Musica

1955 - Austria is declared a neutral, capitalist country with the ratification of the Austrian State Treaty, which allows freer relations with Western and Eastern Bloc countrieslate 1950s - Musica Trada, now Musica - Steyr, Austria, begins importing Czechoslovak instrument parts from Amati-Kraslice, Czechoslovakia - this is made easy because of the Austrian State Treaty1990 - United Musical Instruments acquires the Musica office in Steyr, and the management changesearly 1990s - Musica undergoes changes, including logo modification [introducing the stair-step and stretched logos to complement the earlier plain logo]and importation of whole Czech instruments [marked "Made in Czech Republic"] as well as German VMI-B&S instruments to compliment Austrian-built horns [still using Czech parts]"Conn International" is a banner for some Musica/Amati horns marketed specifically in Europeca. 1996 - Musica ceases use of Czech parts and instruments in favor of several VMI-B&S [German] and Taiwanese instruments [various sources including KHS-Jupiter]early 2000s - Musica ceases existence as a brand, with a few lines being continued as "Conn International" instruments [some Czech, some Taiwanese]ca. 2007 - Conn International is discontinued, with even fewer models surviving in later Conn-Selmer linesNote: Kawai (Japan) licensed the use of the Musica name for KCR-100 cornets (made by Amati-Kraslice, late 1980s) and F tubas under its name, even though the tubas were built by Ulrich Pfreimbtner of Künzing, Bavaria

Selected serial numbers

DISCLAIMER! These scant, few serials are given based on purchase dates and dealer info-cards shipped with the instrument. The serials appear to have been recycled at points, and different series exist for different instrument lines. The biggest factors include details of parts [valve-casings, waterkeys, even the stylization of the Musica logo] and first purchase date whenever possible, as there are no extant records of the serials that I know of...

Amati serials appear on Musicas up until the mid-1990s. Amati-made horns with 700000 and 800000 serials seem to be from the 1980s to early 1990s. The basic Musica instruments that commonly turn up [i. e. the student piston-trumpet] used the same design from the 1950s to the early 1980s with few major design changes, and Amati parts were used up until the mid-1990s, and sometimes beyond. Amati retooled in the mid-1990s, changing the design of their valve blocks and apparently restarting the serial seqences.

Many times the serial is hard to discern from photographs and is not listed on online sites, so the Tonkunstler and Styriaton models are hard to attach serial numbers to. To make matters even more confusing, the piston valve blocks on Musica horns were actually made in East Germany - and Amati also used East German piston valves.

The pocket trumpets are easiest to date, as the serial sequence is the same as Jupiter.

Trumpet:

119647 - early 1990s, "stair-step" Musica logo, marked Steyr, Austria - mid-1990s style Amati valve casings and curved, ordinary waterkeys, and possibly original blue-violet lacquer

542565 - 1960s-1980s - see http://www.ebay.com/itm/MUSICA-BRASS-TRUMPET-FROM-STEYR-AUSTRIA-542565-/251218022864

572783 - listed as "maybe" early 1980s at http://en.allexperts.com/q/Trumpet-2049/Trumpet-Musica-Steur-Astria.htm

638328 - 1960s-1980s? http://www.ebay.de/itm/Antike-Trompete-Musica-Story-Austria-mit-Koffer-Perlmut-Knopfe-/261174588466

Also see http://www.trumpetmaster.com/vb/f139/finally-found-pattern-79973.html#post800498

Saxophone (tenor?):

202104 - purchased new in Austria in 1983, logo type unknown [but is likely the "face" logo seen on saxophones and occasional other instruments], sourced from http://en.allexperts.com/q/Saxophone-2232/2008/7/Steyr-Musica-Saxaphone.htm

Tenor saxophone:

A8057099 - late 1990s to maybe 2007? stretched out logo, no stair-step, given as Musica™ - appears to manufactured in Taiwan, given the design, engraving, and serial style - seems to be a UMI-licensed product, not a Chinese ripoff - the outfit, from the instrument design to the case shape and latches, resembles a Tenon Industrial Co. saxophone - a standard Taiwanese student saxophone

Given as model "MA72", but that is actually the alto designation, so MT72? See http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-with-Case-Tenor-Saxophone-Musica-MA72-/280653110106 - seller doesn't know a vintage Amati sax from a newer Taiwanese one, but this should be okay

Straight soprano saxophone:

004338 - made in Germany by VMI/B&S, from the mid-1990s

96T pocket trumpet [red lacquer]:

506487 - straight, barely stretched logo with no mention of Austria - made in Taiwan by KHS-Jupiter - almost identical to late 1990s Jupiter pockets, except for the waterkey type, valve buttons [they look like King ones, or are badge engineered], and lack of "Taiwan" stamp anywhere, but it is not a Chinese pocket trumpet - even the lacquer pattern is like Jupiter - colored outside of bell, clear inside

Clarinet [likely B-flat, Boehm system]:

303558 - stamped "Made in Czech Republic" but has older Musica / Steyr / Austria stamp - UMI case

Cornet

Kawai KCR-100 "made by Musica" [Amati-Kraslice ACR-201 early model stencil, Boosey & Hawkes 400, etc.]

Tuba

KFB-750L Kawai tuba "made by Musica" [actually handmade by Ulrich Pfreimbtner of Künzing, Bavaria]