John Fletcher - Eb Besson

[eupher61]

I find the part about the nagging wife a bit hard to believe, but who knows.

[Highams]

Alistair, have you been in touch with Phil Parker or Adrian to see what they have in their records?

Worth a shot.

I'll see them at the RAH finals in a week or so maybe.

CB

[Z-Tuba Dude]

Perhaps I am misinformed, but my understanding was that John Fletcher used an F tuba for the VW recording.

[LoyalTubist]

As far as I know, he did use an F for the Vaughan Williams on RCA, however, he did own several other tubas. I do know he had a fondness for Holtons, which, when I was a young tubist, really surprised me.

[KarlMarx]

Boosey & Hawkes and Besson was a merger between two separate companies, which on the sales side kept separate identities until sometime after 1978.

Until then they separated brands. The top lines until the advent of the B&H Sovereign line (at least in trombones also known as Besson Mark II) were B&H Imperial and Besson New Standard. In the smaller brasses these were identical but for the engraving. The upright brasses from the Eb alto horns through the BBb basses were different also aside from the engraving, but only very superficially. Everything surrounding the air column was the same. The Imperial line had pretty normal finger buttons and valve caps. The New Standard line had finger buttons with a rather high, conical profile. The valve caps also had sloping profiles with rather wide, deep, and smoothly edged grooves. Myth had/has it, that the Imperial line was better made than the New Standard line. I have samples of both and see no pattern confirming that.

Hence the conversion of your tuba was limited to engraving, buttons, and caps.

The older 15â€

[Rick Denney]

for example - he had several Eb Bessons as I understand it - this one has a 15inch bell, and most photos I have seen of him have a tuba with a larger bell...

My recollection of the story suggests that Fletcher worked with B&H in the development of the Sovereign line, which was the first publicly sold EEb tuba with the 19" bell. The pictures you saw were probably from a little later.

Also, I would suggest that this instrument was probably not his main instrument for such recordings as the Vaughan Williams (assuming he had used an EEb, which until now I was sure he had). I suspect this was an instrument he enjoyed, and perhaps owned before developing the models with the larger bells. Else it would not have been the instrument on the block. Were I you, I would greatly enjoy the fact that he once owned it, but I would be extremely surprised to discover that it was famously used.

Rick "who has sold tubas, but not his favorite tubas" Denney

[Peach]

To my knowledge Fletch never used an F professionally - I don't even think he owned one.

He absolutely did not record the VW on an F.
He used a Besson/Boosey & Hawkes Eb for sure. Dunno what bell size mind you.

Them's the facts...

Concert tonight in London celebrating John's life, 20 years after his death, will have a lot of John's old friends attending. At least one of them will know. I'm not going to be there...

[tubiker]

Yo!

Get in touch with either Paul Lawrence, Jim Anderson, John Jenkins or Pat Harrild - they will give you the info you are after. Paul Lawrence had a prototype CC tuba built by Booseys on a very similar pattern to the Besson EEb - that would have been in the mid 70's. As for chucking out tuba's, I don't think so - but he was doing work for Booseys and had instruments in and out as development work progressed. My memory is getting worse but I have recollections of going into Parkers in Chiltern St and the conversation getting round to buying a Besson and then getting a sensible lead pipe banged on - the straight out of factory instruments still needed work to get them completely up to scratch.
And he played the Holton for the big stuff and the Besson for the rest including all the Philip Jones stuff - the photo of him with the Holton on the cover of one of the lp's I thought was done for promo - he didn't actually play it in the ensemble - but I await to be corrected on that one..............

C U down the Festival Hall in the cheap seats behind Gene Pokorny tommorrow night - the CSO are in town - can't wait

Andrew M

[eupher61]

Showing my ignorance...did JF use a CC or BBb Holton?

And, my comment about the wife...any spouse who would demand that a performer of his caliber sell an instrument because he "had too many".....is not a good spouse.

[dtemp]

And, my comment about the wife...any spouse who would demand that a performer of his caliber sell an instrument because he "had too many".....is not a good spouse.

Now I know you've never been married.

[Wyvern]

C U down the Festival Hall in the cheap seats behind Gene Pokorny tommorrow night - the CSO are in town - can't wait

Well, I was at the Festival Hall this evening. Great concert, I got to have a chat with Gene and surprise, surprise, he was playing the legendary York #2 which sounded wonderful! Hope you enjoy the concert tomorrow.

[eupher61]

And, my comment about the wife...any spouse who would demand that a performer of his caliber sell an instrument because he "had too many".....is not a good spouse.

Now I know you've never been married.

totally wrong.

And I stand by my comments. No more from me.

[tubatooter1940]

My wife of 47 years would have no objection to my purchasing a second tuba. All I have to do is show her that I can play them both at the same time and sound good doing it.

[Rick Denney]

Showing my ignorance...did JF use a CC or BBb Holton?

It was a factory CC-345, with four valves. The story goes that he added a fifth valve, and then removed it again because he didn't like what it did.

I seem to recall hearing that the Holton went to Mel Culbertson, but that's a pretty misty place where that memory originates.

Rick "wondering who owns it now" Denney