Help me identify this brass car horn

[Guest Zymurgy]

Hi I am new to the site. I am a car guy but I need some help with this one. I am in a brass band and the director has this car horn for one of our song. I was curious of what kind of car it might be from. I have done several searches and haven't found one that looks like this. Thanks.

[Marty Roth]

There were many types of "Serpent" horns in the Bulb Horn-era.

They were typically not supplied by the car manufacturer, but were sold through the "After-Market".

Some were a solid one-piece construction, and some were connected to the bulb via a flexible brass tube.

Are you interested in selling the one you have?

If so, please click on my name at left, and send me an email.

[Dandy Dave]

Marty has it right. It is an aftermarket Item. A friend of mine had one on a Peerless at one time. It really looked good on that car as it was coined "The Green Dragon." The Real Green Dragon was a Peerless racing car. His car was a 1922 and was too new a model to be in the range of years that the Peerless racing cars were built. Dandy Dave!

[Guest Zymurgy]

Thanks for the information. It never crossed my mind that it might be aftermarket item. Not interested in selling just wanted to see if I could find a little history about it's origin. It just hit me that is has mounting brackets for the right side of the car. Would it be safe to say that this might have been made for a car from Great Britain, my director's ancestors are from Wales? Thanks again.

Edited May 14, 2013 by Zymurgy (see edit history)

[oldcarfudd]

In the brass era, most American cars had right hand drive.

[Dandy Dave]

In the brass era, most American cars had right hand drive.

Yes. American cars started to switch to the left around 1912-13 on many models. Dandy Dave!

[Guest Zymurgy]

In the brass era, most American cars had right hand drive.

That shows my ignorance. I look at these beautifully restored cars and I don't pay attention to what side the steering wheel is on.

[Marty Roth]

When I drove my 1912 Oakland, the predecessor to Pontiac, and manufactured in the City of Pontiac, Michigan, many yet-to-be informed folks asked if it were an English car because of the right-hand drive. At least they were interested enough to ask,.....

and it opened the door to find out if they could be potential AACA members. We signed up a few just by talking and being inclusive.

[Dandy Dave]

To go back a little further, one may ask the question, Why Right hand drive in the first place??? The answer, Because that is the side horse Drawn Vehicles were driven from. If memory serves me correctly, Model T Fords were always left hand drive from 1909 forward. Henry Ford had his hand in things to come. Dandy Dave!

[Guest frazer51]

In my youth I recall a musical band that perhaps may have used an instrument simular to this in their recordings. It was named, "Spike Jones and his City Slickers" Have I dated myself?

[Marty Roth]

Frazer51,

You have dated not only yourself, but those of us who can confirm and enjoy your memory.

It takes a good musician to play the way that band did.

[Guest Zymurgy]

The band I play in is called the Silver Cornet band. It originated in the 1800's, has played through the 1940's and then started back up in the 1970's. The music we play is at least 100 years old. This year everything we are playing is from 1912. We are just volunteers and play 5 or 6 concert during the summers in Ohio. We are basically a brass band and my wife plays the piccolo and I play the tuba.

[Marty Roth]

Having played in Combos, Big Bands, Stage Bands, Pit Orchestras, Concet Bands, Pops, Philharmonics, and just for fun on Glidden Tours, I can appreciate a zest for music and the arts.

I have played trumpet, valve trombone, and essentially all brass instruments starting with Dad's cornet and Uncle Harry's gold trumpet at age 2, and now my freshman grandson sits 1st chair in his highschool band.

Years ago (many, many years ago in the 1950s) in the New Jersey All-State Band, we were to perform "An American in Paris" but did not have a good facsimilie for the percussion section to create the dissonate "French Taxi Horn". My Dad took a set of 6-Volt trumpet horns from his 1935 Chevy, shortened one so that they would be non-harmonic, and rigged it to a 6-volt battery and momentary switch. The concert in Atlantic City was a huge success.

Edited May 16, 2013 by Marty Roth
spelling (see edit history)

[Terry Bond]

I'm almost positive the horn in the pic is a reproduction item made as a fantasy piece. I've handled a lot of original brass car horns and have a few nice ones in my collection, and the one pictures looks like a typical "made in India" piece. One good way to tell is by the weight of the brass itself. The reproductions are much thinner and lighter. Additionally, I'm looking at the brackets and they look like just simple metal tabs soldered onto the born. Real period horns have much more substantial mounting bracketry. If there is no makers name, serial number or country of origion stamped on it somewhere it's another pretty good clue that it's a modern "taxi horn." I have also collected early auto accessory catalogs for years that depict brass lamps, horns, etc. and there isn't anything there similar to what is pictured. It's a nice "tooter" for the purpose it's been used for but I don't believe it's an antique auto part.

Glad to see Marty blowing his horn! He is AACA's best trumpet player by far. I tried to keep up with him a while back during an impromptu jam session in Moline but years of inactivity quickly showed.

Terry

[Guest Zymurgy]

Having played in Combos, Big Bands, Stage Bands, Pit Orchestras, Concet Bands, Pops, Philharmonics, and just for fun on Glidden Tours, I can appreciate a zest for music and the arts.

I have played trumpet, valve trombone, and essentially all brass instruments starting with Dad's cornet and Uncle Harry's gold trumpet at age 2, and now my freshman grandson sits 1st chair in his highschool band.

Years ago (many, many years ago in the 1950s) in the New Jersey All-State Band, we were to perform "An American in Paris" but did not have a good facsimilie for the percussion section to create the dissonate "French Taxi Horn". My Dad took a set of 6-Volt trumpet horns from his 1935 Chevy, shortened one so that they would be non-harmonic, and rigged it to a 6-volt battery and momentary switch. The concert in Atlantic City was a huge success.

Thanks for sharing, you are miles above my abilities. I have always enjoyed music but picked up playing myself late in life. I love Gershwin and the story to reproduce the French taxi horns is great.

[Guest Zymurgy]

I'm almost positive the horn in the pic is a reproduction item made as a fantasy piece. I've handled a lot of original brass car horns and have a few nice ones in my collection, and the one pictures looks like a typical "made in India" piece. One good way to tell is by the weight of the brass itself. The reproductions are much thinner and lighter. Additionally, I'm looking at the brackets and they look like just simple metal tabs soldered onto the born. Real period horns have much more substantial mounting bracketry. If there is no makers name, serial number or country of origion stamped on it somewhere it's another pretty good clue that it's a modern "taxi horn." I have also collected early auto accessory catalogs for years that depict brass lamps, horns, etc. and there isn't anything there similar to what is pictured. It's a nice "tooter" for the purpose it's been used for but I don't believe it's an antique auto part.

Glad to see Marty blowing his horn! He is AACA's best trumpet player by far. I tried to keep up with him a while back during an impromptu jam session in Moline but years of inactivity quickly showed.

Terry

Thanks for researching the horn for me. Your description is dead on. It does appear to be a reproduction. No name, it is pretty light, and the brackets are just solder on.