Frank Holton and Company

[Austin Shulse]

Welcome everybody,

Reading through these forums I have found numerous threads concerning the history of the Holton company of Elkhorn, Wisconsin. Many of these threads however dead ended leaving only unanswered questions. I myself strictly play Holton horns and I have done countless hours of research to clarify a majority of these questions. Now yes it is true that very little literature exists regarding the subject. Nonetheless I think it would be beneficial to share what I have found in the hope of shedding some light as to where your Holton instrument might have came from.

A short history on the company, Frank Holton was a trombone player in the great Sousa band. It was in 1896 that he opened a small shop in Chicago selling his special electric oil for trombones. In 1898 an instrument maker was hired thus bringing forth the Holton special trombone. By 1904 the company was a respected manufacturer of cornets, mellophones, trombones, and valve trombones. In 1917, Holton and the city of Elkhorn, Wisconsin shook hands on the construction of a new factory. Elkhorn promised Mr. Holton that if he paid out $500,000 in wages over the course of seven years he would be granted the title to the land and the factory. This obligation was met in 1920.

It was in the year of 1929 that Holton introduced the collegiate line of instruments. These student line horns were of high quality and built like tanks, placing them as intermediate instruments by the standards of today. However the company was highly regarded as a manufacturer of pro model musical instruments. Holton now had a plethora of artists endorsing his products. The business grew as more musicians were choosing Holton.

The company was sold to Mr. Fred Kull, an employee of some number of years. This occurred in 1939. In 1942, Mr. Frank Holton passed away. The company began to manufacture military components for the ongoing world war two. In 1964 the company was sold to the G. Leblanc Corporation. They moved product development to the Martin facility in Elkhart, which Leblanc had also acquired. The company as a whole was greatly changed. Its was in 2008 that Leblanc was bought out by Conn-Selmer thus making Holton a subscript name. Today Holton instruments are manufactured in Eastlake, Ohio. However the only design to remain is the Farkas french horns. All other Holton products are of different make stamped with the Holton name.

That was my short history. If you would like an in depth timeline please feel free to message me.

So to clear up questions about the horns. It was in 1956 that Holton introduced french valves made by Courtois. These appeared on the 508 collegiate trumpet and the 504 collegiate cornet as well as the 608 and the 604 super collegiates. The pro model 45 is the only higher end horn to sport the french valves. All other horns remained American with the exception of the collegiates. They were equipped with french braces, valve caps, throw ring mounts and lyre mounts. Later down the road the T-401, T-500, ST-550, T-303, T-602 and ST-602 as well as corresponding cornets, would in some way be influenced by Courtois. They would either sport Courtois parts, or be full Courtois horns.

Many people seem to disagree over the t-100 series trumpets. These are the Holton renditions of the Bach Stradivarius. After the purchase of my t-105 I dug deep into this subject. Yes Holton did copy a Bach 37, no they did not use Bach tooling to manufacture these horns. Very small changes were made in the process, the greatest of these changes being the elimination of the second tuning brace. Instead, one tuning brace was utilized sporting the Leblanc crest. Early t-101 trumpets did however have both braces. The entire t-100 series was manufactured here in the United States by Holton.

So to sum this all up, it is my understanding that unless a Holton horn sports french valves, it is 100% pure Holton. Otherwise you could have a Courtois horn stamped with the Holton name. At some point the collegiate model trumpets and cornets were manufactured in Japan by Yamaha.

Again, this thread is strictly based off of my understanding and interpretation of the few works I have found on the subject. If you would like to dig deeper I have listed the various works I read below. I would love to hear about your Holton instruments in comparison to that of other brands. Please do not hesitate to message me with questions, or if I am wrong on something.

http://www.holtonloyalist.com/
https://www.conn-selmer.com/en-us/about/history/our-brands/holton
http://www.holtonfrenchhorn.com/holtons-history/
http://www.trumpet-history.com/Holton.htm
http://www.kpl.gov/local-history/music/frank-holton.aspx
http://content.wisconsinhistory.org/cdm/ref/collection/tp/id/30117
http://www.weshatchhorns.net/holton-memoirs.html
http://www.communityshoppers.com/item/1898-holton-heritage-holds-strong-in-elkhorn
http://www.trumpet-history.com/Holton%20Models.pdf
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Holton Model T-105 Trumpet
Holton Model C-302 Cornet
Holton Model 29 Cornet
Protec Bags
Harmon Mutes
Hamilton Stands
Superslick Cleaning Supplies

Austin Shulse

[Chastx007]

I do not play just Holton's, Austin Shulse, but I have quite a few and really enjoy them. I recently added a model 25 to my collection that is really a nice instrument. As I am a poor man's collector, I cannot afford the luxury of buying the most desirable---which usually translates to trumpets. That being said, I have many more cornets than trumpets. My earliest is a Holton-Clarke from the 20's. I also have Collegiate s from 1932, 1946, 1956 and 1974. I have an early 50's Special Deluxe, three 40's model 29's and a late 40's model 28 that I bought cheap on EBay as the seller had mislabeled it as a regular Collegiate with bad photos. I picked it up with the original mouthpiece---a 77. I have noticed that an original Holton short shank MP fits the receiver of these horns better than a more modern mouthpiece. I have also noted that each permutation of the Collegiate I possess has noticeable differences structurally with no interchangeable parts from the valves on down.

Yes, I know you posted this a while ago but thought it was time for someone (anyone?) to add his or her two cents worth.
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1903 King Long Model cornet
1927 Master Model cornet
1939 Holton Model 25 cornet
1945 Holton Model 29 cornet
1951 Holton Model 28 cornet
Plus a plethora more...

[interfx]

I recently shared a bunch of old Holton magazine ads on the HoltonLoyalist Facebook page. Worth reading some of the advertisements during both the early Chicago days and the later Elkhorn era...

Read about the "Revelation" in some of the ads - these were introduced about the same time as Vincent Bach introducing the Bach Stradivarius.

https://www.facebook.com/holtonloyalist/

If anyone else has old Holton ads, please share them on the HoltonLoyalist FB page also...

Thanks all -
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trumpetLINKS: https://www.trumpetLINKS.com
BachLoyalist: https://www.bachloyalist.com

[Dennis78]

Saxophone.org and Trumpet-History.com are also some great resources for all things Holton.
I myself am also a Holton fanatic. I have a short bell new proportion from 1909, a long bell Couturier model from 1914, a bell front collegiate baritone, 4 student model trumpets and 3 student cornets a 48 and a 49.
My 49 is my absolute favorite. It’s actually the best trumpet I’ve ever used.
My first new horn was a Holton and I’ve been a fan ever since.
As to the French valves that were eventually used.......
In my opinion we’re those absolute best valves ever over every other valve I’ve ever tried.
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a few different ones

[OldSchoolEuph]

I just played all of my Thanksgiving through Christmas stuff using my Stratodyne Model 49 (except a couple fanfare parts where the visual of the banner hanging from the bell was needed). It was a joy to play my favorite Holton again. The demands of upcoming performances will push me back to the modern capabilities of my AW, but for a 65 year old horn, the Stratodyne really sang and was ideal for the holidays.
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Ron Berndt
www.trumpet-history.com

2017 Austin Winds Stage 466
1962 Mt. Vernon Bach 43
1954 Holton 49 Stratodyne
1927 Conn 22B
1957 Holton 27 cornet
1985 Yamaha YEP-621
1975 Yamaha YEP-321 Custom
1965 Besson Baritone
1975 Olds Recording R-20

[Dennis78]

Sorry my trumpet is the B47. Don’t know why I said the 49. I actually play it less nowadays because I want it to last forever. I only use it for trusted safe gigs. Rehearsals and busy gigs I use my Cecilio which is a Jinbao horn that feels a lot like my 48, although sounds nothing like it
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a few different ones

[A.N.A.Mendez]

I like some of the older mouthpieces, the 67, the 72. Good pieces.
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"There is no necessity for deadly strife" A. Lincoln 1860

☛ "No matter how cynical you get, it's never enough to keep up" Lily Tomlin☚

[1957Tim]

Nice post Austin! Thanks to you, I have an old Holton cornet that plays real nice. I must also add that you make those Holton horns of yours sound real nice. I like your passion for the trumpet/cornet, and it shows when you play. Welcome to TH!

-1957Tim

[dladore]

Does anyone have any info on a Holton Model 29 cornet? I am considering one but am not sure what type of sound it will give me. This one is from 1948.

Thanks, Dan in NC
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Getzen Eterna Proteus 907S Trumpet (2019)
Getzen Capri Trumpet (1986)
Getzen Capri Cornet ('68-'71)

[Dale Proctor]

I used to have a 1966 C-201 cornet. It was a very pretty instrument and played well, but I had too many instruments and it was one of the 6 I decided to sell.


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"Brass bands are all very well in their place - outdoors and several miles away ." - Sir Thomas Beecham

[Dennis78]

For me the Holton c602 is a better player. The 29, at least the one I had was only ok. Nothing special at all. No leaks great valves but somewhat stuffy across a variety of mouthpiece choices. Very easy to over blow I felt as well.
If you’re looking for something to take to band I’d say there are better options
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a few different ones

[OldSchoolEuph]

[joe1joey]

[JHirakawa]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4a/4_Vintage_Trumpets.jpg

I picked up a M bore, 1947 standard Holton 48 recently (3rd from top). The valve pads were new and the alignments a little off, in both the up and down positions. Just enough to affect how the horn played. I had to relax and take it easy or it would shut off, especially above the staff. It played fine after I got the valves dialed in.

It was much easier to align the valves on the Holton than my 1969 Olds Custom Crafted trumpet (top horn). On the Olds, when I aligned one port, another port would be a little off, so I had to compromise. I eventually paid for a PVA. In contrast, it was easy to get the valve ports and valve block tubes lined up on the Holton. The ports on the valves were very similar in diameter as the tubes so I didn’t have to pick an edge to align, or to mess with finding the centers. That speaks highly for Holton’s build quality. (And less so for the Olds.)

I’ve heard people play the Standard the Deluxe models of the 48 on UTube. I’ve heard people call the 48 standard a poor mans’ Committee. I assume that’s only because of the reverse tuning slide.

I’ve only had the Holton for a couple of weeks. But what surprised me is how close it sounds to a Benge (2nd from top). It sounds more like a Benge than my Olds Custom Crafted, and Olds designed it to be a lightweight Mendez, so it’s basically a Benge clone.

My Olds Custom Crafted has a .460 ML bore and it’s ultra-lightweight at 32.1 oz. The Holton weighs 36.4 oz and my Benge weighs 35.6 oz. the Olds is the brightest and most free blowing of the three. The Holton plays tighter than the Benge and that surprised me since the Benge has a slightly smaller bore and the Holton has the reverse pipe. I measured the mouthpiece gap on the Holton at slightly less than 1/8 inch, so that’s not it.

I would be interested to know what others think about the playing characteristics and timbre of the 48 standard, and other vintage Holton models.
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Kanstul FB Classic b-flat&C
'42 Buescher 205
'45 Martin Committee
'48 Chi Benge
'47 Conn 22b
'69 Olds Custom Crafted
'47 Holton 48
'64 Bach Strad Cornet
'62 Olds Spl Cornet
'64 Conn 80a
'54 Conn 34a
Benge flugel
Olds, DEG Bugles