It may not be a desireable York, but it's a FREE York

[Donn]

[I sure wish I could find out why someone would permanently solder a bell into a collar.

So it's definitely soldered? If so, seems likely that would be because the bell isn't an exact fit and someone got tired of it falling off. Does it look like a close fit on the inside?

[Heavy_Metal]

Don't think this is an Alex- the 3rd and 4th valve loops don't match the usual Alex. Of course anything's possible though.

Bottom line- great score!

[pjv]

I don't want to stire up trouble but if it sounds great and the intonation is great I wouldn't unsolder anything.
If it ain't broke....

[windshieldbug]

York had a "Master" 4 valve rotary tuba model 81. It sold for over a grand in 1970. It was available with upright or recording bell.
Looks like that's exactly what you have.
And European French Horns (if numbered at all) were often serial numbered in exactly the same way on the key mount.

[imperialbari]

The recording bell of my 4-front-pistons York Master is 22" wide. The flare of your tuba still looks like it has been spun or hammered on the same mandrel as mine. The bell collars are conical like with mine. I don’t think it is mismatched Frankenstein, as the bell stack also looks the same.

If the clockwork springs are working, their mechanical principle actually gives a more even action than with spiral springs.

Mine has the 4th valve loop running inside the main frame but for the slide sitting under the leadpipe, but some of the YM piston BBb tubas came with the same 4th valve loop as yours. Rick Denney has one of that wrap.

This is not the first great find of yours. Should your career have been with the FBI?

Do both of the dogs accept one more tuba in the house? Of course the costs shouldn’t cause you problems.

Some speak of an Alex. Not entirely unthinkable that Böhm & Meinl bought the rotor block from Alexander and routed the 4th loop their own way.

Klaus

[windshieldbug]

Did it have clockwork springs with the short paddles?

Sure looks like it, but all I've got is a copy of an image of the catalog and the illustration is not what one would wish...
Short paddles for sure!

[imperialbari]

I don’t think the 7 has any significance beyond being a part ID-#.

The new shot of the valve block shows the weak spot of the S-link, namely the screw connecting it to the stop-arm. The screw and the hole in the S-arm will wear and create clanking sounds. I experienced that with the differently shaped, but still similar links on the German made rotors of my 1st generation Sovereign bass trombone. I asked my repair guy for screws with the same threading, but with a fatter or conical upper part. He didn’t think these screws existed for my valves. One day I was in his workshop, and a drawer was drawn out in his spare parts’ cupboard. I pointed to a clear box with screws and said these were what I needed. Problem solved.

I am not surprised about the soldered collars. Despite the conicity mine are not a tight fit. The screws hold the bell firm, but without them the bell would easily fall off at a wrong movement. That is not the case with my very tightly fitting Conn 40K bell.

I know about several tubas creating a lack of space in a home. If your church has a secure storage room, you could station one tuba there permanently. I guess the college is less likely to offer same security for a tuba stationed permanently at your bandroom there.

I had forgotten about the 641, but I remember a whole lot of baritones and horns coming your way at a reasonable price.

Klaus

[imperialbari]

I don’t know whether it is because you are in the distribution industry that you have many connections. At least you meet a lot of people that way.

For 3 summers I was a substitute mail carrier in a small suburb north of Copenhagen, very far from the main post office from where we started out. On bikes.

One of the regular mailmen lived within his own district. While he delivered letters he took orders from the housewives for his private business. In the afternoons he then started his van and delivered the sacks of potatoes for which he had collected orders. So he also benefitted from his connections.

If you can get allong with the valves and their short knobs instead of paddles, I think this one should be a keeper. It most certainly isn’t a tuba you come by frequently.

Klaus

[tbonesullivan]

I guess I need to find better friends, or find friends who manage to get free tubas, so I could then get cheap tubas from them. Right now ANY tuba would be a great tuba, seeing as I haven't had a tuba of my own ever, and haven't played one for around 20 years now.

[imperialbari]

Truth about Schleppy is that he caused by his stature very often is overlooked and goes kind of unnoticed in social contexts, so that people feel bad about this and compensate by offering him good deals on low brasses.

Klaus

[imperialbari]

(Don’t overestimate the money in that bank, when you eventually sell this tuba to me).