Mine are on the left and the stock ones from Meinlschmidt are on the right. First, the braces between the outer slides on the valve section:

Bracing on the 1st and 3rd valve slides:

As you can see, the braces that I make are lighter, cleaner and more ornamental looking than the stock braces I could buy. I am also able to change the styling as I (or the player) choose. It gives my horns a unique and flexible aesthetic that I love!

Medlin horns show promise to become quite popular once they have been ‘discovered’. Jacob Medlin’s study and knowledge, custom approach of building a horn to fit a musician’s needs and desires, and attention to playing and aesthetic details suggest that every horn will have consistent characteristics, yet each horn will be optimized to both fit the performing artist and bring out the best potential of a particular instrument. This recalls the best efforts of Geyer, in which every horn is similar, yet quite different and reflective of the ordering individual.

The upper register is warm, open, and singing without being bright – not pinched or requiring the player to physically ‘overcome’ the difficulties of playing high. The same instrument has solid and dense sounding middle and low registers. The intonation in all registers and dynamics is even. There is no pitch sagging in the upper register when making a diminuendo, and the sound is homogenous from note to note and low to high. Articulation is clean and quick to respond, yet the response allows beautiful slurs that have a liquid quality. The sound has great focus, yet is based on an aural concept demanding warmth and beauty first, with an air of mystery, and they seem remarkably efficient in the energy and effort needed to play them – qualities that help with pitch, accuracy, and confidence at the end of a tiring concert. They maintain that warmth of tone through all dynamic ranges.

These horns will deserve consideration when looking for a new instrument that will be easy to play and mechanically reliable while wanting to project a traditional horn sound.

My pricing model is very simple, $8000 is the price of the horn any way you want it. I don’t believe in the nickel-dime approach where the horn appears to be one price but, by the time you cut the bell and add a water key for example, you end up paying a lot more.

$8000. Cut bell? Nickel leadpipe? 2 waterkeys? Small bell flare? FREE!

1) Adjustable tuning slides- When I build tuning slides, I can intentionally make them a little long. They look like they are pulled out about 3/4″ but there is no gap in the bottom of the slide (post coming on “horn bulge”), giving the maximum consistency of airflow throughout the bore. If you need to make the horn sharper, just cut 1/4″ off of the slide! With this extra step, you have absolute control over the pitch of the instrument without having to deal with large bore inconsistancies.

2) Unlimited brace styles- Since I handcraft every brace on the horn, from the tuning slide braces to the bell braces, I am able to offer braces in any style. I will be including a set of pics on the order form with the most common braces, but I am open to your own designs as well. You could have a horn with ultra- modern utilitarian bracing, or traditionally beautiful German bracing. The choice is yours!

Two more steps towards a truly custom horn!

This has had to be a side project because I am readying a new double horn to sell at the IHS workshop. It still needs its descending tuning slide and an F extension. As you can see, the sideways tuning slide allows for the full length mouthpipe and the descending tuning slide will go from the mouthpipe to the topmost outer slide. I hope to have it done in the next few weeks!

I’ve heard ascending Bb horns called the “poor man’s descant” but the fact of the matter is, if you look at what each horn does well, single Bb horns with ascending valves are lighter than descants and can play things like Beethoven and Mozart with a lightness and depth of sound that just isn’t readily available on the high f side. Of course, you can’t beat a descant when it comes to Bach Cantatas!

Basically, an ascending valve is one that remains open during normal horn operation, adding its length of tubing to the overall length of the Bb horn. When the valve is turned, it shuts off air flow to that section of tubing, shortening the horn and effectively raising the pitch one whole step. Here is a diagram of the air flow in my 4 valve Bb that I made with some incredible Adobe skills…

Short list of benefits of a Bb ascending horn

• Easy high range. The addition of the ascending valve (taking the horn to C alto) allows you to play high Ab, A, Bb, and B on a shorter horn than is possible on a standard double. Using shorter horns gives a more stable and quicker responding note making it feel effortless.
• More in tune. From about A below middle C, no note is played farther away than one whole step from an open partial on the Bb horn. This means a more even sound and better tuning because you aren’t using many 12 or 23 fingerings.
• Full length leadpipe. With most descants, the high f side must have a very short leadpipe giving a sound that is more bugle than horn like. My single Bb horn gives all the lightness and ease of the descant but has the full 20 inch leadpipe. This ensures that the acoustics are sound and that not only does the high range feel good, it sounds good and is in tune.
• Much cheaper than a descant. Alex descant: $8800. Schmid descant: $9000 Lawson USED descant (from HP.net): $11000. Medlin single Bb with ascending 4th valve (interchangeable with low f and stopping valves of course): $5000. 

       For years I have been looking for a horn that could come close to how the old Geyers felt. In addition to its gorgeous sound, two main features that stand out in Jacob’s horn are how the sound continues to ring through the slurs and how the sound blossoms beautifully from mf-f-ff. And, the high range just floats out effortlessly and in tune!

       As a professional, I have played a number of modern Geyer-type horns. Few if any can compete with the rewarding experience of playing Jacob’s new horn. Its quick response and clear note grooves allow me to go for so much more finesse and nuance.

       As a teacher, I am also excited that I can finally have a high-quality American handmade horn available to my more serious students to help them make the transition into a professional career. This horn’s sound and agility is what they need to win a national audition.

       This is a horn that I will play for the sheer joy of it. Keep up the great work Jacob!

Andrew McAfee

Principal Horn, North Carolina Symphony (1992-2007)
Horn Instructor, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Music Director/Conductor, Triangle Youth Ballet
Carolina Wind Quintet

The Mid-South Horn Workshop in Memphis is next for me, I am going to update a few features on the prototype and present it again in two weeks. Also, I plan to sample Tennessee barbecue and have a nice vacation. Please email me if you consider yourself a snob when it comes to BBQ and suggest a place to eat! Hope to see you there!

I now have the first professional endorser of my horns! Andrew McAfee, the recently retired principal horn of the North Carolina Symphony has some wonderful things to say about the horn, which I’ll post later. If you are interested in hearing from him, email him! amcafeerr AT nc.rr.com

At long last, photos of the Medlin horn are up! There is a nice slideshow and a very little information at The Medlin Horn. I’m still deciding how to present the features and options on the horn, I think I’ll sit on that part for a little bit but I did post some of the basics. I welcome any comments about the info or the site in general!