In 1893, Henderson N. White started a business producing band instruments in Cleveland, Ohio. As a instrument repairman, White collaborated with Thomas King, a solo trombonist. The result of their collaboration was a trombone the was years ahead in both playability/quality and tone.  Mr. White went on to design his own line of cornets, trumpets, saxophones, and bass instruments. 

In 1925 The H. N. White company  acquired  a company named the Cleveland Musical Instrument Company. C.M.I.C  marketed two brands, the first was Cleveland  and the second was named American Standard. Cleveland instruments were made for the semi cost sensitive professional player while American Standard was developed for schools.

In 1934 The H. N. White Company started making string instruments. The First sting instruments appear in White Way News Number 7 (1934) and were of the King brand only. In 1936 (White Way News Number 9) The American Standard string bass appears.  Each bass was equipped with an improved geared key mechanism, insuring rigidity and sensitive tuning. The H. N. White Company claimed that each "King string bass has a greater volume of tone, and carries the vibrations over a longer period of time, than any other string bass..." Production of both the King and American Standard versions were halted during the Second world War with production resuming in 1946. Both brands continued in production until 1965. The Kay Musical Instrument Company purchased the King and American Standard bass division in 1965.

It appears the serial numbers for the upright basses produced by the Cleveland Musical Instrument Company did not follow the normal routine. The numbers issued by the company were probably for the horns and other band instruments. The numbers of the basses and cellos produced by Cleveland under the American Standard label is not known. It is likely basses with serial numbers of 2000 or less were probably manufactured prior to WWII. Maximum numbers for King will probably not exceed 5000 and the American Standards; 3100.

Send your serial numbers for the King and American Standard basses and I will start building the database. rstowers@kaybass.com

For complete information on the H.N White Company including the King and American Standard brands go to: http://www.hnwhite.com/

• CMIC was started in 1919 and there is know evidence that they every made any string instruments.  At there best they only had fifteen employees and the had an entire line of brass instruments to produce
• 1925 Mr. White bought CMIC right before they went bankrupt!
• The first King string base does no appear in any catalogs until 1934 and the page says that it is "new".
• The first American Standard String bass appears in 1936.
• No String instruments were made during WWII.
• Post WWII were the highest years of production for String instruments
• All post WWII King bases have the King crown on the back (Maybe)
• The string instrument product lines did not change until The H. N. White Company was sold to Nate Dolen in late 1965. Dolen then sold the string division to Kay.