Brass musical instrument making

Brass instrument making in the United Kingdom has a long and distinguished heritage, dating back to the 17th and 18th centuries. Early examples of trumpets and horns were handmade in small workshops, primarily for use in military, ceremonial, and hunting settings. These instruments were natural (valveless) and limited in the range of notes they could produce.

The 19th century marked a turning point, as the Industrial Revolution introduced new tools and techniques that allowed for more precise metalworking and, eventually, larger-scale production. The adoption of piston valves—originally developed in continental Europe—transformed brass instruments, making them fully chromatic and far more versatile.

This period also saw the rise of the British brass band movement, especially in industrial areas such as Yorkshire and Lancashire. Sponsored by factories, collieries, and other workplaces, brass bands created a high demand for affordable, well-crafted instruments like cornets, tenor horns, baritones, and euphoniums. Instrument makers such as Boosey & Hawkes, Besson, and Highams of Manchester became household names, producing instruments for both amateur and professional use, including military bands.

Following the Second World War, the UK brass instrument industry faced growing competition from overseas manufacturers, particularly in the United States and Asia. Despite this, several British makers adapted by focusing on quality, craftsmanship, and innovation.

Today, while the number of full-time brass instrument makers in Britain is relatively small, the tradition is kept alive by respected craftspeople who continue to produce world-class instruments for musicians around the globe, combining traditional skills techniques with modern engineering.

• Metal spinning, for making the bells (the flared part of the instrument)
• Drawing tubes to specific measurements to ensure a good fit with other parts
• Bending tubes in such a way that preserves the internal dimensions of the tubes which is critical to the acoustics of the instrument
• Softening sheet/tube brass or nickel so that it can be worked and then becomes hard enough to withstand day to day use
• Jig making to allow assembled components to be consistent in length and therefore tuning

• Euphonium making
• Horn making
• Military fanfare making
• Trombone making – requires the drawing of tubes to very exact measurements which requires a draw bench and specialist tooling. Slide legs must be straightened by eye with a perfectly flat surface plate, this is one of the most difficult things to teach an apprentice.
• Trumpet making

• Training issues: The School of Musical Instrument Crafts at Newark does teach brass instrument making, but the course mainly focuses on how to service and repair instruments, rather than make them.
• Training issues: The rise of videos on YouTube etc. showing how to make instruments has both good and bad sides – some videos are very good and some are very poor and it is hard for the inexperienced maker to distinguish between the two. There is also no major book on the subject.
• Manufacture versus assembly: Many makers buy in all the parts need to make an instrument and then assemble them, rather than manufacturing at least some of the components themselves. It is very difficult for the consumer to distinguish between makers and ‘assemblers’.
• Dilution of skills: There is a danger that if too many less talented makers become well known they dilute the talent pool and reputation of the craft, and it then becomes much more difficult for those who are really good to stand out. However, the ones that do stand out are the ones that are making exceptional instruments.
• Dilution of skills: Like most musical instrument crafts, the sector is dominated by people with the skills to repair instruments, rather than with the higher level skills needed to make instruments from scratch.
• Loss of skills: A lot of makers subcontract work to the Far East so skills are disappearing. Furthermore, the standard of manufacture worldwide, including in China, has improved, so it is no longer the case that a foreign-made instrument necessarily means a low quality instrument.
• Loss of skills: While there are plenty of people able to make brass instruments, there are not many people who are able to design an instrument from scratch.
• Shortage of skills: Very few makers have the acoustic understanding to make bells (the flared part of the brass instrument, made using metal spinning techniques); Rath Trombones and Andy Taylor do.
• Market issues: In order to make a living, you need to make 30-50 instruments are year – anything less than that and it’s a hobby rather than a living.
• Market issues: Handmade instruments are far more expensive than mass-produced instruments – e.g. £3,000 versus £100 for a trumpet. Therefore it is important to find the right market, which tends to be part-time players with plenty of money who are looking for something exclusive (perhaps 70% of the market). Professional players do also buy custom made instruments, which give the brand the credibility for ordinary people to want one.
• Market issues: Smith-Watkins make fanfare instruments for the armed forces, with a full set lasting about 10 years and costing about £30,000. The Ministry of Defence requires instruments from specialist instrument makers but is not looking to the future or considering what they will do if/when the company closes.
• Market issues: Instruments manufactured in the UK, and particularly those by London-based companies, suffer from the cost of rent etc. which means that the instruments have to be more expensive to cover this.
• Market issues: Few trombone players want to pay for high quality, handmade instruments. The UK orchestral market is extremely conservative and has been dominated by one US brand for many years. Things do appear to be changing though. The UK Jazz and banding scene is much more open minded.
• Marketing issues: The internet has made it much easier to sell internationally and market oneself.
• Material characteristics: In many ways, a brass instrument is much more complicated than a wooden instrument – it has moving parts which need to work reliably. Metalworking is noisy and expensive and requires a workshop – hence there are far fewer custom metal instrument makers than wooden instrument makers.
• Covid 19 has posed a significant threat to brass instrument makers. One company has reported a 50% drop in orders and the loss of 5 members of staff.
• Access to allied trades: Chrome plating companies and lacquering facilities are increasingly difficult to find. Rath Trombones send their slides to the US for chroming which is only feasible with large batches.

• Cambridge Woodwind Makers
• The School of Musical Instrument Crafts
• National Association of Musical Instrument Repairers
• Fellowship of Makers and Restorers of Historical Musical Instruments

There are very few formal training opportunities in brass instrument making, with most trainees learning on the job with an established maker.

Short courses

Cambridge Woodwind Makers offer courses in natural trumpet making and long trumpet making.

• Michael Rath Trombones, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire – specialise in trombones. Has at least one trainee.
• Paxman Musical Instruments Ltd, London – specialise in horns. Build around 150 instruments a year, and also sell student line (made in China) and instruments made by other makers, and do maintenance and repair. Have four skilled craftspeople but no trainees.
• Eclipse Trumpets, Luton, Bedfordshire – specialise in trumpets.
• Taylor Trumpets
• The Oldroyd Group – Offers handcrafted cornets, flugelhorns, and euphoniums .

Given the number of enthusiastic players who enjoy tinkering and go on to make their own instruments, brass instrument making is not considered to be critically endangered.

The demise of Boosey and Hawkes (Besson) has really opened up the market (banding particularly) and allowed the smaller manufacturer to come to the fore. The consumer has more choice which has pushed ups standards and allowed more modern designs to flourish.

• British History Online, Industries: Musical Instruments