The Getzen Company is a family-owned manufacturer and wholesaler of

brass instruments A brass instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by sympathetic vibration of air in a tubular resonator in sympathy with the vibration of the player's lips. The term ''labrosone'', from Latin elements meaning "lip" and "sound", ...

. The present product portfolio consists of

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz musical ensemble, ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest Register (music), register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitche ...

cornet The cornet (, ) is a brass instrument similar to the trumpet but distinguished from it by its conical bore, more compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B. There is also a soprano cor ...

flugelhorn The flugelhorn (), also spelled fluegelhorn, flugel horn, or flügelhorn, is a brass instrument that resembles the trumpet and cornet, but has a wider, more conical bore. Like trumpets and cornets, most flugelhorns are pitched in B♭, though ...

trombone The trombone (, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the Brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's lips vibrate inside a mouthpiece, causing the Standing wave, air c ...

s, and a

baritone horn The baritone horn, sometimes called baritone, is 3 or 4 valved tenor-voiced brass instrument in the saxhorn family.Robert Donington, "The Instruments of Music", (pp. 113ff ''The Family of Bugles'') 2nd ed., Methuen, London, 1962 It is a pist ...

. Four generations of the Getzen family have participated in the company. Most Getzen instruments are rated well by consumers, and it is well known for its custom line of Edwards trumpets and trombones.

History

Founding

In 1939, Anthony James (T.J.) Getzen founded the Getzen Company, in Elkhorn,

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

. Getzen had trained in instrument repair with the C.G. Conn company and worked as a plant superintendent for the Frank Holton Company. Initially opened as a repair shop, the company expanded after World War II to instrument manufacture. In 1946, Getzen produced its first

s. In 1947, Getzen started producing

s and

s as well. In 1949, J. Robert Getzen, T.J.'s son, assumed the position of plant superintendent, and Getzen started to produce piston bugles. These bugles became popular with

Drum and Bugle Corps Drum and bugle corps is a name used to describe several related musical ensembles. * Drum and bugle corps (modern), a musical marching unit * Drum and bugle corps (classic), musical ensembles that descended from military bugle and drum units retur ...

.Brian Priestly, Tony Bacon, Dave Gelly and Paul Trynka, The Sax and Brass Book, Backbeat Books, San Francisco, California, 2007

Expansion and sale

In 1959, J. Robert Getzen left the company to found Allied Music. His brother Donald Getzen briefly assumed the leadership of the company in 1960 and acquired control of the Hoosier Band Instrument Company. Late in 1960, the family sold the company to attorney Harold M. Knowlton. No longer a family-owned business, the company continued to follow the same business model, expanding its visibility through an association with trumpeter Carl “Doc” Severinsen of

The Tonight Show ''The Tonight Show'' is an American late-night talk show that has been broadcast on NBC since 1954. The program has been hosted by six comedians: Steve Allen (1954–1957), Jack Paar (1957–1962), Johnny Carson (1962–1992), Jay Leno (1992–2 ...

fame. In addition to the marketing aspect, this association also produced the Getzen 900 Severinsen Model Eterna trumpet. Producing both student and professional lines, the Getzen company was preparing to expand in October 1963 when the existing facility was destroyed by fire. The new factory opened in February 1964 with only a brief interruption in business.Happy Anniversary, The Getzen Gazette, February 4, 2009 Founder T.J. Getzen died in 1968.

Modern family business

In 1985, Harold Knowlton sold Getzen to Charles F. Andrews, and the same year, J. Robert Getzen sold Allied Music to his sons Thomas and Edward. Edward concurrently founded Edwards Trombones. Charles Andrews lost control of the company in bankruptcy in 1991, and the Getzen brothers purchased the firm's assets. Transitioning Allied Music to the original role of the Getzen Company, instrument repair only, the family focused on the Getzen name for

brass instrument A brass instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by Sympathetic resonance, sympathetic vibration of air in a tubular resonator in sympathy with the vibration of the player's lips. The term ''labrosone'', from Latin elements meani ...

manufacture with Edwards as a subsidiary. In 1999, Thomas Getzen bought out his brother to become sole owner of the Getzen Company. In 2003, J. Robert Getzen died. In 2009, two of Thomas Getzen's sons were working for the company maintaining the family business model under the leadership of their father.

Products

The Getzen Company produces a line of

s including the professional level Genesis and Artist lines, the beginner level 300 and 400 series, the step-up line Capri and 700 series, and the semi-pro Eterna series. Additionally, the company builds two models of piccolo trumpet (Capri and Eterna), a herald trumpet,

bass trumpet The bass trumpet is a type of low trumpet which was first developed during the 1820s in Germany. It is usually pitched in 8' C or 9' B today, but is sometimes built in E and is treated as a transposing instrument sounding either an octave, a sixth ...

, and field trumpet.Brown, Joshua, Getzen Company Website Product Catalogue, The Getzen Company http://www.getzen.com/ The instruments are particularly known for their reliable and durable piston valves. The company also produces

s in the 300, 400, Capri, 700, Eterna, and Custom series.

s are available in the Capri, Eterna, and Custom series. Trombones are produced in the 300, 400, Capri, 700, Eterna, Custom, and Custom Reserve series. Getzen also builds one model of

References

{{Reflist

External links

Don Getzen Interview
at NAMM Oral History Collection (May 13, 2010)
Tom Getzen Interview
at NAMM Oral History Collection (January 16, 2009) Brass instrument manufacturing companies Musical instrument manufacturing companies of the United States