Recently I was able to borrow locally this great nickel silver Kruspe single F. It is in the collection, for now, of one of my current students (Jesse Boyd), who provided the nice photos.
Kruspe? Single F? Nickel Silver?
First, I should mention that the word “Kruspe” has become firmly associated in an American context today with a specific type of double horn. Which is unfortunate, as Kruspe the firm made a number of different models of horns, the Horner Model that was copied by Conn (for their 8D) is just one of them.
In addition to double horns, they made a variety of single horns. This one is notable not just for being a single F but also being all nickel silver. Nickel silver is an alloy similar to brass but with at least 10% nickel added, which colors the material to look like silver. This horn has a lovely look, from an era when NS horns were a rarity. Only a large shop like Kruspe could have made it in that time frame.
What is up with the main slide?
You might think that is an Eb slide, but actually the horn stands in F. I have found that single horns made with this style of main slide often play much better than you might expect, and this one does play well! Which makes sense, as at the time there were professionals using horns of this design.
How old is it?
There are a few ways to estimate age on Kruspe horns. In the case of this one, the engraving on the bell includes the word “Hoflieferant.” This is a reference to Kruspe being purveyors to the court. This then means the horn has to date to before 1918, as Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicated in 1918.
UPDATE: As this article will be found on searches about Kruspe horns, I’d add this item from a 2020 article on another Kruspe horn:
The majority of Kruspe horns you will run into were made between the world wars. Several things confirm this a being a post-war product, one prime thing being that the engraving lacks a DRGM number. The use of these numbers (they are the German patent numbers of their horn designs) ended with the fall of the Reich in 1945.
An action item for me
Finally, I would mention that I built a similar horn during my sabbatical – one that I plan to modify to better match this Kruspe. My horn, I eyeballed things too much. I have done the measurements, and my horn with a Mirafone bell is a full 3 inches shorter! No wonder I have to pull the main slide so far. My project will be to make a longer leadpipe and a longer main slide, aiming for the same proportions as the Kruspe.
UPDATE: I made the modifications to better match the Kruspe, happy with the results! More on that here.
Continue reading about Kruspe horns
