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I have just purchased the Boosey & Co F tuba previously owned by John Fletcher. I had not planned to get it, but when I tried, was amazed at how well it plays. Wonderful F tuba tone, excellent low register (no stuffy low C) and good intonation. As you can see from the pictures it is one of the larger British F. It has a 17in detachable bell. It was apparently fully overhauled during Fletcher's ownership including new valves which work like a new tuba. I understand Fletcher also had the bell collar and removable bell fitted making it more like the Barlow F used by the famed Stuart Roebuck (Halle Orchestra) who I understand found the F for Fletcher. It appears to have had an 981 type leadpipe fitted which has been raised a couple inches since the tuba was last lacquered.

There is no engraving on the bell, but there is on the 4th valve cover saying Boosey & Co and what as far as I can make out the number 515569. As Boosey merged with Hawkes in 1930, it must pre-date that.

If anyone can tell me any more about this tuba, I would be very interesting? Any pictures of Fletcher playing it?

I got it to a large extent because of its great rarity and province; and although am unlikely to use regularly, may well pull out for high register stuff (e.g. Bydlo) and it would be fun to play some British orchestral music on the type of tuba it was originally played. In fact I have Vaughan Williams London Symphony coming up in April. I have previously played on my Neptune, but might well try with the Boosey F this time!

Jonathan "who thinks better getting enjoyment from money in tubas rather than in the bank with the plummeting value of the British pound!"

And some more pics

Nice buy, congrats!

I prefer the look of the tighter wrapped boosey Fs, but this one still looks pretty stunning.
The boosey compensating Fs have always been a bit of a "dream horn" to me... anyone want to trade one for my Cerveny Harmonia?

Very cool...
Nice photos, too.

u r my hero

Hi Jonathan,

Let me know when & where, I'd like to see & hear that.

Chas

Neptune wrote: Jonathan "who thinks better getting enjoyment from money in tubas rather than in the bank with the plummeting value of the British pound!"

Maybe you british should try the euro?
Just jokin', but think about it anyway.

Veeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeery nice horn that is. It looks well maintained.
Hope you enjoy it!

Congratulations!

Your sample is rather different from my 1923-sample of the Boosey compensating F. And even mine has been modified. The leadpipe has been exchanged with one from a pre-Sovereign Eb. Possibly the closest thing available. And then the leadpipe has been equipped with a large receiver. The valve block has been rebuilt by Anderson in the US.

Puritanism never will work, if instruments shall be kept alive. Many newer models start out as modifications of older ones.

I see absolutely no problem in using an Eb comp block for the F comper. Shortening the main valve slides is a small problem. Shortening the comp loops would be harder, but I don’t believe that the original 1923 F compers ever had their own lengths of these comp loops.

When I compare the valve blocks of my 1923 Boosey F and my 1999 Besson Sovereign 981 Eb, the first slides are exchangeable but for the alignment. The diameters of the branches are the same. The 2nd and 3rd comp loops look the same on both tubas, whereas the 1923 first loop turns left rather than down. The differences between the ideal lengths for the F and Eb comp loops are down to a level, where the extra costs of a separate tooling for the F version hardly would be justifiable by any standards.

Your F, as well as mine, has a retainer for the 4th valve. As that feature is not a part of the valve block, yours has survived the exchange.

Your F and mine have different wraps. Mine has the 4th slide on the front and the main tuning slide on the back. Yours has a fake hand rest, whereas mine more looks like a compressed Eb tuba with the inner top bow acting as hand rest.

The source of your 17” bell only can be the old pre-1978 BBb model.

The concept of my sample as said appears to be a compressed Eb, whereas yours rather appears like an Eb frame, which has had the inner loop taken out and replaced by straight branches with the main tuning slide sitting rather low.

The 10 prototypes of the Besson 985 comp F were said to fall within two main variants. Your sample and mine may represent two different attempts by Boosey before the merger with Hawkes. It appears like my variant was repeated shortly after 1960, whereas yours with its augmented bell achieved the greater fame of provenience.

Does this F comper fit your hands better than the 981? I would doubt that, as the main frames are very similar, but then you never planned to make it your main bass tuba.

If I at some point of time might be able to afford your comp F, I surely would be interested.

Klaus

Klaus, Very interesting about the differences between your Boosey F and mine. I believe they were all specifically made to order, so maybe the few around are all different to a certain extent? If you do make it over to Tuba Carols in London December you should bring yours, so we can directly compare.

imperialbari wrote:Does this F comper fit your hands better than the 981? I would doubt that, as the main frames are very similar, but then you never planned to make it your main bass tuba.

It is a couple years since I played a 981, but I doubt if it is better in that respect and suspect I would suffer pain if I played the Boosey F extensively. But that is not my intention - it will just come out occasionally, with the Melton Eb remaining my regular bass tuba.

If I am ever on pauper street and want to sell, I will let you know

Bob1062 wrote:So much for reducing the stable!

Yes, back to six again if I include my old Haag Eb

Just thought "I cannot count" and amended to six!

Of those 4 are in regular use most weeks, while the Boosey and Haag are mainly 'collection' tubas, with only occasional use.

I am afraid the Fletcher Boosey F stayed with me a lamentably short time!

Increasingly every time I have played it, after a few minutes I got a pain in my right arm and pins and needles in my left hand. It was setting off an old medical problem eluded to by Klaus for which I previously sold the Besson 981. The doctor at the time advised me to try and avoid any activity which caused the pain, so it was obviously not a good idea to repeatably try playing the Boosey. I could have just kept as an investment and museum piece, but to have such a special tuba and not be able to play would be like sleeping with a beautiful woman and not be able to make love - it would drive me mad!

However, the little time spent playing the Boosey had shown me the joys of a big orchestral F tuba - singing in the high register with such a clear voice. I had previously tried a beautiful gold brass B&S PT-15 at Mr.Tuba and loved its tone. So after some good negotiations with Mark Carter, I agreed a very beneficial exchange deal.

So alas, I no longer have the Fletcher Boosey F, but have added a wonderful B&S PT-15 to my stable with which I am thrilled. I will post some pictures of that in another thread!

If anyone here is serious about buying the Fletcher Boosey F, I am sure Mark Carter at Mr.Tuba would be pleased to hear from you - mark@mrtuba.com" target="_blank . It is such a great playing F, it deserves to be in regular use by someone who can fully enjoy and appreciate.

If only I lived in England or somewhere in the vicinity...