Horn-u-Copia's Display of Makers

Markneukirchen based Blechblas & Signal-Instrumenten-Fabrik conglomerate, or B&S that include: Hoyer, Scherzer, Weltklang and Wolfram. Accent, Bach, Carl Wunderlich, Conn International, Courtois, Crown, Forza, Gerhard Schneider, Giardinelli, Hans Mueller, Hanstone, Hilgers, Karl Zeiss (or Ziess), Konig, LRae, Mercedes, Musica, Otto Weimar, Sanders, Schmidt (F.), Sonora, Vespro, VMI, and Walter Kroner B&S does the marketing, and when they found it convenient, they engraved various logos on instruments from the master workshops. All of the B&S workshops shared parts no matter models.

The differences between the top of the line Hoyer and B&S brands and the second line Weltklang instruments include: number of valves (Welklang usually do not have the 4th and 5th valves, Hoyer/B&S have ball&socket linkages and spiral springs, Weltklang has the older S-type links and enclosed clock-type springs, Weltklang horns have no hand guard nickel silver plate soldered on the bell tail.

December 2012, B&S was purchased by and is now are part of the Buffet Group.

Based on an article in the Horn Call, vol 39 #2: Horns sold under Moennigs name from the late 1950s on were first engineered by the master builder Karl Dressel. Dressel exported them, largely to the USA, beginning in the early 1950s. In 1956, he contracted with his friend Walter Moennig to take over production, because he was getting older and could not keep up with demand. A catalog from Dressels importer, World Wide Musical Instruments, New York, listing 3 models.
1410-DT - Horner model full double
1410-A - Compensating system double (similar to the Kruspe Wendler model)
1409-A - Single Bb with 3 valves


Migma (Musikinstrumentgenossenschaft, Markneukirchen). Migma was a cooperative of makers for the distribution and export of instruments. By the mid-1960s Moennig and most other makers in Markneukirchen were working in the B&S factory.

Wolfram was founded by Meister Albert Wolfram in 1957 and was part of the cooperative Volkseigene Betrieb (VEB) Sinfonia. This became VEB B&S in 1984. His son Gerhard continues to make brass instruments in 2017 at Wernitzgruner Str. 27 in Markneukirchen

With reunification, the B&S factory was sold to Meinl and continues as VMI (Vogtlander Musikinstrumentfabrik). Many of the small shops which had been forced into the factory set back out on their own, notably Knopf, Moennig and Kruspe. Walters son, Manfred, took over the shop on his retirement, and now works as a custom shop. VMI now sells horns primarily under the Meister Hans Hoyer nameplate, although the current models have little to do with what Hoyer actually produced.

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