WTF is this?

[windshieldbug]

No, it's a rumor, and nothing I can substantiate, but Fischer apparently moved stuff somewhere while they went on building student horns. Maybe it's just sour grapes from ex-Johnsonites. I don't even know what "tooling" entails.

But if the Blessing was built while Johnson was running the place, and the B&M later, they DO look very similar...

[windshieldbug]

He worked for York, then for the owner of York, Bill Johnson in Grand Rapids, after he sold out to Fischer. He was, I take it, young at the time, but he has some interesting insights. I'm sure he'd be willing to share some.

I've asked him for details about the CSO Yorks, etc., but he's a high brass guy, and only really recalls overhearing the more experienced people talking about it sort of sideways.

But he has some very interesting insights.

Just another WAG, but I assumed it'd be no real problem to pack up the large instrument stuff in a box and send it over on a slow boat if you [Fischer] were only interested in high volume/low cost student horns.

[Chuck(G)]

You might be able to add some more fuel to the fire, if you could show that none of the tubas that B&M produced before Fischer even resembled a YM in dimensions.

I've seen a rotary B&M whose bottom bow was exactly the same as the YM 4/4 BBb show above, right down to the long "legs" and dimensions of the entry/exit.

If you take a 4/4 BBb GR York bottom bow and a 4/4 BBb YM bottom bow, and measure them both at the "shorter" length of the York bow, (i.e. at the same point), I suspect that you'll find that the YM is larger than the York.

Since I've got a YM bottom bow (and a couple of GR York BBs) kicking around the shop, maybe I should do this exercise myself.

If tooling was ever needed for anything, it'd be for the bottom bow. I doubt that they're even remotely the same when you get down to getting the calipers on them.

To my eye, the YM bell flare also looks to be a bit shallower than the York--another exercise for me, when I get some time. If true, that should kill the idea of the bell mandrel making it across the sea.

That there's a resemblance, between two tubas--well, that can be said for a lot of instruments.

But I've got to know--if I take the measurements and they're not the same (or even close), will this put the speculation to bed, finally?

Otherwise, I might as well spend my time doing something worthwhile.

[windshieldbug]

Well, it's mostly me that's been doing any tuba speculating, so yes, it would in my mind.

Lou was a trumpet player, and all he and the other York guys remembered is that they packed up a bunch of stuff from the factory and shipped it off, and that some of the cornet models that came back in at that time were known as the "German" Yorks.

And certainly you're right about B&M being more than capable on their own, but with all the proven German designs, why would they build horns that were so close to old Yorks?