but lighter, single tube casing. At some point the rim wire was also changed back to brass. Sales of Bach instruments remained strong, as did market reputation through the 1970s and 1980s, but in the 1990s both the size of the workforce and the warranty costs began to increase dramatically. Sales decreased at the same time. A strike in 2006 (see below) then led to significant changes in staffing and work rules, many of which had been transplants from automotive repetitive manufacturing that were applied to the job-shop format of an instrument maker. Modern Time frame: ca. 2010–Present Products: Mouthpieces, Brass Instruments Brand names: Stradivarius, Bach, Prelude (imported stencil product), Aristocrat (imported stencil product) Location: 600 Industrial Parkway, Elkhart, Indiana Serial Numbers: 525,000 - Changes continued at the Bach facility after reorganization. Long time employee Tedd Waggoner took the lead role in the company until his retirement in 2018. Minor changes to design such as a longer receiver and reintroducing the oldest Bach bell taper happened during this period, as did the ramping-up of a new 190 series of "Artisan" trumpets that replicated the 2-piece casings and steel rim wire of Early Elkhart production. New private owners began an aggressive program of upgrading to automated CNC lathes and milling equipment as well as robotic buffers in 2017. The Chicago C trumpet, reintroduced earlier through the joint efforts of Waggoner and retired engineer / Bach historian Roy Hempley (1940-2020) expanded in sales and was augmented by a "Philadelphia" C. Strike On 1 April 2006, workers at the Bach plant in Elkhart began a strike that lasted three years. The main issues were the union's desire to preserve employee compensation and company's goals to increase product quality. Production was interrupted until the company hired replacement workers, and roughly a third of the strikers returned to work. The strike ended when workers voted to dissolve the relationship between the company and the United Auto Workers union. References External links Vincent Bach official website Conn-Selmer BachLoyalist.com Short Bach biography, Periods chart, serial numbers and mouthpiece equivalency Vincent Bach Timeline An Historic Look at the Bach Trumpet Bach Corporation, Vincent Musical instrument manufacturing companies of the United States Bach Corporation, Vincent Companies based in Elkhart County, Indiana