Atkinson Horns 877-291-4198 Worlds Finest Double Horns and Accessories

Please call for extra details and pricing. BRAND NEW HAND CRAFTED! BEST SELLER since 2007 at Y-Brass. Payment plan available. Delivery in 6-8 months.
Atkinson-Geyer History: Atkinson are a family of Horn players.. Mr. Mark Atkinson's father-Robert Atkinson and brother-Jim Atkinson knew Carl Geyer quite well. Geyer made Jim's first horn at his tenth birthday for a gift.Their love of the instrument compels us to play better. This practical experience translates into constantly striving to MAKE the BEST HORNS. As a young boy Mark started working at his father's shop. Later in life he began his full time career as a HORNSMITH. This career began in playing the Horn and progressed through school and apprenticeship instrument building. Many of these skill were learned in college while others were learned through working in instrument factories with some of the best and perhaps the most unknown craftsmen in the industry. Through teachers and associates Mark learned precision machining, bell spinning, assemble and the ability to produce in small or extremely large volumes. Most of these great artistic craftsmen are now deceased, however their life exuberance and skill live on in Atkinson Horns. Without their help our Great success would not be possible. Mark is forever in their debt, not only for their knowledge, but for their humanity!
Purpose: A REMARKABLE HORN!! This is what every Hornist wants to own---whether a professional or an amateur. What makes a Horn remarkable is a phenomenal sound, great intonation and endless acoustic attributes that make one's playing secure and expressive. Last and the most important is a Horn that you are PROUD to play on. An individual who loves his Horn will bring a soul to the instrument. This is also true of the Hornsmith.
Personal Endeavor: To make the BEST GEYER design Horn possible combined with the best service. To enjoy the life of a Hornsmith. To constantly make better Horns through experience, education and to cherish Mark's friends, family as well.
Hallowed Ground: Mark personally had an opportunity to make a Geyer style Horn in the mid 80's. This opportunity was presented to him by meeting Bernard Marston. Marston was the first person in the U.S. to make precision valves. He produced valves for Conn, F.E. Olds, Reynolds, Sansone and all of the Mount Vernon and New York Bach trombones. Consequently, he produced valves for most of the post war Geyer Horns. The best playing Geyer Horns had Marston valves. Before this time he had almost completed the engineering for making valves. However upon meeting Marston, Mark enlisted his expertise to finish the engineering. He is one of the many craftsmen who helped in his training. Mark indeed fortunate to have learned valve making from the best valve maker in the world!! From Marston , Mark purchased at great expense (Marston was also a skilled businessman) many tools to make Geyer valves and enough valve casings and rotors to produce hundreds of Geyer Horns . Most of the parts were unfinished and require great skill to complete. Even though he met this unique person who worked so very closely with Geyer and obtained so many valves sets, Mark realized that the Geyer Design (very similar to Knopf ) was a venerated if not a holy design. The Geyer design is indeed a harder design to make because it is acoustically less forgiving. There is NO ROOM for MISTAKES on this design. Understanding this, Mark chose to complete his Kruspe design horns first. As it turned out this was a wise decision because it takes hundreds of Horns to perfect one's knowledge of valve machining, bell spinning, and tube formation. One cannot make great horns by simply making a few horns a year. So after over 20 years, hundreds of Horns produced, and an ocean of tools with special machinery, Mark have finally undertaken the most sacred of Horn designs. This project was physically started in the year 2000. Thus the model number is ATKINSON-GEYER 2000 or AG2000 .
Uniquely Different: Both Geyer and Knopf design Double Horns have IN LINE VALVES with the thumb valve or change rotor at the end or bottom of the valves section. This differs from the Kruspe design, which has the thumb valve at the top of the valve section and is also offset to the first valve. Because of the in-line valve section the Geyer design has velvety slurs enhanced with pointed staccatos and a warm rich sound with just the right amount of edge. The bends of the branches are VERY FREE FLOWING and SMOOTH. The slide crooks are unique, especially the 3rd F crook.. The 3rd Bb slide has independent tuning. Bells, first branches and mouthpipes are of a specific size designed especially for the in line Geyer design. Other features of this Horn are that the branches are soldered directly to the bell without the use of braces. Truly a Horn unto itself, the Geyer design has a wider variety of color changes available to the player.
Quality Control: To achieve quality control ATKINSON manufacture all parts in house . This includes bells, crooks, branches, casings, rotors, slide tubing, etc. This helps Atkinson to maintain exact control over each part's dimensions. All mandrels and dies are precision machined, ground and heat treated for hardness. All valve casings and rotors are inspected using precision calipers, micrometers and drop gauges. All parts are made to match their blue print.
Testing: All tapered parts are tested by experienced professionals. As a consequence several different bells and mouthpipe mandrels have been made. One is utilizing the Weimar Schmidt taper, and the other is a reproduction of an outstanding Geyer mouthpipe. The Schmidt mouthpipe is more centered with more ring to the sound, while the Geyer mouthpipe is more velvety with a warmer sound. Three (3) different bells have been developed. First is Atkinson Extra large bell, which is favored by big Horn players. Second is Atkinson European bell, which is slightly large than the Alexander 103. Finally is our Geyer bell, which is an exact copy of a beautiful pre-war Geyer Horn bell that was presented to Atkinson by the late and great Horn player and teacher Wendell Hoss.
Redesigning: ATKINSON are always striving to produce better Horns. This is done through a process of design and redesign. They welcome suggestions from professionals and amateurs alike. Bear in mind that Atkinson New Geyer Horn can be customized and modified to fit everyone's body and acoustical needs.
Production: At ATKINSON HORNS are always in the process of making Horns. Valve sections ---- the heart of a Horn are always in production, as are the branches, crooks, bells etc. Because of this we can deliver with no down time wasted to buy parts from other makers.
Comparable To: Berg, Lewis, Hill & Rausch
Bore: Traditional .468
Bell Size: Extra Large, European or Geyer Duplicate
Metal: Brass, Red Brass and Nickel Silver( If ordered in red brass or nickel silver there will been additional charge)
Bell Flare: F=Fixed, D= Detachable
Lever Action: String
Rotors: Original Geyer rotors, hand fitted
Finish: Bare Metal
Pitch: A=440Hz
Weight: Ultra Lite 4lbs.15oz.
Screw Bell: Add extra. Case: Add extra.
Also in Nickel Silver or Red Brass: Add extra charge.
Bell sizes and their effect on the sound:

Extra Large: A big but not dull sound. Warm and sonorous, better in a screw bell.
European: Smaller sounding than the XL. This bell produces a clear elegant sound.
Geyer Copy: Traditional size with a warmer clearer sound, and of course the choice of most players but certainly not all.
It is advisable to practice different hand position to find your ideal hand position.
Metals (alloys) and their effect on the sound:

Nickel Silver (NS): This metal is actually brass with nickel added. The nickel turns the brass white in color. The sound is very dark when playing piano and brightens up in louder playing. Very resistant to metal corrosion.
Red Brass: also called Gold brass and, of course, has a beautiful polish. Darker and smoother, A good choice for players who are too bright in their sound.
Brass: the most variation of colors are produced by brass. Clear sound with rich overtones to a brassy edge. A excellent choice for most Hornists. At Atkinson Horns we use a special mix of brass for the mouthpipe to reduce corrosion.
Epiphany: We would like to invite all Hornist to visit Atkinson Brass and Co. to try the New Atkinson-Geyer Horn!! Bring your mouthpiece and schedule some time. The BEER is on me!
Special Thanks: Richard Baker, who loved the Horn and is responsible for teaching me precision machining. To the many professional and amatuer Horn players who shared their knowledge with me. Joe Lintz who taught me precision assembly.
Call Toll Free for NO OBLIGATION "Atkinson Horns Trial Policy" details.
All parts are always available. Plus annealed aged brass and nickel silver
Warranty: Two year factory warranty on PARTS, VALVES and LABOR.
Shipping Policy(inside USA): 1) Most orders will be shipped within 24 hours of receipt. 2) We ship most orders via UPS ground. The shipper we select offers the best combination of speed, safety and convenience. 3) UPS does not deliver to a P.O. Box. 4) All orders are fully insured. Shipping for International orders is available via USPS too. 5) Shipping charges are based on the value of your orders and are automatically calculated. From $19.99( one lb) up to $155.99 (30lb@18x18x28) 6) Shipping charges include freight cost, handling fee, insurance and packing materials. 7) If you receive a damaged shipment please contact us. In case of major damages the carrier will want to inspect the instruments. Please be sure to save all the materials.
All deposits are non-refundable.