Visiting Us

Visiting Edwards in person is the best way to choose an instrument. Three hours in the Pro Stop will enable you to play many different instrument combinations. Ultimately, you will be fitted to the horn that is perfect for you. In order to make your fitting fun and productive, it’s important that you have a stress-free trip to Elkhorn. To help with this, the following information has been provided.

Please note: You must wear closed-toe shoes in order to enter the factory.

Appointments

Edwards takes one appointment a day Monday through Friday. An average session can last anywhere from 1½ – 3 hours. The appointment slot is 8:30 am – 12 pm. Please make your appointment three to four weeks prior to your visit. Appointment slots are reserved further in advance during summer months, spring break, and the holidays.  Be sure to visit Return & Exchange Policies before your visit.

We want to provide the best customer service possible and this includes informing you of our policies before you make a visit to Elkhorn.  If you have any questions, please ask them before your visit, during your visit, and during your two-week trial period.  Our goal is to satisfy you 100% with the quality of our instruments and the fitting process.

What should I bring to my appointment?

  • Bring two contrasting pieces of music to your appointment. Plan on playing both while getting fit to your Edwards.
  • Bring your mouthpiece.
  • If the door at the Edwards building is locked when you arrive, please go two buildings down to Getzen. They will announce your arrival.

Can I take the instrument home the same day?

We feel it is very important that you receive the same exact instrument you traveled so far to have built. If all of the components are available and ready for you, we are happy to let you take your new pride and joy home. If there is a backorder on a particular part (i.e. valves) we will ship the instrument as soon as it is available. The instrument you receive from your appointment is the exact components that we fit to you, no substitutions whatsoever.

Please understand that if you physically take the instrument from our building you will be responsible for Wisconsin state sales tax (5.5%). If the instrument is shipped instead, the only additional charge from Edwards is the cost of shipping; no Wisconsin sales tax is applied.

How do I get to Edwards?

Edwards Instrument Co.
530 County Road H
Elkhorn, WI 53121-2017

262) 723-4221
(800) 562-6838

The closest airport to Edwards is Milwaukee (airport code MKE), which is 45 minutes away by car. O’Hare International in Chicago (airport code ORD) is the second closest with a drive time of 1.5 hours. Chicago Midway is the farthest from Elkhorn at 2-2.5 hours. If you are able, advance book a flight into Milwaukee to have a relatively stress-free trip. The traffic is much easier to navigate, as well. The flights into Milwaukee can be competitive with Chicago’s airports if you book far enough in advance. Be sure you have a car rental confirmed before you depart for your airport.

If you’d like a car service from either Mitchell or O’Hare, we recommend Jon Teune.

Where should I stay?

We recommend staying at Hampton Inn. It gets great reviews and you’ll receive a discount when you tell them you are in town to visit Getzen and Edwards.

Hampton Inn
(262) 743-2360
40 West Hidden Trail
Elkhorn, WI, 53121

Where can I eat?

Restaurants are always changing in Elkhorn, so we recommend asking the staff for our latest recommendations once you get here. Here are a few of our favorites:

What else can I do in the area?

Lake Geneva is a nice resort-style town ten miles from Elkhorn. There are a lot of Chicago people there in the summer, but the lake provides some nice scenery and there are plenty of tourist shops where you can spend money.

The Kettle Moraine State Forest is fifteen miles from Elkhorn. Hiking and mountain biking trails can be found here. There is also some great road biking available in the surrounding area. The General Store is a bike shop in La Grange. They can take care of your biking needs. Visit www.backyardbikes.com to rent a mountain bike and plan your adventure. In winter, you can also cross-country ski and snowshoe the trails in the Kettle Moraine. You can rent the necessary equipment from the General Store. Great sandwiches and coffee are available. Tell Mike that Christan sent you.

For those that want to ride some fantastic roller coasters, Six Flags Great America is located in Gurnee, Illinois.

In addition to the above activities, there are a number of fantastic golf courses in the area.

Checklist

  1. Edwards Instrument Co.
    530 County Road H
    Elkhorn, WI 53121
    (800) 562-6838
  2. Make sure you have a car rental confirmed before you depart for Milwaukee’s Mitchell, Chicago’s O’Hare, or Chicago’s Midway airports.
  3. Make your hotel reservations in advance. Southeastern Wisconsin is a tourist area and hotel rates will fluctuate with the season.
  4. Book your appointment three to four weeks in advance.
  5. Bring two contrasting pieces of music to your appointment. Plan on playing both while getting fit to your Edwards.
  6. Bring your mouthpiece. We have Griego mouthpieces available to try.
  7. If the door at the Edwards building is locked when you arrive, please go to Getzen, which is two buildings down. They will announce your arrival.