Serpent Makers

While anyone familiar with instrument making and advanced woodworking can build a Serpent, there are four known manufacturers.

Note the split address / contact information for Christopher Monk Instruments, as of April 2009

<>Christopher Monk Instruments
c/o Nicholas Perry
224 North Street
Luton LU2 7QN
England
phone +44 (0) 1582-457-992
http://www.jeremywest.co.uk/serpents--tenor-cornett.html
email: Nicholasperry.instruments@gmail.com
(Serpents & Bass Horns)

Christopher Monk Instruments
c/o Jeremy West
http://www.jeremywest.co.uk/christopher-monk-instruments.html
email: hmcornett@gmail.com
(Cornetts only)

<>David Harding (by Early Music Shop)
The Early Music Shop
Salts Mill
Victoria Road
Saltaire
West Yorkshire BD18 3LA
England
phone: +44 (0) 1274 288100
email: sales@earlymusicshop.com
www.earlymusicshop.com
<>(Foam Resin Serpents on the Harding design as of 2006)

Robb Stewart Brass Instruments
Robb has said that he no longer produces large instruments,
including metal serpents and ophicleide

Derek Farnell
Derek has said that he has retired and no longer produces ophicleides

Wessex Tubas
www.wessex-tubas.co.uk
www.wessex-tubas.com
(Reproduction Ophicleides and Quinticlaves after Gautrot originals)

S Berger Serpents
Stephan Berger & Erna Suter
Atelier de Cuir
Les Prailats 18
CH-2336 Les Bois
Switzerland
phone: 0041 (0) 32 961 1188
sberger@serpents.ch
www.serpents.ch
(Serpents in wood and carbon-fiber)
[this maker was formerly called "Wetterberger Serpents"]

Kaiser Church Serpents
North Carolina
USA
http://kaiserserpents.com/
(Fiberglass Serpents)

Serpents Ribo
Pierre Ribo
Rue Van Oost, 40
1030 Bruxelles
Belgium
phone : 0032 497 574 496
Pierre.ribo@souslesplatanes.be
(Serpents)

Sam Goble Historical Mouthpieces
www.samgoble.com
email: info@samgoble.com
phone: +44 (0) 77 8056 4370
(serpent and cornetto mouthpieces)

In addition to these makers, many specialty dealers of antique musical instruments are stocking distributors for Serpents and related instruments.

Would you like to try your hand at building a simple, easy to make instrument that looks modern, yet is a near acoustical copy of a serpent? Take a look at the Squarpent article on this website. It is not a substitute for the quality instruments produced by the makers on the above list, but it does cost less than $30!

The Serpent Website now also includes downloadable plans for building simplified ophicleides and contra-bass serpents using common materials and tools. Refer to the Squarpent article linked in the above paragraph.

The Serpent Website: Return to Index