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Weymann Bugle Instruments

The bugle, a brass instrument resembling a trumpet without valves, has been used throughout history by members of the Armed Forces, Boy Scouts of America and VFW units. For many years, a variety of manufacturers produced bugles including H.A. Weymann and Sons. The Philadelphia company sold its bugles under the trade name "Keystone State."

History
- According to The Middle Horn Leader, a publication devoted to mid-voice brass instruments, H.A. Weymann started manufacturing and distributing musical instruments in 1864. The company become H.A. Weymann and Sons by 1885, incorporated in 1920, and remained in business until 1942.
Types
- Jari Villanueva, the country's foremost expert on military bugle calls, claims Weymann manufactured some of its bugles using specifications set forth by the U.S. Quartermaster General's Office in 1892. These M1892 regulation bugles, more correctly known as field trumpets, measure 16 to 17 inches in length and have a bell diameter of 4.5 inches. They are pitched in the key of G with a crook that allows pitch lowering to the key of F. Weymann also manufactured a type of bugle designed during the 1920s. It has a single piston that enables conversion from the key of G to D.
Fun Facts
- Internet auction sites often offer Weymann bugles. Bugles pitched in the key of G are easier to play and enable sounding all the notes better than modern B flat bugles. A Weymann advertisement published in a 1928 issue of "Boys' Life" magazine offered a Keystone State parade bugle built in G with a slide to F for $8. According to Villanueva, every bugle manufactured today is based on the same regulation M1892 pattern used by Weymann and others.

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