On
Thursday night February 26, 2004
Mr. Bullock held a band instrument
repair seminar for band directors
and instrumental music majors form
local colleges. As with the seminars
he has held at TMEA and other state
music director conventions it was
a great success.
About
thirty-five people met at American
Band Instrument Service to hear
his remarks concerning pads and
pad replacement, manufacturing
questions, cheap horns, piston
valve repair, and proper valve
felt fitting.
Comments from the directors afterward indicated that the information was timely, interesting, and enjoyable. There were numerous request to have another get-to-gather, and we plan to do another one next year.
American Band held a catered supper for everyone from 6:00 until the start of the seminar at about 7:15 PM.
This
repair clinic was designed especially
for band directors.
We are pleased to have Mr. Rex Bullock as the clinician for this event. Mr. Bullock has been one of the leading suppliers of specialized tools for the band instrument repair trade for over thirty years. He has taught repair at the university, and community college levels, and done numerous repair clinics for state director conventions and the National Association of Professional Band Instrument Repair Technicians (NAPBIRT).
He started repairing in the 9th grade band. After high school he moved to Denver to apprentice with Flesher-Hinton and attend college. Since that time Rex Bullock has owned and operated two production shops: R.C.O. Inc. and Novus Musical. He worked as repair instructor and clinician at the big box stores, universities and NAPBIRT. He also owned and operated a plating company and a buffing wheel and compound company. He is currently updating the world-class plating and restoration repair shop that includes the manufacturing of obsolete parts. Ed Myers (Americas Oldest Pad Manufacturing Company) is adding synthetic pads to their line
Mr. Bullock’s hope is that his 40 years of experience in repair will benefit the entire trade.
ED MYERS USA
Sometime around the 18th century, the knowledge of pad manufacturing was brought from Europe to America. Pad making in those days was at best all handwork and a part time job. Sometime over the next twenty years a small company found its way to Kansas City and became known as K. C. Musical Specialties Company. In 1920 V. J. Myers (Ed) established the Ed Myers Company and began selling repair tools and supplies to the trade. Mr. Myers purchased K. C. Pad Co. and combined both companies. Mr. Myers operated it until his death in 1947. The Macha Family (related to Ed Myers) operated the company until 1975 when they sold it to two lawyers. In 1978 Mr. Phil Kemp bought the company and operated it in Omaha, Nebraska until September 2000. It was sold to Mr. Rex Bullock. ED MYERS U.S.A. merged with Novus Industries, which is a high-tech company that for twenty-five years has manufactured obsolete replacement parts, specialty tools, and machines for the trade.
