Boosey Guards' Model Eb found in a dump.

drewfus · Post by **drewfus** » Tue Feb 20, 2007 11:05 am

True story.

One of our local elementary band teachers had this given to him when he worked in Sitka, Alaska. A student had found it at the city dump. It is a 3 valve compensating model, the valves are tight, but it could use new corks and felts. I am curious as to why the 1st valve slide and main tuning slide are bright laquered while the rest of the horn is raw.

The mouthpiece is mine, he has been using a bass bone mp, I had this old small shank no name. I was really surprised with the range this old guy has. I have never played on an Eb, I may have to get one now.

Mark · Post by **Mark** » Tue Feb 20, 2007 1:56 pm

the elephant wrote:Really. I said space aliens.

That's nonsense!

Bigfoot left the tuba in the dump, along with his extra foot: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/n ... oot18.html.

windshieldbug · Post by **windshieldbug** » Tue Feb 20, 2007 2:08 pm

Mark wrote:Bigfoot left the tuba in the dump, along with his extra foot

Maybe, but I have it on good authority that only yetis use compensators.

Wyvern · Post by **Wyvern** » Tue Feb 20, 2007 3:24 pm

What a find!

From the lack of bell flare, surely it is 19th century. Can anyone here date when that model was made?

windshieldbug · Post by **windshieldbug** » Tue Feb 20, 2007 3:29 pm

Must be post 1874 at least, when the name Distin & Co was changed to Boosey & Son .

drewfus · Post by **drewfus** » Tue Feb 20, 2007 3:43 pm

The owner said he emailed Boosey with the serial number. They dated it to 1908.

Rick Denney · Post by **Rick Denney** » Tue Feb 20, 2007 5:43 pm

bloke wrote:per usual, I'm going to attempt to contradict when I know nothing about the subject:

The 3-valve compensating system looks pretty much "20th Century-ish" to me, and the bell "cone" isn't that much different from the Boosey F tubas of the 1930's/1940's, etc.

Well, if it was 30's or 40's, it would be Boosey and Hawkes, not just Boosey. But even in those years, British tuba bells had more flare than does this instrument. Even the 1920's Besson 3-valve enharmonic compensator that passed through my hands had more flare than this one.

I figured it for late 19th century based on the bell treatment.

Rick "contradicting the constradictor" Denney

drewfus · Post by **drewfus** » Tue Feb 20, 2007 6:21 pm

Serial number is 716xx, if this site ,http://www.musictrader.com/boosey.html , is accurate, that puts it as a 1905.

Steve Inman · Post by **Steve Inman** » Tue Feb 20, 2007 7:33 pm

Shoot -- I'd have guessed it between, say, 1905 and around 1908 .....

Am I good, or what?

windshieldbug · Post by **windshieldbug** » Tue Feb 20, 2007 11:12 pm

According to contemporary company records, 716xx puts completion solidly in December 1905 or early 1906.