Re: Re: Tick, tock, tick, tock...


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Posted by Rick Denney on July 12, 2000 at 10:18:49:

In Reply to: Re: Tick, tock, tick, tock... posted by Horace Poufer on July 11, 2000 at 02:12:26:

You are correct that it was made by Boehm and Meinl, as were most or all of the post-war York Masters, at least according to Brian Fredericksen. But it was supposedly made using York tooling supplied to them by Carl Fisher, and it definitely follows an American design. The thick brass, the exactly 3/4-inch bore (not 19 mm), the arrangement of the tubing, and the shape of the outer branches seems unlike anything else made in Germany at the time. And the sound has a characteristic American bottomlessness. It is certainly nothing like my Miraphone, and nothing like Chuck's Alex. It bears much closer resemblance (in the way it plays and in the way it looks) to Chuck's Keefer/Minnick, and to the more faithful York copies that I've tooted. The only Hirsbrunner I've played that has the same character is the one York copy I tried out many years ago, though the only other Hirsbrunners I've played were rotary instruments with a much different sound concept.

In piecing together the history of this instrument, I think we've decided it must have been made in the very late 60's. It was owned by Oscar Lagasse in 1974--that we know for sure--but apparently Oscar can't really remember when he sold it or to whom. In fact, he sold it to Chris Hall. With a bit of speculative hindsight, the late 60's marked the ascendency of the Miraphone (and similar instruments) as the main axe of many tuba players (with perhaps Roger Bobo's example leading the way), and the continued growth in the dominance of CC tubas for professional use. These BBb Yorks probably did not sell well at the time, and only in more recent years has the value of that style of instrument received more appreciation.

I've seen York Masters of all sorts, however, and others report seeing rotary versions that looke more like Miraphones than an American instrument. And there was apparently a lot of variety in the details. The fourth-valve wrap on my new acquisition is mostly on the backside of the body, rather than on the outer edge of the front as with the Chicago York and its copies and the King. Other B&M Yorks seem to have fourth-valve tubing arranged more typically.

But I'm not tempted to convert this one to a CC. For one thing, this horn works very well just like it is, and I'm loathe to make big changes. But, of course, the main reason is that I'm a BBb player anyway. Cutting it would only be an economic move to give it more resale value, and I'm not interested in that sort of thing (giving it more value, or re-selling it).

I just feel happy to have the opportunity to own it.

Rick "Ain't the Internet grand?" Denney




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