SA Bandmaster 4v Euphonium

[Highams]

Just added to the collection, another Salvation Army Bandmaster 4v Euphonium (non compensating);

http://s91.photobucket.com/albums/k309/ ... newsa2.jpg

If it cleans up as well as the previous one I'll be pleased (lol);

http://s91.photobucket.com/albums/k309/ ... aster2.jpg

CB

[peter birch]

bring back memories for me, I played one of these instruments over 30 years ago, in the Clapton Congress Hall Salvation Army band and did my grade V exam on it.
the Salvation Army made very heavy instruments to withstand a lot of outdoor playing, the silver plating is also very thick.
In those days I longed to play the Boosey and Hawkes imperial euph, but saw the light and transfered to the tuba.
Good luck with the restoration.

[Highams]

Hi Peter,

Yes indeed, built like tanks!

And the plating on these has gone a long way to protecting them over the years, they remind me a lot of the Hawkes 4v non comps we had at school, prior to getting Solbrons and Imperials like you say.

CB

[oldbandnerd]

Imperial !!!

[Highams]

aaahhhhh..........the memories (lol)

http://s91.photobucket.com/albums/k309/ ... ackjkt.jpg

CB

[RanmaSyaoran]

Necrobump

What was the general consensus on these instruments playability in modern times (as a beginners / intermediate instrument)

[imperialbari]

When I took part in the first European Championship for brass bands in Royal Albert Hall in 1978, I went to a repair shop in London the next day to get felts for my Imperial baritone.

That shop was at the 2nd or 3rd story of a then newish concrete business building right off a large street that lead to a station on the Underground train line. Not a very specific description and the names of persons or companies are all evaporated, only it was not Paxman. The repair tech had been the overseer of the production of the then already defunct Salvation Army production of brass instruments. He told which SA instruments were good and which were not. But I don’t remember the details, as I was less of an instrument freak back then.

My collection has no SA instruments, which is a big and not entirely voluntary omission. I had bought a smallish SA Eb tuba in Italy, but the seller wanted to change the done deal, which is a no-go with me.

One interesting SA design, of which I only ever saw the documentation of one sample, was a compact non-compensating euphonium.

Klaus

[Highams]

Like this?

http://s91.photobucket.com/albums/k309/ ... clean5.jpg" target="_blank

Chas

[Rick F]

Like this?

http://s91.photobucket.com/albums/k309/ ... clean5.jpg" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank

Chas

Nice compact design. Would that be classified as a 'piggy'? Looks really heavy and maybe a water trap too.

[imperialbari]

Like this?

http://s91.photobucket.com/albums/k309/ ... clean5.jpg

Chas

Basically yes, only I remember the one I saw on eBay as just having 3 valves.

If I have discussed your sample previously then I either see too many brass photos or I am getting too old. Or both. Still I like that little euph very much. I guess the SA wanted to make sure its bandsmen could make the streets no matter whether young or old.

Klaus

[imperialbari]

Back at my desktop computer I found the photos of the one I remembered:

[Highams]

The Bandmaster models blow quite well for their age/bore & bell size, very reasonable tuning for non comp models too. Very heavy construction & plating.

There was a range of compensating instruments made under license, the Super Triumphonic range;

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid= ... =1&theater" target="_blank

not really a match for the Imperial/New Standards of the same era.

CB

[imperialbari]

I am very sceptic, when it come to engravings. And the SA comp euph looks very much like the Imperials and New Standards (which only added the caps and buttons to their engravings as discerning factors).

The valve block very likely came from Besson/B&H, as it would have been very expensive for the SA factory to tool up for such specialty design element, which hardly belonged to their major line of sale.

As I never had a Super Triumphonic euph in my hands to feel the weight difference, I might be prone to think that it not much more than a stencil. But there is one visual design element excluding Besson/B&H as the maker.

The Besson/B&H stays mostly are U-shaped with the flanges soldered to the outside of the vertical stems of the U.

The SA factory also used curved stays, but the flanges were soldered to the ends of the stays.

As I understand the first edition of Denis Wicks book on trombone playing, the SA runs a museum, where its brass instruments are documented. I will never see it, but I am glad it is there.

Klaus