Old Reynolds Euph -- a little help?

Joe Baker · Post by **Joe Baker** » Tue Nov 30, 2004 5:24 pm

I recently discovered, lurking in a dark corridor of our church, a quite old Reynolds Euph. It's silver plated, with an upright bell and three upright valves that seal acceptably. It's nicely engraved "F.A. Reynolds / Cleveland". It has no dents, and a pretty decent silver finish. But the serial number (4921) doesn't match anything on the MusicTrader serial numbers list.

First, and LEAST important, does anyone have any clue how old this thing might be?

Second, and really my main question: where can I get a tube of cork to cut new corks for it? It has a nice sound, and plays pretty well without the corks, but the pistons slamming against the tops of the valve casings can't be good for pistons OR casings (and it's ... y'know ... NOISY!)

Mysteriously, it has felts under the finger-buttons, and they are in quite good shape; but there are no felts and no corks whatsoever under the valve caps!

Thanks in advance for any info.
___________________________________
Joe Baker, who found an old King Cleveland T-Bone (pre-605 model) and an old Conn (I think it was) copper-belled cornet WITH the baritone.

Joe Baker · Post by **Joe Baker** » Tue Nov 30, 2004 5:38 pm

One more piece of info: I googled "Reynolds Euphonium", and found a picture of a euph nearly identical to the one in question on Rick Denny's website. Mine is silver plated and not as shiny, but the configuration is identical. Rick, would you tell me (or email me) the serial number of yours? Or at least tell me where you found the age info?

Thanks
__________________________________
Joe Baker, who needs to go home and find his son's small-bore 51D...

Rick Denney · Post by **Rick Denney** » Wed Dec 01, 2004 10:32 am

Joe Baker wrote:One more piece of info: I googled "Reynolds Euphonium", and found a picture of a euph nearly identical to the one in question on Rick Denny's website. Mine is silver plated and not as shiny, but the configuration is identical. Rick, would you tell me (or email me) the serial number of yours? Or at least tell me where you found the age info?

My serial number is in the 3700 range, as I recall.

I don't recall where I got the history of Reynolds, and perhaps it was from someone here. Reynolds opened his own shop in 1937, and had surpassed the 5000 mark by the end of 1938. Thus, your instrument was likely made in 1938, as was mine. I'll look around a bit.

Rick "who'd like to see a picture of yours to look at the leadpipe configuration" Denney

Rick Denney · Post by **Rick Denney** » Wed Dec 01, 2004 11:35 am

Joe Baker wrote:Or at least tell me where you found the age info?

Okay, here's more:

According to the H. N. White history site (http://www.hnwhite.com/hnwhitepage.htm), Foster A. Reynolds left White in 1936 to form his own company. This site reports that he then sold his company to "another company" in the late 40's, and later to Norlin in the early 50's. Another version of that story is at the Olds site, http://www.feolds.com/mainPages/reynolds.htm.

It would appear that anything marked "F.A.Reynolds-Cleveland" would have been made between 1936 and either 1946 or 1954, when the name would have changed to just "Reynolds".

Rick "thinking the resemblance of the euph to a King suggests a recent departure of the maker from H.N. White" Denney

Joe Baker · Post by **Joe Baker** » Wed Dec 01, 2004 11:41 am

Thanks, Rick. I suspected it might be that era. I'll try to get a picture, but my digital camera has "sprouted legs" (the presence of teenagers in the house causing strange behavior in normally inanimate objects), so no promises.

FWIW, the leadpipe is the one part that I thought might be a little different. I don't have it in front of me, but my recollection is that it was a little more 'S' shaped than yours looks. I'll take another look tonight.

Either way, thanks for the ballpark age.
_____________________________________
Joe Baker, who also thanks Dan Schultz for generously offering to send me some cork. What a bunch o' great folks!

Rick Denney · Post by **Rick Denney** » Wed Dec 01, 2004 12:18 pm

Joe Baker wrote:FWIW, the leadpipe is the one part that I thought might be a little different. I don't have it in front of me, but my recollection is that it was a little more 'S' shaped than yours looks. I'll take another look tonight.

The leadpipe on mine is not original. I'm assuming that it was installed by the fellows who had overhauled it (and who did not do a very good job of it) before I bought it.

My leadpipe wraps too far around the bell, making it very uncomfortable to hold. I have a leadpipe and a receiver that I bought from Strege-Wuttke, but I'm not sure it's really the right one, and it may actually be too short.

A leadpipe with a taller S curve might be just the ticket--it would allow the instrument to sit lower.

Rick "who might look into a leadpipe for a modern King euph as a potential replacement" Denney