Trumpet
www.kalamazooconcertband.org

old tom

ill get the wife to post some pics later. it allso has pearl buttons is this a common thing with these cornets from what i can see it was made in slovarkia or checkoslovarcia