Some of Johns Favorite quotes- Elden always used to say “ Do you want a horn that looks good or you want a horn that plays good?.”

Anyone who ever met John was changed by him in some way. Whether it be, he built you a horn, told you about a political conspiracy or some outlandish story that you thought could never be true, only to find out later that is was…. but there is no doubt that he effected your life in some way. For me it was all of the above, a person I respected, admired and shook my head at all in one breath.

John had a curious mind, his two favorite things to say were “you learn something new everyday” and “half a dozen one or the other” even as his health diminished I would get random phone calls late into the night telling me how he figured out a problem we were having in manufacturing all excited about the future, ready for the next day.

John was a dreamer, he had crazy ideas about horns, politics, guns and everything else under the sun and that is what made him such a special individual, his major goal in life was to become wealthy, only so he could give it all away and that was pretty amazing.

Most know of John as an amazing trumpet maker, he lived a legacy in which most of us only dream of. John told me one of his earliest childhood memories was sitting on Elden Benge’s lap (because Elden was already in a wheel chair), at the time it was no big deal, as Johns father “Lou” and Elden were long life friends, but what life had instore for him made that a pretty significant moment from one trumpet builder to another.

More to come!