Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Holton 6/4 in my living room..what to do


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Posted by Jay Bertolet on April 29, 2002 at 13:14:28:

In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Holton 6/4 in my living room..what to do posted by dp on April 28, 2002 at 22:38:21:

I may be wrong with my story but my understanding is that the primary maker of the 345 model was a short Welsh guy who wore a funny hat all the time, even in the shop. My first teacher, Oscar LaGasse, told me about this guy and what a whiz he was at turning these wonderful horns out. Apparently, according to Oscar, these horns were all hand hammered on wooden mandrels and assembled by this guy (I don't remember the name, maybe Gus?). The story told to me was that this guy developed some sort of serious illness and died. This all happened rather quickly and he never had the chance to teach anyone else how to make the horns. As a result, Holton stopped producing the horns altogether. I admit that the last part sounds a little far fetched, what kind of company would have only one person who knows how to make their product and no backup. However, if the horn wasn't all that profitable, they may have been looking for an excuse to cease production. The Welsh guy's death may have been just the ticket. In any event, it seems very unlikely to me that production will ever resume. In addition to all the problems and costs of restarting the 345, they would be competing directly with similar horns that have many additional years of R&D and, in many cases, don't have the serious intonation issues inherent in the 345 design. That said, it still would be a neat thing to see!

My opinion for what it's worth...


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