Welcome to
Brass History

Your source for the history of brass musical instrument makers and sellers.

 

These pages are the result of my many years of playing, restoring, and researching brass musical instruments.
Enjoy the trip!

Jon Patton
North Ft Myers, FL

King Cornet Silver Tone

1941 King Silver Tone Cornet with Deluxe engraving (author's collection)

US Brass Musical Instrument Makers List

"And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." Matthew 24:31

Are you looking to make a difference in the life of young musicians? How about funding a new instrument for those who can't afford one? Check out the link below to the Music For Minors Foundation. They are putting instruments into the hands of young people in the Southwest Florida region. Click the photo below to visit their website.

Music For Minors Foundation Southwest Florida

Are you looking to make a difference in the wider world?
Support Water For Life in Mozambique; bringing wells to communities in need.
Each well allows many young girls to attend school and avoid harm by not spending the day carrying water.
Click the photo below to visit their website.

Water 4 Life Mozambique Well Drilling Charity

 

This website is dedicated to supplying you with the history of your brass instrument as well as showcasing many of the restorations that I have tackled. I also have a brass museum section which highlights the many cornets, trumpets, trombones, tubas, and other instruments that have been in my collection at some time; either in the past or present. There are also sections on mouthpieces, mutes, brass virtuosos, and brass musical instrument makers.

Most of the brass makers here are from the US but there are some European ones as well. Europe was the source for all of the brass makers who emigrated to the US and Germany takes the top spot with about one third of those.

History and brass musical instruments have been a part of my life for many years. This website is a culmination of many of my interests coming together in one place. I grew up in a family of history buffs, then started learning music in church and through piano lessons at a very young age. This was followed by joining the band in grade school and choosing the trumpet because it looked like the easiest one to play with only three things to move (little did I know!).

After college, I joined a local community band and started finding many musical friends. A chance encounter with a vintage York & Sons cornet at a yard sale sparked my interest in collecting old brass instruments. At the time, these were very rare, but then came online auctions and I was hooked into collecting. I soon discovered that having them repaired was very expensive and often cost more than the instrument was worth. This led to Ferree's Tools and a whole new hobby of brass instrument restoration. What fun!

As I picked up my latest treasure and searched the world of the internet, I found that information on specific instrument makers was very scarce. This led to my journey of researching every maker out there, and what fun it has been! Not only have I made some great discoveries, but I have also made some great friends.

Enjoy the trip!

Brass Instrument History Page
Brass Musical Instrument Restorations Cornet Trumpet
Brass Musical Instrument Museum
Vintage Brass Musical Instrument Mouthpiece Makers Trumpet Cornet
Vintage Brass Cornet Trumpet Mutes
Brass History Links
Virtuoso Brass Players Cornet Trumpet Trombone Levy Arbuckle Clarke Liberati
About Brass History Website