• This is our new model of carbon fiber alphorn. They are 100% handmade in the United States by Silver and Brass Musical Instruments in Carson City, Nevada. This listing is for a horn in the key of F with poplar wood bell ring and foot. The horn will be provided with everything that is necessary so it will be ready to play immediately on arrival. These alphorns are very lightweight at 3 pounds, and intended to be used while hiking so are durable and almost maintenance-free. To be precise, the horn weighs 3lbs 4oz including the carrying bag. The assembled horn with no bag weighs 2lbs 13oz. The assembled horn is 12 feet in length. These horns are constructed with an internal layer of solid carbon fiber, while the outer layer of the horn has fiberglass woven into the carbon fiber to allow for the horn to be made in a color other than solid black.

• Included with the pictures is a video of three of these horns being played in the rooftop garden of our shop. Apologies for the low quality of the video, we just quickly took this on someone's phone while we were practicing. Two of the other pictures include a wooden Swiss alphorn for scale and demonstration purposes. The composite alphorn in the picture is what is being sold, and the grey ultralightweight bag pictured is included with the horn, while the heavy padded blue bag belongs to the wooden Swiss horn. The tripod stand shown in some of the pictures is also not included with this listing.

• These horns, unlike wooden alphorns, require relatively little maintenance. There is no need to oil the inside of the bore or the outside of the horn. When the horn needs to be cleaned soap and water will work very nicely. The metal connections will need to be periodically lubricated to keep them moving smoothly, and we will provide a tube of petroleum jelly (Vaseline) with the horn for this purpose. These metal connections also have rubber o-rings which will occasionally break or get lost. These are regular wear items, and replacements can easily be obtained. The small o-rings are 34mm OD, 32mm ID, 1mm width and the large o-rings are 60mmOD, 58mmID, 1mm width.

• This horn will come with a traditional wooden mouthpiece for play-testing purposes. Ideally the player will want to find a mouthpiece that suits them best, so the included mouthpiece should probably be considered to be temporary. This horn will be in the standard color for our carbon fiber alphorns, which is "truffle brown" (see pictures). Our standard carbon fiber alphorns are a 3-piece horn in the key of F and come with an ultra lightweight carrying bag. The bag is shown in the pictures, but the actual color of the bag may vary from that shown. There are, of course, extras that you can add on--the alphorn can be made in a custom color for an extra $250, or for a larger fee the horn can be wrapped in birch and cane to make it look traditional, or the horn can be wrapped in a thin layer of wood. The horns can also be made to play in other keys or can be made to break down into smaller pieces (making the horns a 4-piece or 6-piece alphorn).

• It is also possible for us to build the standard alphorns for $1400 in the key of F# instead of F, but we build those to order. We keep alphorns in F in stock. If you wanted both F and F# that would add extra cost and would also be a horn we build custom to order.

• The least expensive option for shipping is currently about $150 due to the large sized box needed for an alphorn. These horns don't weigh much, but the large box needed brings the shipping price up. Finally, we will include a couple of short books of alphorn solos and duets with the horn.

• Silver and Brass Music Shop is a brick-and-mortar brass instrument restoration and repair shop located in Carson City, NV. For more information about our business, please feel free to visit our eBay profile at http://www.ebay.com/usr/silver_brass_music

•  All horns are located at Silver & Brass Music Shop

710 N. Curry St. 

Carson City, NV

89703

(775) 691-9737