York Master Eb sousaphone!

[greenbean]

Picked up a York Master sousaphone today! I am thinking it made by Böhm & Meinl - just like my Marzan! It has been used regularly but it could use a bath. And all slides are stuck! Neck looks like an Old and the bits are Conn. NICE playing horn!

https://photos.app.goo.gl/PGm3YK7KPEicQaTJ7

[Yorkboy]

Interesting - the brace work, valve caps, ferrules and bell lug-screws look more like late Grand Rapids York than Boehm and Meinl…..

Sort of a grey area, that transition period - many hypotheses could be formulated

[windshieldbug]

If there is no "Made In" it might be a combination of both, but assembled in Grand Rapids.
The serial number sure fits in the Grand Rapids scheme.

[Kirley]

Congrats, Tom!
Love that patina.

[bloke]

I ended up with several body elbow braces like that one - over the years, for whatever reasons.
Since they resemble the size and angle of Jupiter braces, I mostly used them up on Jupiters with broken braces.
B/M Symphonic manufactured the old Miraphone B-flat sousaphones, correct ?
As one would expect, Tennessee Tech bought a bunch of those, decades ago.

‘ great find !

[greenbean]

I know a bit more about this York sousa.

It does appear to have been made by York - not B&M. The serial # dates it to 1954. And the horn matches up *somewhat* with a model 51 in York catalogs. But the 51 had a larger-than-usual bore (.715 ?) and this one has a bore of roughly .687. The bell on this one is 25" - I guess they couldn't decide between 24" and 26"! It weighs a only 21.5 lb with neck and bits! Pretty much everything is York-ish: braces, ferrules, caps. The slides DO pull - I was wrong - they just hadn't been moved in a *long* time. The valves has a moderate amount of plating wear but compression is *very* good despite that. So, this horn needs no work other than a sonic bath. Next week...

[WC8KCY]

Great find! I almost wish it were mine...and definitely wish I could give it a toot!

[Yorkboy]

I know a bit more about this York sousa.

It does appear to have been made by York - not B&M. The serial # dates it to 1954. And the horn matches up *somewhat* with a model 51 in York catalogs. But the 51 had a larger-than-usual bore (.715 ?) and this one has a bore of roughly .687. The bell on this one is 25" - I guess they couldn't decide between 24" and 26"! It weighs a only 21.5 lb with neck and bits! Pretty much everything is York-ish: braces, ferrules, caps. The slides DO pull - I was wrong - they just hadn't been moved in a *long* time. The valves has a moderate amount of plating wear but compression is *very* good despite that. So, this horn needs no work other than a sonic bath. Next week...

I suspected it was either Grand Rapids built, or Geretsreid built with parts manufactured in Grand Rapids.

York, in the Grand Rapids days, invariably built their monster E flat tubas, E flat sousaphones and squatty BBb tubas (model 33) in .656 bore, and their “larger” BBb tubas (700 series, model 91, etc.) and BBb sousaphones in .750 bore. I’ve heard tell that their CC model 692 was built in +/- .709 bore, but I’ve never been able to verify this personally.

I’ve never seen any York in .687 bore (other than frankentubas, of course) but as I said, that transition period between Grand Rapids and Geretsreid is somewhat sketchy and anything was possible.

[greenbean]

I like the idea of a hybrid. Always good to add some German craftsmanship to the mix!... However they did it, the build quality looks top-notch.

[bloke]

I'm sure it's fine...
PLAY it (even if only through your phone) so we can see/hear it.