Who We Are

Rob Phillips, owner of Buckeye Brass & Winds, is originally from Waynesville, Ohio. It was in Waynesville at the age of 15 that Rob began his apprenticeship with Pat Hiatt, notable instrument repairman and founding member of NAPBIRT (National Association of Professional Band Instrument Repair Technicians). Rob's apprenticeship with Pat led him to The Ohio State University where he received his BACHELORS OF MUSIC EDUCATION. While a student at OSU, Rob also served as repair technician for the OSU Marching Band (TBDBITL) as well as being an active member of the sousaphone section. During his time at Ohio State Rob also worked with Ray Spillman. Ray, now retired, was highly respected in Ohio and the Midwest for his quality of work and services that he provided for students and professionals alike. The opportunity to create Buckeye Brass & Winds would not have been possible had it not been for the generosity and guidance of Ray Spillman.

Rob recently left Conn-Selmer after more than 10 years with the company. During his time with Conn-Selmer, Rob held several positions from Design Engineer to R&D Manager to Engineering Manager. Responsibilities ranged from new instrument designs, such as the current King 2341 and Conn 50J series of tubas, to several new trombones, of which included the 88H with the Christian Linberg rotor which Rob holds a patent. Beyond just instrument design, Rob's responsibilities also included manufacturing implementation, tool development and design, component design, directing New Product development and existing product development, as well as supervision of engineers and toolmakers at Conn-Selmer, Inc.

While at Conn-Selmer, Rob worked with performing groups such as the Boston Brass and Phantom Regiment Drum & Bugle Corps. Rob also had the privilege of working with Cleveland Orchestra members Jim Desano, Steve Witser, Rick Stout, and Thom Klaber, and many other notables such as Ralph Sauer, Deanna Swoboda, Craig Knox, Bill Reichenbach, John Feddchock, Christian Lindberg and Carl Fischer.

Rob still believes that to work with musicians and communicate effectively, one must understand their needs. He believes that the best way to do this is to be a player. Rob has played BBb tuba with the Ohio Collegiate Brass under the direction of Dr. Paul Droste (now The Central Ohio Brass Band), The Cuyahoga Valley Brass Band under Dr. Keith Wilkinson (now The Brass Band of the Western Reserve), and most recently became a member of the championship band The Brass Band of Columbus.

Rob is well known throughout the country in both the band world and the solo brass world. His name is synonymous with quality. His expertise in the band instrument arena is backed by his years of experience and the reputations of Pat Hiatt, Ray Spillman, Dr. Jon R. Woods of TBDBITL, and of course, Conn-Selmer.