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Below are pics of the 2nd Tuba I came into this Christmas season. I won't recap the story here, Check my other post "Old Conn Tuba - Looking for info" for all that. I'm currently playing this one in our community band (good place for me to develop my chops past "look at me... I can play tuba!") and it's got a big sound, though it seems hard to control at times (could be my fledgling chops). The Tuba professor at the local University took turn on it and said he liked the sound, but that it has some badly tuned notes in the higher register because it's only a 3 valve.
Here's the info I have:
Bell engraving: "Union Mission" and "Presented by VP Turner" and "29/53" appear high on the bell while "Carl Fischer's American Model New York" appear in the middle of the engraving swag.
It's in Bb. (as opposed to tuba #1 which is Eb)
Serial # is P168XX
3 Valves
Bell Diameter 20"
I can't tell if it's Silver or Nickel plated. It's either nickel, or really dull silver. Tarnish or lack thereof will eventually decide this for me I suppose.

I don't know a thing about Carl Fischer instruments. I thought they were a music publisher only...

Anyone got any info on Carl Fischer tubas in general or on this particular instrument? Thanks in advance

JPMYNWA

It looks alot like a Conn 10J. They were very nice horns that i think, only came in a three valve version. Possibly a stencil? Ed

I have seen York stencils made for Carl Fisher. Usually they have been the model 33, but this looks similar to the Model 700 series.

Looks like a great horn. How does it play?

Frank

Based partly on the pretzel in the leadpipe, it looks like a Conn stencil. Check out Dillon Music's used tubas page--they have a similar looking horn stenciled for Carl Fisher by Conn. It is for sale for $1895.
Your wife deserves a really cool finder's fee for these two horns!

KiltieTuba wrote:Looks like an imported model from somewhere in Europe

Frank Ortega wrote:
Looks like a great horn. How does it play?

Frank

It's got a big rich sound. It's LOUD. The othe two tubas in our band play miraphone stencils, and i feel like i can overbalance when we get loud if im not careful. I Have trouble playing delicately, but i feel like that's more me than the horn. I'm not a stellar player. It seems to me like the F at the bottom of the staff is flat. Could be me blowing it flat though, bc my primary instrument is bass bone. I love the sound. and yes my wife rocks for finding these. I don't know how I'll repay her!

Hi-
From the internet-FYI-mark

Carl Fischer (1849-1923) started as a dealer in New York in 1872, after immegrating from Germany, supplying sheet music and imported instruments from Europe. They opened a division, Carl Fischer Musical Instrument Co. which then bought out York Band Instrument Co. in 1940. The manufacturing of York instruments went on until the 1970's at the York plant in Grand Rapids, Mi. under the directorship of the Carl Fischer Musical Instrument Co.

That "P" in the serial number is a dead giveaway for it being produced by Conn's subsidiary Pan American in the first half of 1925.

Look for a number followed by a "J" somewhere on the horn. This is how Conn/Pan American identified the different models. Normally it is located around the mouthpiece receiver. It can be very faint so give it a real close look.


If you compare the tuning slides between this drawing and the picture above you'll notice that the tuining slide is shorter in the drawing. This makes me believe that your horn was made to tune to A440 or low pitch.

Gilligan wrote:

I think Gilligan nailed it - a Pan American BBb (Conn) stenciled for the Carl Fisher Musical Instrument Co. The only thing different between the pic here and the Carl Fisher are the ferrules.

Gilligan wrote:That "P" in the serial number is a dead giveaway for it being produced by Conn's subsidiary Pan American in the first half of 1925.

Look for a number followed by a "J" somewhere on the horn. This is how Conn/Pan American identified the different models. Normally it is located around the mouthpiece receiver. It can be very faint so give it a real close look.

Ok so I looked for a "J" number on the horn and couldn't find one, BUT it may have been on the Mouthpiece receiver, because it looks like it's been removed for servicing or replaced in the past (weird solder joint) and there's a perfect oval patch of raw brass on the receiver that looks like a plate used to be there, so it's possible there used to be a nameplate of some kind there. It's also possible that I'm blind and have already stared past the number several times. I agree though, the picture is a spitting image of my horn.

JPMYNWA