Hauer Music Repairs and Restoration

08/11/2026

I just had a free photo edit done on this picture of me in 1977 at Western Iowa Tech, with my first Olds Ambassador Cornet overhaul! I've been at this a long time now!
Posted by Gary Dafler.

08/10/2026

This King Cleveland Trumpet had a tuning slide I had to unsolder to pulI. Worked on this for days applying penetrating oil, heat, repeat after repeat.
I won the battle!!

08/10/2026

An interesting Glenn Miller Trombone story!!

This is a story about my father, Billy Byers, that answers the ques...

08/09/2026

How many clarinet players started off playing on a Bundy Resonite Clarinet? Back when I started playing in the school band in the late 1960's-early 1970's I remember seeing many of my clarinet playing friends including my sister toting around a grey or green colored Bundy Clarinet case.
The Bundy resonite clarinet was introduced in 1948 by the H&A Selmer Incorporated, under the guidance of George M Bundy. George Bundy ( 1886 - 1951) was a theater musician and student of Alexandre Selmer in Paris France around the turn of the 20th century. Bundy and Alexandre Selmer travel to New York to set up the New York Selmer shop where they sold Selmer instruments. Bundy was the head of this shop, and he became the exclusive American Selmer distributor of Selmer made instruments which eventually became Selmer USA.
Under the guidance of George Bundy, Selmer revolutionized music education by making a durable, affordable student model clarinet built from plastic. Originally molded from early PVC before transitioning to a more durable ABS resin, the Resonite body allowed beginners to play outdoors and in marching bands without the cracking risk associated with traditional granadilla wood clarinets.
Below are pictures from a brochure dated 1959 ,of the manufacturing of Bundy resonite clarinets.

How many here have played on a Bundy Clarinet at one time or another?

08/08/2026

We got this 1958 Olds Ambassador Trumpet ready to go and out of retirement for a new student. These were built for the student market, but many say they play better than most student trumpets. Check out the heavy wood case! Still as solid as new after all these years!

08/08/2026

Here is a great article written by Brett Getzen about nickel vs monel valves.
I know throughout the last several decades Getzen trumpets have the best valves, and they are nickel plated. They even give a lifetime guarantee on them. Does anyone want to weigh in on this discussion?

I suppose a better title would be “Us vs. Them”. Regardless, one of our proudest accomplishments is the reputation we’ve earned for having such great valves. Still, we’re asked why we use nickel plated pistons. Why not follow everyone else...

08/07/2026

Saying our final goodbyes to Steve Alyward. He taught at Miamisburg City Schools since 2003, and has served as the High School Band Director since 2007.
He is off now on a new adventure, and will be sadly missed. Thank you for all the support here at Hauer Music, and good luck in your future endeavors!

08/06/2026

I had Jason Dovel in the shop last week to take care of a few issues with his Yamaha YTR9445NY C Trumpet and YTR9335NY Bb Trumpet. He lives in Lexington Kentucky, and he was in the area for a family trip, so we worked out the details to have this work done while he was close. He has sent several of his students up to see me in the past, but this was the first time to meet him.

Jason Dovel is Professor of Trumpet at the University of Kentucky where he has taught since 2013. He is also currently President of the International Trumpet Guild. Since 2021, Dovel has been visiting faculty member at Ionian University on the island if Corfu, Greece, where he helps co-host a large trumpet festival every June featuring Greek and American trumpet players.
Thanks for stopping by Jason! It was great seeing you!
Posted by Gary Dafler.

08/05/2026

Pictured here is Vito Pascucci (1922 -2003), the name sake of the Vito Clarinet.
I met Vito years ago when he was president of the LeBlanc Corporation. He had a very interesting past . Some which I'll share here.
He was born in Kenosha Wisconsin and showed an interest in music early on and played the Coronet in the Kenosha High School band. While still a schoolboy he became fascinated with construction and design of musical instruments and began to devote a large amount of time to their study and repair. He diligently studied from all available sources, served a summer apprenticeship in the art of instrument making at the Frank Holton company ( the Elkhorn Wisconsin brass instrument manufacturer that LeBlanc would later acquire), and then, while still in high school augmented his family's income by operating his own instrument repair shop located in the back room of his brothers music store. 1943 Vito was called into the armed forces. He took his heavy instrument repair kit with him, lugging both it and his barracks bags wherever he went. His effort was rewarded when he was assigned as a trumpeter and repairman in the army field bands, then a repairman with the army Air corps band, led by Glenn Miller. He began with the Miller Band and New Haven Connecticut, then traveled with them to Europe station in England, Pascucci and Miller became close friends and formed a plan to set up a chain of music stores after the war. When the band received traveling orders to newly liberated Paris, Vito journeyed ahead of them, having arranged with Major Miller to visit the renowned musical instrument manufacturers located in around that city, intended to establish contacts for their future enterprise. If few days after Vito's arrival, on the Friday he was to meet Miller in Paris, the sad news that Miller's plane had disappeared over the English channel was announced, his ultimate his death putting the end their mutual plans. Vito went on to meet the people in the Leblanc Company and ended up being the US distributor for the LeBlanc company. Leon LeBlanc wanted Vito to set up operations in New York City, but Vito was firm in wanting to come back home and set up the Leblanc Corporation in Kenosha Wisconsin his hometown. Vito went on to become the CEO of the Leblanc Corporation, and a major part of making that company successful.

Much of this information was gleaned from a 1996 LeBlanc Bell publication.