Reynolds / Contempora Horns

While the first horns made by F.A. Reynolds may have actually been Regent models, the earliest known examples of Reynolds French horns suggest that they were made as part of the company's World War II contracts with the U.S. Army (see below). Especially prevalent in the early horns are piston-valve horns in F, most likely used by band members who were more familiar with piston-valved instruments like trumpets and cornets, and which would be easier to maintain as well, with technicians only required to repair one type of valve rather than two. Examples exist from as early as c.1940.

The earliest conventional rotary-valve (Reynolds) double horns have been documented between c.1943 (a U.S. military horn) and 1945 (non-military model). The earliest known single horn with rotary valves dates from 1945. Both 1945 examples are shown below.

At some point in the development of Reynolds' double horn, the company began working with Max Pottag. Pottag had been a member of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and taught at the Northwestern School of Music. It's yet unknown whether Pottag collaborated with Reynolds on their earliest double horns (c.1943) or if he only began working with them after his retirement from the Chicago Symphony (1946/47)—marketing materials collected so far identify him as "retired" from the orchestra. By 1949, Pottag had designed a line of horn mouthpieces for Reynolds and endorsed the F.A. Reynolds Double Horn. 

The Contempora line launched in 1949 with new trumpet and bass trombone models, followed by cornet and tenor trombone. A year later, most original "F.A. Reynolds" instruments had been rebranded on paper as "Contempora" instruments, including the French horns, though they were still referred to as "Reynolds horns" throughout the 1950s. At the same time, the Reynolds/Contempora Double Horn added an official "Pottag Model" engraving on the bell, making it Reynolds' first artist model instrument (the "Leonard Smith" trumpets and cornets, and "Chambers Model" French horn would follow later in the 1950s).

While the Pottag Model shared the basic Kruspe-Horner layout with the Conn 8D, some have noted that the model dimensions and playing characteristics are more similar to a Conn 6D (which Pottag had played in his time with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra), itself a copy of a Schmidt horn.

Sometime after Richards Music purchased Reynolds in 1961, the product catalog was reorganized. Old model numbers were replaced with a new scheme that incorporated an abbreviation for the type of instrument, e.g. "FE" for French Horn, and a hierarchal numbering system that reflected the grade of instrument, e.g. "01" for top-level artist instruments, "56" for student horns. To the best of knowledge, the instrument specifications did not change, just the model numbers. The new numbering system was used for the rest of the company's history.

Reynolds' relationships with Max Pottag and James Chambers were victims of the new ownership group. Contract disputes led to Chambers walking away and returning to his Conn 8D instrument. Pottag had finished teaching at Northwestern in 1953 and was in retirement. By c.1963, the Pottag and Chambers names were removed from the instruments, though the respective designs remained intact. The Pottag models became known as the "Traditional Model", while the Chambers models were sold as the "American Model". Pottag Model horns, with either designation, were only produced through 1964.

After CMI purchased the assets to Reynolds, all of the trumpets, cornets, trombones and French horns were made at the Olds factory in Fullerton, Calif., though they were engraved with "Abilene, Texas". There were slight adjustments to the model specifications compared to the Cleveland instruments. The Single Horn in F was now offered in brass or nickel silver versions, while a B♭ horn was only available in the new Emperor line.

Bernie Marston notes that after purchasing Reynolds at auction, CMI sent the existing inventory of Reynolds horn valves, bells and other parts to the F.E. Olds plant for evaluation and to set up production lines. After the existing Cleveland-made inventory ran out, the new horns used the design of the Chambers Model horns as a general template.

By 1973, model FE-11 (single horn in F, solid nickel silver) had been dropped from the catalog—model FE-12's last mention was in 1976. The double horns remained in the catalog until the end.