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As mentioned in the previous installment, I located (on eBay) the remains of a Geyer single F horn, minus the original bell (which had been used to restore a higher value Geyer double).
My guess is the horn body dates to roughly the 1940s. We don’t think of the legendary American horn maker Carl Geyer (1880-1973) for making student model horns, but that is what this is, built on the same general vintage design that was seen on the second build of the sabbatical, the Mirafone/Yamaha. The big, looped main slide puts the horn in F rather than in Eb (such as is seen on more typical student model single horns). So, while it was a student model horn, I think Carl Geyer was pretty hard-wired to build a high-quality instrument, with parts and design of the same quality as he used on his double horns.
I replaced the missing bell using the bell from the same King horn that had provided the valve section for the first build, and I had to replace the damaged leadpipe also (it had four holes in it, and even with those taped up and other repairs it was not a player) with a Yamaha single F leadpipe. I will keep the original pipe with the horn for comparison.
The Geyer body also had a number of issues to correct, including applying three patches to leaks, and I’m still watching another spot that might need a patch. This horn had some heavy damage at one point, and not all of it was repaired well, it was instead hidden somewhat with patches a fresh coat of clear lacquer. I stripped all that off and used all the Geyer parts I could, and love the overall look and design. Other than the bell and leadpipe, the only other non-Geyer parts are the ferrule at the joint between the bell tail and first branch (King) and the braces for the bell and leadpipe (Yamaha).
It was humbling to take apart and rebuild to playability a horn built by a legend of horn making. A skill revisited with this specific build was silver soldering a broken brace. As much as I could I tried to build it has he did, with the long tubing contacts in the same manner as he used.
While this horn could still benefit from a valve job, I am very happy with how all three of my sabbatical horns look and play. Each instrument was a wonderful project, their simple designs being suited my skill level and my goal of improving skills.
Besides constructing these three horns I also did repairs and minor alterations to several other horns, not documented in this series. Horn building this semester was very much a full-time job, and my skills have improved a great deal. The hands-on work in my garage shop was also an especially good way to spend those pandemic months.
[Very attentive readers might remember that I described in a prior post another planned sabbatical build, rebuilding a Yamaha single into a crooked single horn. That project was started and is still in progress, and that was actually the source horn for the leadpipe used on the Geyer. I have other repair/modification projects going but I am still hopeful to finish that horn also before summer heat kicks in, that one will be my “Yamaha conversion horn.” And I have parts that will eventually become another new instrument, likely similar to this Geyer.]
Reflecting on the three completed projects, it fascinates me how each horn has a very individual character. Each one has good and bad points in terms of playing qualities, especially in regard to good and bad notes. And the bad notes are all pretty good, don’t get me wrong, they all turned out well! But if you take a specific note such as written fourth line E, each horn is different in terms of the “F horn roll” on that note being felt easily or minimally. I tend to think the Geyer is the best playing overall, but that may in part be because it is new to me. The Mirafone bell horn might have the best sound, I need to play them all for listeners in a good space to know for sure.
I look forward to applying my horn building skills to modern horn designs as part of future creative activity. Maybe at some future time I will try to make a natural horn or two. But for now, it won’t be long until I have to be closing up my shop. It is in my garage, and as Arizona temperatures get higher it will be less and less usable, and not at all usable really when the overnight lows are over 80! Which is good, as I can get back to preparing over the summer for what I hope will be a very robust year of in-person horn teaching and playing for 2021-22!
UPDATE 2024: I further rebuilt the Geyer! Be sure to see the updated horn here.
Return to the beginning of the Sabbatical Series
