Who is making money with their skoolie?

[Sehnsucht]

Originally Posted by gs1949

@Seriousracer, I am curious about what you haul out of Elkhart. I've never been there, but Elkhart is an important place for a lover of classic saxophones like me. I have a Buescher alto sax that was made in Elkhart in late 1940 or early 1941. And I have recently fallen in live with a pre-war King tenor that was also made in Elkhart.

At one time there were at least 5 or 6 different American companies making high-quality, professional saxophones in Elkhart, but they were killed off during the 1960s through hostile takeovers and other aggressive business practices by foreign companies such as Selmer.

I've heard that motorhomes are the main industry in Elkhart now. That doesn't sound like a very good trade to me.

I'll let seriousracer confirm himself but absolutely the biggest industry in Elkhart region is RVs of every size. In fact, if his rig is the one I'm thinking it is, its a skoolie cutaway that could tote two popup campers on the bed as well as tow a bumper hitch travel trailer.

[gs1949]

Thanks, Elkhart is high on my list of places I want to travel when I get my bus mobile. I am a retired historian, if it's possible to every really retire from something that's so deep in one's bones.

The transition from being a place that made saxophones, and little else, for something like 40 or 50 years to being more or less the capitol of the RV industry in the US is the kind of thing that interests me and I want to learn more about.

I intend to use my bus for traveling to different places in the USA to do historical research on various social phenomena.

[TheHubbardBus]

never mind

[Seriousracer]

Originally Posted by gs1949

@Seriousracer, I am curious about what you haul out of Elkhart. I've never been there, but Elkhart is an important place for a lover of classic saxophones like me. I have a Buescher alto sax that was made in Elkhart in late 1940 or early 1941. And I have recently fallen in live with a pre-war King tenor that was also made in Elkhart.

At one time there were at least 5 or 6 different American companies making high-quality, professional saxophones in Elkhart, but they were killed off during the 1960s through hostile takeovers and other aggressive business practices by foreign companies such as Selmer.

I've heard that motorhomes are the main industry in Elkhart now. That doesn't sound like a very good trade to me.

Rv trailers small pop ups on an open trailer two at a time. Or small cargo trailers
The small stuff only pays like 40 cents a mile. So a minimum of two is needed. But you can also write the mileage and maintenance off on taxes. So haul trailers out west stay for a few days or weeks make another few runs and go stationary for a while on the east coast. Get a good reputation of delivering Undamaged trailers and you can set your own hauls. Never buy a dually from the Elkhart area lol

Graminheart is still here but thier really good instruments are made off shore. Several of the old factory hands from the 60 were doing repairs last I heard. A couple of Walter piano guys were doing restoration work. Elkhart brass is still up and running but they were more famous for their ships compasses.

[gs1949]

Thanks for the info. I had never heard of Gemeinhardt, because I am not a flute player. But reading their recent history certainly reinforces my ideas about what can happen when big business gets into musical instruments.

[Seriousracer]

Conn Selmer is still there to forgot about them

Also was talking to someone who told me about band tool instrument??? New one on me.

[gs1949]

Selmer was the French company that took over Buescher in the mid-60s and then started going after the other top American companies, like Conn. If my memory serves me well, Conn was the first company to manufacture saxophones in the US. At some point Conn brought over a young German immigrant named Buescher to help run the factory. Buescher eventually started his own company, and became one of Conns main competitors.

I don't use google, but DuckDuckGo didn't do much with the phrase Band Instrument Tools, except find Band Instrument Repair Tools. That makes sense. Instrument repair is something I wish I knew more about, but it is a very steep learning curve.