Posted by Lew on February 25, 2003 at 07:25:03:
In Reply to: York Tubas? posted by Matt A on February 24, 2003 at 23:03:54:
Here is a link to a website with research about the York company. Although they are no longer in business I believe the right to use the name belongs to Boosey & Hawkes. There is a mystique that has developed about York tubas primarily because of the 2 that are owned by the Chicago Symphony and were used by Arnold Jacobs. They are probably great playing tubas, but as Mr. Jacobs would probably have told you, who's behind the mouthpiece makes more of a difference to the sound than what the mouthpiece is in. There are probably many tubas made today that play as well or better, and with better intonation and on which great players can make just as good a sound as the CSO Yorks.
I owned a 4 valve, front action Monster York Eb and it was a good Eb tuba. There were some notes with funky intonation and the low Bb didn't speak as well as on other eefers I have tried, but it was a good tuba. I would think that a Willson or Besson Eb would play just as well or better.
I haven't seen a web site with a compendium of the various York tuba models, but there are a few older catalogs floating around that list some of them. Since they also made custom instruments to order the best examples are likely not to be described or pictured in any catalog.
The only place to find them today is on the used market. One will show up at a dealer on at auction periodically, but they are usually not the most desireable models. Dale's Yorks are probably among some of the best examples offered for sale recently, even though they are top action. A York tuba will generally command a slight premium over an equivalent tuba by a different maker. Whether they are worth it depends on the specific instrument and the player. Someone bought a 3 valve, front action, 6/4 sized York BBb at auction last year for over $6000. That seems like an excessive amount to pay for a 3 valve tuba to me, but if it allows the player to get a sound that he couldn't achieve otherwise maybe it was worth it, at least to him.