1925 York 6/4 BBb

[Tim Jackson]

Congrats on a great tuba!

I would've bought this in a YORK second if I had not already been there done that - I mean that in a very good and positive way.
These are great instruments - wonderful deep low range and singing high range... and such RESONANCE!
I just sold mine last year because I'm getting old, and the horn was sitting alone for months at a time. But I had some wonderful and remarkable times with it. This horn opens up in a big hall like none other. The rich sound just pairs with everything including the seats, light fixtures, even the carpet.
I played several concerts using this horn with the Pensacola Symphony. Amazing how many orchestral pieces can be performed with a 3 valve horn.
Mine was just about as close to a museum piece as it gets. It was never buffed and showed no signs of major repairs or any repairs. The fit and finish was excellent, and the satin was rich.

I paid almost 3 times the price as this current example and never regretted the purchase. I felt like I had the York that inspired the building of the Chicago Yorks. I was pleased that I found a buyer that would treasure the horn as much as I did. I owned it long enough to really enjoy it and the sale was a natural evolution that life brings.

I almost bought this one just to marvel at the horn once again. However, since I do not play large ensembles anymore, I forced myself to refrain.
Mine had the tuning donut and a satin finish. Otherwise, it looks like the same model. I fussed around with mouthpieces until I came across the 91 York MP that was meant for the horn. It was cup-shaped and not that deep. I'm not an MP nut, but when I plugged that piece in, the horn lit up.

Some you may notice these are just not coming up very often. Once you have one, you keep it for a long time.
I had mine 25 years.

At least I still enjoy seeing the pictures.
Tim Jackson

York Front light.jpg (130.64 KiB) Viewed 607 times

[arpthark]

Yes, the original mouthpiece is a great pairing for this horn. Thanks for sharing, Tim! What a beaut.

[bloke]

Tim sent me some old comments that were made on the other place.

For the satin finish to still be that sharp, that near mint instrument had not been polished very many times at all.

[lost]

It appears the body on this York was a new improved version of their older monster tubas. My 1918 version of this was slightly larger and even more cumbersome. They changed some dimensions of the tapers into a more compact wrap in the mid 20's with a slightly smaller taper in the bell throat which I imagine was to help fix the intonation? Good price too.

[arpthark]

I took this horn to band rehearsal last night. Playing some early-and-mid 20th century tunes (Artie Shaw medley, other summer-series-fluff) where the tuba is acting more like a string bass allowed this tuba to really shine.

It's really big, and kind of a PITA to wrangle in a chair, but the blooming sound and feedback from under the bell are kind of intoxicating.

Intonation-wise, I'm able to mostly keep it between the ditches, but C and B natural in the staff are problem notes (20+c flat). The entire horn needs to be shortened just a hair, too.

I went back and forth between the York 91 mouthpiece and the Sellmansberger OG Ultimate, and found that both are a good fit -- the original York being on the smaller side, a bit like a Schilke Helleberg II or a Laskey H cup that a lot of players like to plug into their 6/4 tubas. I prefer the OG's rim profile and larger cup volume, but will probably continue to experiment.

[MiBrassFS]

Have you tried something a bit shallower like an “Imperial” or even a “Solo” with your rim of choice? Just curious about what it does to the overall pitch.

[arpthark]

Have you tried something a bit shallower like an “Imperial” or even a “Solo” with your rim of choice? Just curious about what it does to the overall pitch.

Good idea. When I get a chance for some more face time with the tuba, I will take a look at my Imperial cup, and will see how it fares with and without the Delrin cup extender, too.

I think of the York 91 being in sort of the same class as the Imperial, but I haven't really inspected it too closely outside of measuring the ID (32mm).

[prairieboy1]

Thank you Tim for posting the photos of your horn. It is absolutely gorgeous and I find myself looking at these pictures often.

[Sousaswag]

I’d bet they built the 1st/3rd slides long to compensate for those low C’s and B’s. My Holton was like that. Once I cut the 1st slide on my bell front, that C will be good.

[York-aholic]

Yeah, and with that long 3rd slide, if you use it to play a G or D, there's enough pull to play a Gb or Db! Lots and lots and lots of pull!