Welcome to Phil's "Old and Odd"
Brass Musical Instrument Gallery!
In 1984 on vacation in Copenhagen from my UN posting in the Oman, I found and bought an old tuba. This led to the restart of my musical life (after a 25 year hiatus), my joining a brass quintet (The Muscat Brass), and the start of my brass collecting. Once I discovered eBay in 1995 - the collecting quickly became uncontrollable with a collection today numbering more than 300 instruments! As there is a physical limit to the number of horns one can display on the walls or hang from the ceiling in one's home, I decided to create a "Cyber Museum" to share some of these treasures with the world! Anyone interested in more detail on my progression from tubist to collector can read Phils's Musical Bio
Creating this gallery has been a truly educational and enlightening experience! I owe much to the in-depth research and sage advice of knowledgeable authors, museum curators and fellow brass collectors. Especially difficult was settling on a classification system (or taxonomy) for such a wide variety of instruments. The column at the left reflects what I now hope is a logical separation of instrument categories. A special section ihas been created for US Civil War era band instruments. Further, an information paper has been added to explain why 19th century brass horns were built in high pitch (now in A=440 Hz) - the "Diapason Normal"
Acknowledgement of the assistance provided by colleagues and other resources is provided (with profuse thanks) on my Acknowledgments and Brass Links page. Useful links are also provided to other interesting collections and invaluable web sites.
Phil's Wish List identifies really special instruments that I would love to have in my collection, but which are heretofor unavailable due to rarity or price! If you have one of these- let me know!!! From time to time I donate, trade or sell instruments. These are marked "NLIC" (No Longer In Collection) in the upper left corner of the description column.
I am always happy to answer questions about the collection or about brass instruments in general (exception: I do not appraise your horn!). Offers to purchase or trade any instrument in the collection will be seriously considered!! Visits in person are welcome with prior appointments. e-Mail contact:
Have Fun Browsing!!!!
Please Note: Use of any text or photos on this website is prohibited unless authorized in advance by Phil Holcomb
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