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Congratulations

That's a steal for TWICE the price!

"York Master" and "York" are two separate things, but that's not all that important. Someone else can fill you in on the history and details. You have a really nice tuba there. I can't believe it was given away for free, but just make sure you follow through on your promise! Congratulations!

Free is good.

Now that is a good friend...buy that man a beer

I've had the same thing happen to me, more than once. My finds were not as glorious as this, but they all have their charm.

When people ask what kind of tuba you have,

you can flash them that look of moral superiority and declare,

"It is a rescue tuba!!"

Wow That's Fantastic! Really cool to give it a loving home! Play it well!

Great find! That horn might be BETTER than a York!

Great find Schlep! It's always nice to see horns go to a good home!

Looks like I need to find me some new friends....

B&M made very desirable Yorks. They were the good horns while the factory back home in Grand Rapids was stuck making student models after Fischer bought them.

SCORE! I'm sure you'll give it a good home. Free tubas are always good, and that sounds like it is a good one.

I've been looking for a small-ish BBb for doubling purposes for a while, and I keep getting apprehensive when one comes up with the clockwork springs. There are some trombones that had clockwork springs on the F rotor, and they are not highly regarded at all.

Great Score! Cool Horn. Can't beat that price.

Schlepp set me a text this afternoon indicating that the bore at the 4th slide is .764". I was thinking that it might be .752" and be in line with the Marzan (Bohm & Meinl) tubas but at .764" it's more in line with the Mirafone 186. Heck... it could have been made by Alexander, too!

I wish someone would give me a dozen or so of those horns!

Back in 1964 my folks purchased one of these for me from Henry Glass Music in Philadelphia. It stood in the window on a stand for over a year. Then we finally got the money together. Dad sold his Gibson Florentiner banjo. $594.00 way back then. And for that I also got a 2 piece canvas bag complete with zipper. Mine however had a recording bell. Yes it was detachable. In the York catalog from that period, it was referred to as the "Cefesco" model. It mentioned that an upright bell was available, but no one seemed to know how to get one. It had the usual large receiver so I needed to have a homemade bit made for my Bach 18 MP. At first it played very well, lots of projection, but was a bit stiff and a little on the harsh side. Perhaps it was that large lead pipe. When I took it to a lesson with Abe Torchinsky, he made a comment that he had tried it and did not like it. It was then that he let me try his King CC and I knew at that moment what he meant. I held on to it for about 10 years and then sold it for a huge profit. It did pay for itself as I used it for a year with Your Father's Mustache banjo band and also with Lucien Cailliet and the West Jersey Symphonic Band. From all the cigarette smoke in the night club, almost all of the lacquer peeled off. One of the clock springs broke and I purchase a new valve lever assembly from Getzen for a MW and had it installed. I think it eventually moved to Alaska around 1980. I remember my Dad told me he could hear it a mile way, when one summer Your Father's Mustache band was on a fire truck in a parade in Ocean City, New Jersey. I recall the clock spring mechanism rattled like a metallic drum machine and nothing seemed to quiet it.

Yep, the body looks like my Alex however, the bell opening on the Alex is around 6" whereas, the bell opening on my York Master is around 61/2"
Bill

Big bell flare is odd-looking on german-style body with rotary valves and skinny top bow. Could be mix-matched from different tuba?

might think about selling the upright York Master bell, for enough $$$ to put a standard-sorta bell on the body if the small end of bell is a standard-sorta ~4.5" size.

If you do decide to sell the bell, give me a toot as I've been looking for a genuine upright York Master bell for a long time.
Bill

I bet that is an inventory control number from the school that previously owned it.

One thing that would definitely be better than a free York would be a free Alex.

Michael Bush wrote:I bet that is an inventory control number from the school that previously owned it.

One thing that would definitely be better than a free York would be a free Alex.

Actually... the number looks more like a date code that could be used for school inventory. It could have entered the school's system on September 19th 1973.

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

Possibly to stop buzzing due to a very slightly imperfect fit?