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RAF choose Yorkshire cornets |
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A one-man instrument maker in North Yorkshire has clinched a deal to design and build 24 cornets for the Royal Air Force – making him the only supplier of cornets to all three bands of the RAF.
Dr Richard Smith, a instrument maker operating out of a converted North Yorkshire barn, beat off international competition from the likes of Yamaha (Japan), Besson (France), ‘York’ (Germany) and Bach (USA) to win the prestigious contract, worth over £30,000.
In a day-long test held at Uxbridge RAF HQ in late March, RAF musicians overwhelmingly voted Smith Watkins instruments their first choice, trumping ten rivals from Europe, the USA and Japan.
In the trial involving players from across the service, the overwhelming majority of players awarded Dr Smith’s instruments the top accolade.
Smith-Watkins’s list of prestigious clients grows year on year. As well as all three RAF bands, the Yorkshire-made instruments are used by the British and American forces, Police bands, the Salvation Army and many brass bands. Professional players in the Hallé orchestra and West End shows also use these trumpets.
In stark contrast to other leading manufacturers, all Smith-Watkins brass instruments are handmade and customised by Dr Smith himself in a remote North Yorkshire barn.
The Yorkshire company is the world’s only manufacturer of a full range of chromatic fanfare trumpets. It is also at the cutting edge of modern acoustical research worldwide, currently working with British and American universities to solve the mystery of how ‘commercial’ players can play extraordinarily high notes.
Dr Richard Smith said “It’s a testament to the RAF’s commitment to a quality sound that they are prepared to trial instruments from all over the world in such a rigorous way to identify those that play best. I’m thrilled that, as a result of this testing, Smith-Watkins has emerged head and shoulders above the closest competition.” |