Boston Eb and C Cornets
Boston Musical Instrument Manufactory is primarily known
for the Famous Three Star Cornet and secondarily for
building a complete line of superior band instruments with
piston valves. In the early years of the company, they were
better known for their very high quality rotary valve
instruments and these were often made of nickel (German)
silver, as well as the less expensive brass. They also offered
all of the piston valve instruments in either brass or German
silver at least as late as 1887. By the time that the piston
valve instruments were dominant, silver plating was the
standard deluxe finish and demand for the equally priced
unplated nickel instruments was very small. The rarity and
special nature of the solid nickel instruments make them a
natural for collectors today. At the time that these two
cornets were made (about 1885), Boston offered 8 distinct
models of Eb cornets and each of these available in brass or
German silver as well as the option of silver plating. There
are two piston valve C cornets offered, the "Choral" and
standard C cornet, which this is. This mode came with
alternate tuning slides for Bb and A and "set pieces" to lower
the pitch. The Choral cornet came tuned to low pitch C in
order to play along with organs or pianos and didn't have the
additional slides, shanks or bits. The original catalog images
shown here are from the 1887 Boston catalog. This C cornet
has an original finger hook that isn't ever illustrated and must
have been a special order. The C cornet is 12" long with a
bell diameter of 4 15/16" and the bore measures .462". The
Eb cornet is 11 3/4" long, the bell rim diameter is 4 1/2" and
the bore is .422". Both of these cornets are very well
preserved and are pictured just as they came to me. I also
feature a Boston Two Star Bb cornet made of German silver
in my Boston Bb Cornets pages and more history of the
Boston company on various pages.
for the Famous Three Star Cornet and secondarily for
building a complete line of superior band instruments with
piston valves. In the early years of the company, they were
better known for their very high quality rotary valve
instruments and these were often made of nickel (German)
silver, as well as the less expensive brass. They also offered
all of the piston valve instruments in either brass or German
silver at least as late as 1887. By the time that the piston
valve instruments were dominant, silver plating was the
standard deluxe finish and demand for the equally priced
unplated nickel instruments was very small. The rarity and
special nature of the solid nickel instruments make them a
natural for collectors today. At the time that these two
cornets were made (about 1885), Boston offered 8 distinct
models of Eb cornets and each of these available in brass or
German silver as well as the option of silver plating. There
are two piston valve C cornets offered, the "Choral" and
standard C cornet, which this is. This mode came with
alternate tuning slides for Bb and A and "set pieces" to lower
the pitch. The Choral cornet came tuned to low pitch C in
order to play along with organs or pianos and didn't have the
additional slides, shanks or bits. The original catalog images
shown here are from the 1887 Boston catalog. This C cornet
has an original finger hook that isn't ever illustrated and must
have been a special order. The C cornet is 12" long with a
bell diameter of 4 15/16" and the bore measures .462". The
Eb cornet is 11 3/4" long, the bell rim diameter is 4 1/2" and
the bore is .422". Both of these cornets are very well
preserved and are pictured just as they came to me. I also
feature a Boston Two Star Bb cornet made of German silver
in my Boston Bb Cornets pages and more history of the
Boston company on various pages.
Click on images for larger views.
