Medlin Horns

Horn building philosophy #1: Absolutely anything is possible.

Today I did some work for a friend on her aging Yamaha 861; a discontinued custom model that is increasingly difficult to find. She decided that she would like to open up the high register by trying a new leadpipe and, rummaging through my box of pipes, found one she liked. Before installing it, I suggested that we try to work (read: cut into and recklessly modify) the original pipe and try to get it more open without replacing it.

When I build a new horn, I make a general skeleton using my design plans and then spend a few days playing and tweaking it until it has the  ease and sound that I’m looking for. I applied that same ideas and experience to my friend’s horn, pretending that I had a new skeleton and trying to figure out what it needed to play better.

She was shocked with the result. Using her same leadpipe, I was able to open up the high register and improve the stability in the low register in about 3 hours of fussing. I opened up the leadpipe venturi and balanced it with some longer, more resistant, solder joints on the mouthpipe to get a truly remarkable result.

The lesson? Anything is possible. Rather than build a single stubborn design of horn, I prefer to focus on the sound production and playing characteristics of each individual instrument. If I have to slightly modify my design to achieve a desired result, that’s okay! That’s what makes it truly a custom horn!!

I will try to write more of these so that you can learn about what I believe about horns and horn building and decide if I’m the right person to build your next horn!

I’ve always loved the Muppets, I just can’t resist these videos.

Think of it as excerpt training… just from Beaker and chickens!!

(I love how they aren’t with the metronome, cute)

Some hornplayers have asked recently about pinky hooks, hand straps and my recommendation. Normally, I stay out of these kinds of endorsements, but in this case I have a very passionate opinion.

At issue are methods of holding the horn up with the left hand. There are 4 methods of doing this. (5 if you count Pip Eastop’s Pip Stick, which is a brilliant contraption but does not involve the left hand directly.)

1. Pinky hook
2. Pinky hook and velcro loop strap
3. Flipper
4. Strap soldered to the horn (removing pinky hook)

A soldered strap is the easiest and most ergonomical way to hold the horn!

Read a scientific explaination of how flexor muscles in the middle, ring, and pinky fingers work. Basically, the last three fingers of your hand share a flexor muscle. If you restrict the movement of the pinky finger by putting it under a hook and using it to support all 5+ pounds of horn, you also restrict the motion of the ring and middle fingers as well.

A soldered strap allows the middle and ring fingers to work the valves at a faster speed!

Using a strap soldered to the horn and removing the pinky hook allows the last three fingers to move together with more freedom. Imagine playing Weber’s Concertino, with all of its speedy T2- T12- T23 fingering combinations. Having the ring finger move even 5% quicker can make a huge difference in playing that piece!

A good strap needs to (in my opinion):

• Be fully leather instead of leather/ nylon so that sweat and moisture will not pentrate the surface, mildew, and stink.
• Be adjustable so that you have options about where to solder.
• Have a FULL WRAP-AROUND handguard that protects the horn and does not twist as your hand position changes.
• Be made of high quality leather that will not stretch over time.

I’ve had many different kinds of straps on my horns over the years and the Clebsch strap is the best strap I’ve found. It is made with very high quality leather that will not rip or streach (I’ve moved my current strap to 3 different horns and its still going strong).

I passionately believe that a soldered stap is the best way to hold the horn with the left hand. It gives unparalleled advantages in fingering speed and overall comfort. The Clebsch strap is the best strap I’ve used and I’m happy to offer this option on all of my horns at no extra cost!

New shop phone number!! 812.669.1212

The new shop is underway! I will post a few pictures soon, right now it looks like every other gutted basement you can picture in your head.  The web work has been on hold until I can get moved into the house and catch up on the horn thats currently on the workbench. The proirities are to finish the FAQ and then expand the “How its made” section. I’m hoping for a video blog of sorts!

I’m am in North Carolina this week visiting my folks! I have my double and the single Bb along if you’d like to play either, let me know!

I’ve updated pricing info and instructions on the ordering process.

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!

Back from the symposium after a great week of concerts and exhibiting!

First of all, THANK YOU to everyone who stopped by and played the new horn, and a special thanks to those who told a friend. I had lots of people tell me that someone had sent them over to try it out. The response was overwhelmingly positive!

So now what? HELP SPREAD THE WORD!! If you were impressed with the horn, share that with me and help me build some material for the website. Send glowing reports to jamedlin AT gmail.com and let me know what you thought!

I will post some pictures in a couple of days.

Back to work for me!!!

Found this article on cnn.com about a guy who makes custom clothes with essentially the same business model as most of the custom horn makers. His arguments for this approach over the large manufacturers is also basically the same.

Feel great and look your best with a slimming, fashionable Medlin horn!

I’ve recently added two new options to increase the customizability of my horns.

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!