info wanted on Olds/Reynolds tubas and stencils

[toobagrowl]

Just picking you tubers brains for info on Olds/Reynolds tubas and their stencils. They look like nice playing all-around "basic" BBb tubas. How is the build, sound and pitch on these horns?

Thanks

[toobagrowl]

Searched this board yesterday and today and all I really found was sousaphone talk.
I do know that Amati/Cerveny has made a few tubas using the Olds name. But I know nothing about the build, sound and intonation on these horns (real Olds or not).......and it looks like noone else here knows either Figures

[David Richoux]

The first tuba I bought is an Olds O-99 3v BBb fixed bell upright, I think it was also marketed as a Reynolds. I bought it in the mid 1970s. Solid, but not heavy sound, just a bit stuffy on some notes, plays mostly in tune without a lot of pulling. Valves were OK, not great. I used it for Community College quartet and band, some Dixie-jazz gigs but I basically put it away after I got a 4 valve rotor horn with better action.

YMMV! Search on o-99 and you will turn up a few threads

[tbn.al]

An Olds O-99 4v is my main tuba. I use it almost exclusively for quintet work, and play it daily. I like a BBb since I am pricipally a Bass Trombone player and this one is the perfect size and tone quality for my use. After bloke reworked the tuning slides it plays remarkable well in tune. This in my opinion is a necessary step to have a useable 4v Olds. I have had a series of German stovepipes, an American Eb, and now have access to a VMI 3301 in addition to the Olds. The VMI is a better tuba but is too blasted heavy to carry. Don't expect the Olds to have enough weight of sound to carry a large group. It is not a 4/4 tuba, but my quintet and I love it for what it is, a fine 7/8 American tuba.

see this thread viewtopic.php?f=2&t=33942&hilit=ebay+treasure" target="_blank

[ken k]

These horns were alsom marketed as Bach tubas in the late 80's.

Reynolds made different horns from the Olds earlier on (60's?). they had an interesting tuning slide spring mechanism to help move the valve tuning slide back into position after being pulled.

[Donn]

I do know that Amati/Cerveny has made a few tubas using the Olds name. But I know nothing about the build, sound and intonation on these horns (real Olds or not).......and it looks like noone else here knows either

What I get from searching this site (google "site:chisham.com" will usually do a better job than the tubenet search function) claims that current F E Olds are made everywhere.* Europe, Asia, South America, North America were mentioned. So if there's no one here so foolish as to profess general knowledge about build, sound, intonation of their products, I'd say that shows we know what we're (not) talking about.

Real Olds, and Reynolds, I've had a handful of their instruments, including the small 4/4 tuba. You could do worse, but of course by now it's largely about the condition it's in. Usually they've been loved half to death. That's how mine was, but all things considered I probably should have hung on to it.

* Cf. viewtopic.php?f=2&t=14213

[Paul Scott]

I played Olds and Reynolds tubas back when I was in high school (the school owned one of each) in their three-valved versions. I recall that the Reynolds had an odd flange in the bell (this was a solid upright bell model, not the detachable kind). The Reynolds seemed to me to have a slightly better sound than the Olds but they were very, very similar. Both had accessible first valve slides and were solidly built. Good pitch on both. Some of the Reynolds tubas seemed to have had a long, goofy looking upright bell but this model did not. Both the Olds and Reynolds were quite playable-I wish they still made something that good for schools.

What always made me laugh was the "case" provided with these instruments: a giant block of styrofoam with hinges and latches! I think if it was thrown in the water it would have floated, instrument and all! In reality it was not a bad option and they were not as fragile as one might expect. They seemed to have come in these styro boxes so I assume that a "real" hard case was extra.

[toobagrowl]

What I get from searching this site (google "site:chisham.com" will usually do a better job than the tubenet search function) claims that current F E Olds are made everywhere.* Europe, Asia, South America, North America were mentioned. So if there's no one here so foolish as to profess general knowledge about build, sound, intonation of their products, I'd say that shows we know what we're (not) talking about.

Real Olds, and Reynolds, I've had a handful of their instruments, including the small 4/4 tuba. You could do worse, but of course by now it's largely about the condition it's in. Usually they've been loved half to death. That's how mine was, but all things considered I probably should have hung on to it.

* Cf. viewtopic.php?f=2&t=14213

Thanks, but, the others in this thread - David Richoux, tbn.al, ken k and Paul Scott - gave me the answers I was looking for. They answered my questions. Thank you.

[The Big Ben]

An Olds O-99 4v is my main tuba. I use it almost exclusively for quintet work, and play it daily. I like a BBb since I am pricipally a Bass Trombone player and this one is the perfect size and tone quality for my use. After bloke reworked the tuning slides it plays remarkable well in tune. This in my opinion is a necessary step to have a useable 4v Olds.

I have one of these horns also and agree with all that has been said. I just had my valves redone (replated, casings honed) and it works great now. Nice action. Probably more a function of who worked on the horn than anything else.

Another person made a good point in this thread: many of these hornns have been 'loved to death". Chances are pretty good that, by now, a 099 or 099-4 has been through the school system for a long time and has had many repairs done, both good and bad. For the type of horn that comes out, they are worth the effort to make them right.

[Lee Stofer]

Basically, all of the Olds and Reynolds tubas I've worked on have been well-made instruments, very solid workmanship, and when completely repaired, are potentially awesome players.

The 3/4 size instruments in particular were workhorses in our schools for a number of years, and some of the larger Olds and Reynolds recording basses were played professionally. The earlier Reynolds instrument in particular were very well-made. for a time, I owned a 1957-vintage Reynolds 4-valve recording bass, and for lack of a Reynolds bell, I used it with the virtually identical Olds upright bell. It was just a killer player, with good reason. althoug it didn't look like a York, due to its loooong bell, when servicing the instrument, I noted how York-like the body construction was, down to the bracing.

After the demise of Olds/Reynolds, Selmer USA bought the tooling, and made the 3/4 tubas for a while. They are also good, and a good bargain if you can get one at a reasonable price. I'd someday like to cut a 3/4 down to CC, as I'm convinced it would make a fine small CC.

[Dave Hayami]

Hi Lee,
Just find a Conn 2J, ready cut from the factory. (2J -CC 4J,Olds 099-4/Reynolds, and Bach-BBb)
To the OP, you might want to search for the "2J/4J "thread, some more info on the Olds/Reynolds tubas.
Dave"2J,Olds 3v, Bach 4v, and Reynolds 4v at home and at school" Hayami

[toobagrowl]

Thanks guys And thanks to any possible future posts