The Department of Acoustical research was established in the very early days of the company, and almost every day H. N. White was researching was to improve existing instruments. It was Mr. White's driving vision that no "King" should be put into mass production until that instrument demonstrated marked improvement of it's competition in both quality and tone! In 1916 the company bought the worlds largest set of tuning bells in the world which took up an entire wall, with the bells tuned to A-440 for the greatest accuracy! Almost, every new King was born being tuned to these giant bells.

It was in 1917 that a separate small building was erected beside the main plant for development of a line of woodwind instruments. By the 1920's King woodwinds, along with King brasses and horns, took their places in the finest orchestras.

Some time between 1925 and 1928, The H. N. White Company introduced the "Silver Tone" Sterling Silver Bells option to Liberty Trumpets, Master Cornets, Clarinets, and the entire Trombone line of instruments. This innovation had its birth in H. N. White's department of acoustical research. Before his death in 1940, Mr. White was hard at work improving almost every instrument that the company made, and the fruits of his labor paid off for the company with a bright future!

 

1924 Picture Featuring: H. N. White standing on the left, F. A. Reynolds sitting on the left, unknown player of the saxophone, and Richard White playing the piano.

1925 King Catalog*

1933 King Catalog

1940 Picture of Mr. C. H. Strupe,

1948 Picture of Mr. Ziggy Elman and Charlie Shavers