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Boosey Guards' Model Eb found in a dump.
Posted: Tue Feb 20, 2007 11:05 am
by drewfus
True story.
One of our local elementary band teachers had this given to him when he worked in Sitka, Alaska. A student had found it at the city dump. It is a 3 valve compensating model, the valves are tight, but it could use new corks and felts. I am curious as to why the 1st valve slide and main tuning slide are bright laquered while the rest of the horn is raw.
The mouthpiece is mine, he has been using a bass bone mp, I had this old small shank no name. I was really surprised with the range this old guy has. I have never played on an Eb, I may have to get one now.

Posted: Tue Feb 20, 2007 1:56 pm
by Mark
the elephant wrote:Really. I said space aliens.
That's nonsense!
Bigfoot left the tuba in the dump, along with his extra foot:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/n ... oot18.html.
Posted: Tue Feb 20, 2007 2:08 pm
by windshieldbug
Mark wrote:Bigfoot left the tuba in the dump, along with his extra foot
Maybe, but I have it on good authority that only yetis use compensators.

Posted: Tue Feb 20, 2007 3:24 pm
by Wyvern
What a find!
From the lack of bell flare, surely it is 19th century. Can anyone here date when that model was made?
Posted: Tue Feb 20, 2007 3:29 pm
by windshieldbug
Must be post 1874 at least, when the name Distin & Co was changed to Boosey & Son .
Posted: Tue Feb 20, 2007 3:43 pm
by drewfus
The owner said he emailed Boosey with the serial number. They dated it to 1908.
Posted: Tue Feb 20, 2007 5:43 pm
by Rick Denney
bloke wrote:per usual, I'm going to attempt to contradict when I know nothing about the subject:
The 3-valve compensating system looks pretty much "20th Century-ish" to me, and the bell "cone" isn't that much different from the Boosey F tubas of the 1930's/1940's, etc.
Well, if it was 30's or 40's, it would be Boosey and Hawkes, not just Boosey. But even in those years, British tuba bells had more flare than does this instrument. Even the 1920's Besson 3-valve enharmonic compensator that passed through my hands had more flare than this one.
I figured it for late 19th century based on the bell treatment.
Rick "contradicting the constradictor" Denney
Posted: Tue Feb 20, 2007 6:21 pm
by drewfus
Serial number is 716xx, if this site ,
http://www.musictrader.com/boosey.html , is accurate, that puts it as a 1905.
Posted: Tue Feb 20, 2007 7:33 pm
by Steve Inman
Shoot -- I'd have guessed it between, say, 1905 and around 1908 .....
Am I good, or what?

Posted: Tue Feb 20, 2007 11:12 pm
by windshieldbug
According to contemporary company records, 716xx puts completion solidly in December 1905 or early 1906.