Story About S. E. Shires Corperation
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“At S.E. Shires, craftspeople work hard to create horns that fit their players exactly right.
This story is part of Road Trip 2021, CNET's coverage of the Biden administration's push to grow American manufacturing and make more things in the USA.”
Below is a link to the above story about the S. E. Shires Corperation, an “American Manufacturer”, now owned by Eastman Music, who is ironically is based in China. The premise of the story is also ironic for reasons that I won’t get into, but the story itself is good. . The good news is that the parts are put together in Massachusetts, with some parts fabricated in Massachusetts. I have never played a Shires Trumpet but have only heard good things about them. I guess in a way, this situation is similar to a Chinese corporation that own the Waldorf Astoria in NYC.
https://www.cnet.com/features/horn-in-the-usa-building-better-brass-instruments-one-part-at-a-time/
Steve Smith
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@ssmith1226 said "The premise of the story is also ironic for reasons that I won’t get into, but the story itself is good."
Very succinct and well-said. The story itself is indeed a good look at how American manufacturers have to combine many aspects of their businesses in order to function successfully. However, there are critical underlying factors that make CNET's motivation invite further investigation for those so inclined.
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This is quite interesting - I have had the good experience of discussing some personal variations and modifications with Steve Shires and two of his staff to the Shires trumpet they made for me in 2011, and really appreciated their care and attention to detail. I last spoke to them just as they were being acquired by Eastman.
I presume most if not all of my trumpet was made in the USA, and it is top notch, but not living in the USA I had to smile a little when I read this in the article:
Not all the horn components are made here. Some are acquired from overseas, such as bent parts from China and joints from Germany. An overseas origin doesn't have to mean lesser quality.I wish Shires and their customers all the best - if their horns are as good or better than ever then that can only mean a lot of happy players and a bright future.
--bumblebee
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@bumblebee Nice to see you posting!
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Based on an instrument that they built for Joe Alessi. Hmmm. Aren't all trombones (even the el cheapo ones) based on some great
instrument? When I read marketing trash like this, I wonder why they do not build that exact model. With todays material science and still available "old world" manufacturing skills, it is certainly possible!
