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CNC WEST October/November 2016
www.CNC-West.com25
As you can imagine surface finish and tooling are impor-
tant parts of manufacturing high end trumpets. Harrelson gets
theirs through the use of Big Kaiser spindle speeders. “We have
three mechanical speeders in the tool changer right now, and an
80k air spindle,” tells Jason. “The Hurco normally spins at 10,000
RPM and now we have three tools spinning 20,000 and one that
spins at 80,000.” The high RPM gives them a better than normal
finish, and saves them time when it comes to hand sanding and
polishing each part. “We really want to partner with a tooling
company. I like building beneficial relationships and I think our
shop offers a unique experience that you don’t get everywhere.”
People love touring Harrelson Trumpets because of the acces-
sibility. There are no secrets, no ITAR, no aerospace, and no
way anyone is going to steal their customers. It is an open book.
You can see the tools they use, see how they manufacture and
then hear it the final product in action. “We would be an excel-
lent tooling partner and I hope someone reads this article and
gives me a call to see how we can work together. We do complex
parts, but nothing we can’t take a photo of.”
Harrelson Trumpet’s customers range from high school stu-
dents to professional musicians. Orchestra players, jazz guys
and ten-time Grammy winner Arturo Sandoval all use Har-
relson Trumpets. Their biggest competition comes from other
manufacturers who hand out endorsement deals. Jason is of the
philosophy that if you like their horns, you want the value that
it brings, then you buy it. “Our trumpets are high end and range
from $5400 and go up to $10,000,” explains Jason. “You can pay
twice that from our competitors for a horn that doesn’t offer the
features, options or efficiency that ours do.”
Harrelson Trumpets have divided musicians around the
world with their non-traditional methods. They have disciples
who want to convert everyone over to a Harrelson Trumpet
Jason was introduced to Pierson Workholding five years ago and has been a fan ever since. When others had no interest in working with a company his size, Pierson
Workholding came in and designed a system around his needs and budget. He got everything he needed in a fast, easy, affordable and repeatable setup.