"BETWEEN TUBAS and EUPHONIUMS...MIEL ADAMS"

Hello everyone. 

Today's interview is with the representative of one of the references in the manufacture of musical instruments in the world and since about 10 years ago specifically of brass instruments and I sincerely thank him for his time, friendship and collaboration in this interview project.

Without further ado, let's begin

• Name and surname: Miel Adams

• Do you play or have you played any wind instrument? 

Yes.  I played the oboe and baritone saxophone as a child and teenager. I stopped when I was 23, which was the time that I became more dedicated to learning to become a repair technician.  

• What instrument manufacturer do you own, CEO or representative?

I work in the company that my uncle, Andre Adams, founded.  Adams Musical Instruments is now owned by Andre’s son-in-law Frans Swinkels and his Lison Swinkels-Adams.  

• What instruments do you make?

Adams manufactures many members of the brass family of instruments.  Beginning with the flugelhorn many years ago, the firm expanded to trumpets, cornets, trombones, euphoniums, and tubas.  

Of course, Adams is also a well-known percussion instrument manufacturer

• What models?

15 trumpet models, 6 Flugelhorns, 2 Cornets, 4 Trombones, 4 Euphoniums, 6 Tubas, and a series of Marching Brass instruments primarily for the US market. 

• What type of Tubas and / or Euphoniums are manufactured in your company? Professionals, for students, beginners?

Adams manufactures primarily professional, handmade euphoniums and tubas.  

•        Do you manufacture nozzles in your company?

Adams does not manufacture mouthpieces.  

Let's talk about your company:

• When it was founded?

Adams was founded in 1970.  The company began as an instrument repair shop, and then grew into a retail store and percussion manufacture.  Brass manufacture began in a serious way in 2004.

The bell

• In what city or country?

Adams began in Thorn, the Netherlands. 

• Who was the founder?

Andre Adams, my uncle.  

• Since when do you manufacture Tubas and / or Euphoniums?

The first euphoniums were developed in 2008, and tubas began in 2010.  

• What reasons or circumstances led you to manufacture Tubas and / or Euphoniums?

Developing low brass instruments was a natural extension of the Adams product line. 

• Who were its main designers?

I was the main designer, and have regularly consulted and worked with many musicians as part of the ongoing process.  

Regarding the vast experience of your brand in the market:

Please let us have a count of some of the artists that appear in your catalog broken down as follows:

The list of our artist of tuba and euphonium appear in our web.

See 3 examples in this videos.

•  Perry Hoogendijk 

• Mauro Martins

• Fernando Deddos soloist and composer too

TALKING ABOUT TECHNICAL ISSUES:

• Could you give us your opinion on the different concepts of sound and what characteristics define it, according to the different types of instruments, that your brand manufactures?

Adams aims for free-blowing instruments with superior intonation and slotting. To achieve this, we create the bell, lead pipe, tuning slide and bows from sheet metal and craft them through a traditional process of seaming, hand hammering, and finishing by spinning or drawing. These old world techniques combined with modern machinery make Adams Custom Series Brass instruments special and unique.  

Part of process

• Please tell us a bit about the actual manufacture of brass instruments based on your experience?

We make all of the major parts from the receiver to the bell in house, and also have our own lacquering and silver plating facilities.  Through this dedication of resources, we have been able to extensively learn and grow as a company, and it also allows us complete control over consistency and quality. 

Each of the instruments in the custom series is available in a selected model that has specifications that are the ideal concept of the model, and these will meet the needs of most musicians. Additionally, most models are available in many choices of bells, material thicknesses, and finishes, allowing the musician to create a custom instrument to their own sonic preferences.

In the work

IN CONCLUSION:

• In your experience, do you think that the diversity of interpreters, instruments and training opportunities in various specialized schools is being homogenized in the interpretive centers that are already established? (Example: Russian, American, German-Austrian, English, etc.)

As part of designing instruments, I have worked with many musicians from all over the world. I feel that musicians bring their unique musical and viewpoints with them, and these are all different. Even within a given country, different teachers at different conservatories produce students with different styles and viewpoints.

It is a pleasure and an honor to count on your experience and knowledge in my work as well as your sincere friendship.

Thank you very much and best wishes.

A big hug.