• Buescher Elkhart Serial Numbers

Early instruments will have a 'lion head' by the serial numbers and are engraved 'The King'. Vintage King 3b Concert Trombone 8' Bell With Hard Case Usa # 350512 Vintage 1965 - 1970 King 2b Liberty Trombone Serial # 447153 W/ Original Case Getzen Elkhorn.

Contents.History The company was founded by Ferdinand August 'Gus' Buescher (born Elk Township, 26 April 1861; died 29 November 1937). He accompanied his family to and then to Elkhart in 1875. In 1876 he found employment with 's fledgling band instrument factory. By 1888 he was promoted to foreman.

Buescher Elkhart Serial Numbers

After being shown an Adolph Sax model saxophone in possession of in 1888 he produced Conn's first saxophone prototype. In 1890, while still employed with Conn, he began producing band emblems at home and was setting up his own shop.

In the fall of 1893 he opened the Buescher Manufacturing Company at 1119 N. Main Street, which made band instruments and other metal products, in partnership with John L. Collins, a clothing merchant, and Harry L. Young, a salesman. In 1894 his company began production of saxophones, becoming Conn's main competitor over the following two decades.

In March 1901 he patented a unusual in that the valves were of unequal lengths. True Tone became the trademark name for band instruments made by the Buescher Manufacturing Company.In 1903 there was a disastrous fire at Buescher's factory. In 1904 the business was reorganized and renamed the Buescher Band Instrument Company, reflecting its sole focus on producing band instruments. In 1916 Buescher sold a major share of his company to six businessmen including Andrew Hubble Beardsley. Buescher remained president until 1919 when Beardsley assumed that title. Buescher was vice-president and general manager of the company until 21 January 1929 when he resigned these positions, remaining on staff as a consultant engineer. In 1926 Buescher Band Instrument Company was joined with the (some claim that Buescher was bought by Elkhart Band Instrument), a company founded two years previously by Beardsley with Conn's as secretary-treasurer.

The 'Elkhart' brand was retained by Buescher for its second-line instruments after the company was dissolved upon Beardsley's death in 1936.Though Buescher manufactured many kinds of brass instruments, the company was known primarily for its which competed successfully with instruments made. Buescher saxophones became distinctive with snap-in pads, patented by Buescher in 1921, and screw-in gold-plated Norton springs, introduced in late 1931. During the 1920s Buescher also made small numbers of tipped-bell soprano, straight alto, and straight tenor saxophones. Buescher stayed true to Adolphe Sax's concept for saxophone sound into the early 1930s, gaining the favor of classical saxophonist and those influenced by him.

Buescher adapted its sound concept to the bigger, bolder sounds favored by dance orchestras and jazz musicians, modifying its Aristocrat model and releasing the 400 'Top Hat & Cane' model in 1940. The Aristocrat and 400 models remained popular with professional players through the early 1950s, until instruments with more modern keywork gained favor and changes to Buescher's product line were coldly received.

By the late 1950s, Buescher's production of professional-line saxophones was a small fraction of what it had been at the start of the decade. Buescher's presence in the professional saxophone market ended when it was acquired by the in 1963, although a nominal 'Buescher 400' model continued to be produced through the mid-1970s.Buescher became the main supplier of student-grade saxophones to the H&A Selmer Company, producing the vast majority of such instruments marketed under Selmer's 'Bundy' brand.

The Elkhart line was continued until 1959, followed by Buescher's downgraded Aristocrat line as their offering in the student market. After Buescher was sold to Selmer, Selmer allowed the use of the Buescher trademark for products sold under Buescher's established distribution network.

During the 1970s, the market position of the Buescher Aristocrat/Selmer Bundy model declined under competition from 's more up-to-date and more efficiently produced student instruments.The Buescher brand was retired by Selmer in 1983. After the company was formed in 2003, it briefly tried to revive the Buescher brand to market Asian-made saxophones.The Buescher company also produced some and between 1910 and 1920, the (also known as the 'clariphon' and the 'claribel'), a clarinet with a curved metal barrel and a curved metal bell in A, B ♭, C or E ♭.

They were produced with the, and later with the. Gretsch and Supertone were merchandiser-branded 'stencils' of the Buescher Saxonette.Instrument models. This section needs expansion. You can help.

( June 2008)French Horns. Single French Horn.

Buescher produced a single French horn in F, with a serial # range including 259090. Double French Horn 400. also serial number 5000 range. Buescher Aristocrat excellent flute serial number 145941. Paulo Moreira Brazil 2014.Clarinets. Buescher oval logo HR, wooden and metal clarinets in Albert and.Boehm systems. Buescher True Tone Clarinets (possibly Penzel Mueller stencils).

Buescher 400 clarinets (Selmer era). Buescher 'Aristocrat' Bb clarinet (Selmer era)Note: These pictures may or may not be of a clarinet made by the Buescher Band Instrument Company. Here is another close up of the 'American Professional' emblem located on the upper section of the clarinet, just below the barrel.The engraved emblem on this clarinet shows that the brand is ' American Professional' the link below states that Buescher was the retailer of 'American Professional' instruments. Trumpets. Buescher Bb Truetone (Professional), There were a wide variety of Truetone models many custom made for the professional musician. Louis Armstrong recorded with a Buescher Truetone 10-22R Trumpet in the late 1920s.The Aristocrat was a Truetone professional trumpet previous to the Selmer buy out and became a student horn after 1963.

It was a step down from the Truetone.After the traditional Truetone trumpets were the Buescher 400 Truetone. These are more modern sounding and good for big band jazz. There were three models.

Brass with nickel, Silver plate, and silver plate with sterling silver bell called Super 400.Trombones. Buescher Grand (silverplated with goldplated bell engraving). Buescher 400 (Early models had slanted braces on bell section and offset slide tubes with the upper slide tube roughly 2' behind the lower. Later models had straight braces).500 boreTubas. Buescher silver-plated military band-style upright three-valve Bb flat. Buescher silver-plated upright three-valve Eb tuba with small shank mouthpiece receiver.

Buescherphones (tradename for sousaphones)Flutes. Buescher 400. Buescher special 2000Saxophones. This section does not any. Unsourced material may be challenged. ( July 2013). Early models (1894–1931): evolving and sometimes concurrently produced designs without distinct model names; True Tone trademark (not instrument model) name adopted for instruments produced by the Buescher Manufacturing Company at an unknown date prior to 1904; 'True Tone, The Buescher Mfg.

Co., Elkhart, Ind.' With bell/tuning fork logo engraved on bell on pre-1904 versions, 'The Buescher, Elkhart Ind.'

Engraved on bell and 'True Tone' logo stamped on the rear of the body tube on post-1904 versions; all have split bell keys; early versions have double octave keys, metal key buttons and rollers, soldered toneholes, direct G ♯ key action; single octave key, black hard rubber rollers introduced ca. 1905; drawn toneholes and mother-of-pearl key buttons introduced ca.

. Buescher Models. Buffet Models. Conn Models. Couesnon Models. Dolnet Models.

Grafton Models. Holton Models. Keilwerth Models. King Models. Kohlert Models.

Martin Models. Adolphe Sax Models. Selmer Models. SML Models.

Yanagisawa Models. Serial Numbers. SaxPics Info. Links.