J W Pepper

The JW Pepper iHorn is made from a vintage J W Pepper & Sons Cornet.  It is a “Surprise” model 19347 made in Philadelphia.  The best research I can find indicates that J W Pepper ceased manufacturing instruments in 1910, and therefore it is at least 113 years old. 

The firm was first established in 1876 by James Welsh Pepper in Philadelphia, the same year the iconic theme song of the American West was first published – “Home on the Range.”  With music as a specialty, J W Pepper was first and foremost a publisher, not only producing instruments but scholarly music journals.  In 1880, J.W. Pepper patented the tri-pod music stand.  Pepper’s company made the first Sousaphone, at the behest of John Philip Sousa.  While the Pepper family was unable to survive the ravages of the Great Depression, despite being sold at a bankruptcy auction in 1941, the company continues to operate today as one of the largest sellers of sheet music in the world.

The J.W. Pepper iHorn is old and stately, tarnished yet refined.  It marks a time and family and industry which appreciated melody, harmony and the positive impact music has on our lives.  It is iconic.