June, 2026 - Bob Croft

1942 Buescher cornet

Here’s a cornet stamped” Buescher TrueTone, made in Elkhart, Indiana”; serial number gives a date of 1942. Details such as flares at top and bottom of valves give a distinctive 1940s feel.

Ferdinand A. Buescher started as an apprentice for Conn in 1876 and by 1888 had become a foreman there. He later started a metal shop in Elkhart, which became Buescher Manufacturing Co. in 1894, then incorporated as Buescher Band Instrument Co. in 1904.

Buesaher had quite an innovative valve system around the turn of the century; more on that later.

Foote b-flat valve trombone

John Howard Foote, a Connecticut boy, began an instrument business in New York City in 1857, with various partners, including J. F. Stratton; in 1864 the firm was Stratton & Foote…importers & manuf of musical instruments. In 1868 Foote added a Chicago store.

An 1888 article says that “the NY store covers six floors and is the oldest and largest store in the country. They sell brass instruments, violins, flutes, cellos, guitars & banjos. They are the sole US supplier for Courtois and the sole maker for the “Challenge” and J. Howard Foote “Superior” brands of light piston band instruments”.

It seems that Foote was primarily (or exclusively) an importer and dealer, not a manufacturer. The above mentioned Antonie Courtois was one of the finest French manufacturers of the day; those instruments in Foote catalogues for whom a manufacturer can be identified are all by Courtois, but other sources seem possible.

The firm was formally incorporated as J. Howard Foote, Inc. in 1897, a year after John died, but instruments could have been stamped with that name a good deal earlier. The firm was liquidated in 1904. (Thanks to Horn-u-Copia for much of the history.)

Seefeldt e-flat Rotary Valve Tuba

A top action, string rotary valve e-flat tuba, remarkably conical with a large throat and small bell, producing a rich sound. A tiny stamp on the bell reads ”Seefeldt Musical Inst. Manuf. Co., Philadelphia“. I cannot find enough of a serial number list to give any indication of date of manufacture.

German emigrant William F. Seefeldt produced high quality brass instruments in Philadelphia; the Seefeldt Musical Instrument Manufacturing Co. first appears in 1858. Instruments were exhibited at the Franklin Institute in 1874 and at the Paris Exposition in 1878; closing out of instrument stock is documented in 1903.

Early on, Seefeldt’s work focused on handmade valves and rotors, later contributing to the industry’s design and manufacturing techniques. His horns were prized in both orchestras and brass bands for their quality of manufacture and for a generally deep, rich sound. A succession of family members kept the firm going over generations.

Lyon & Healy b-flat cornet

Here’s a brass b-flat cornet, identical in design to my Beau-Ideal, but without the engraving, stamped “F. Jaubert, Paris, Lyon & Healy sole agent, Chicago”. The 1896 Lyon & Healy catalogue lists it with picture, likely with French piston valves.

Beau-Ideal b-flat cornet

Beautiful B-flat cornet, stamped Beau-Ideal, Chicago. Beau-Ideal was a trade name used by Lyon & Healy for their French imports, I understand generally the ones of higher quality. Silver plate is intact save for a bit of wear at the end of the second valve slide. Dual water keys and an aggressive shepherd’s crook; ornate engraving on mounts and bell. Intact and original. No serial number.

Peter Adams “Antique brass Wind Instruments” shows an identical cornet in the 1896 Lyon & Healy catalogue. “Light action valves, improved short model, Gs pistons and mouthpiece”.