The Kanstul Loyalist

03/18/2026

That's Jason Trimble (right), watching Duwayne Yee (left) straightening trombone slide tubes the old school way. Up there in the corner to Jason's right there was a dirty old DEG slide trumpet that had been hanging there for decades. When it came time to close the factory, Mark Kanstul threatened to throw it into the scrap bin if nobody claimed it, so Charles Hargett took it home!

03/11/2026

Copper bell Flip Oakes Wild Thing.

03/08/2026

"Early morning natural-light shot of Kanstul slide trumpet (top) and soprano trombone."

Yeah, that's the Model 140 Slide trumpet with the 72 bell, and the Model 150 soprano trombone. I forget the bell profile.

This project grew out of our R&D work we did on the alto trombone. Steve Ferguson challenged Zig to make a soprano trombone with a 3rd position at or near the bell rim so it would be quicker for a trombone player to adapt. We took care of that before lunch.

I thought, well, how much different would a slide trumpet be? Zig let us experiment, and about an hour or two later we had it. Testing was done by Chuck Findley and Tom Bones Malone.

Photo courtesy of Scott Birdsall

01/24/2026

Here's the venerable Kanstul factory as it looks today.

11/17/2025

Yep, that's me on my old Kanstul Flugelhorn. I loved that horn!
That baby paid its dues and then some! So,did I!

08/31/2025

The Flip Oakes Wild Thing has a well-earned reputation of delivering a huge, full-bodied sound with projection to spare. They don't come up for sale very often and when they do, they go fast! It has wide 5" yellow brass bell and open .468" bore, the horn plays with remarkable freedom—big, broad, a...

08/23/2024

Kanstul rotary trumpet in the key of C. Beautiful! Fresh listing at Brass Mavens.

For nearly four decades, the Kanstul Musical instrument factory in Anaheim, California was regarded as having produced some of the finest brasswinds available. From the west coast studios to Las Vegas to Broadway and more, instruments designed by Zig Kanstul had an almost unrivaled reputation for ex

07/20/2024

A difficult but not impossible repair, but one that demands attention to detail, patience, and experience.

This horn had been deliberately and brutally damaged by a troubled teen, but knowing there's still life in this horn, I jobbed it out to a trusted and talented friend - Mr Aldo Granda

Aldo and I worked together briefly at Kanstul. He has a passion for excellence and an eye for detail that serves him (and his customers) well!

Got a tricky repair or need a custom mod, Aldo is your guy in the LA area.

07/18/2024

Under the wheel...

Buffing the third of four large Kanstul marching tubas this morning. These old warriors were originally built in the 90s for the Calgary Stampede Show Band.

Very lucky for me, the valve section removes as does the flare. Nevertheless as anyone who's ever done this knows, it's still work!

I still have a little bit of hand ragging to go. Yeah I know, I could have (or should have) done that first. So what. I'll start assembling this one shortly, meanwhile on the bench I've got a nice 88H and a 37 Strad for service.

Oh yeah, I have a gig with my pals The Wiseguys Big Band Machine tonight in San Bernardino! Busy day, stay cool everyone!

07/13/2024

Under the tree!

Today I finally completed one of FOUR large 5/4 marching tubas for a local high school. The job was to repair and bring back to playing condition these four ancient warriors. Each needed a good cleaning, some dent and bell work, and some required obsolete parts!

This is a Kanstul marching tuba, made in the mid-90s for the famed Calgary Stampede Show Band.

When these arrived, nearly all caps, pistons and slides were frozen. The horns were heavy with calcified verdigris. Lots of deformed or missing parts. Several patches were required, and we had some replacement parts made by original Kanstul craftsmen. Bringing these heavily neglected tubas back to life has been a wonderful task these past couple of weeks. I should be able to finish the other three over the weekend, and deliver them to the customer early next week. Just in time for band camp. Watch this space for updates.

Brass Mavens is your Kanstul connection! We know when - perhaps more importantly *how* - your horn was built. We can get original parts or fabricate new ones (subject to what's practical or realistic). More information at www.brassmavens.com