Recording Basses & Tubas

The earliest documented example of a Recording Bass from the Reynolds factory is from c. 1944, a Regent model—the earliest Reynolds model is from approximately four years later. 

The Contempora line launched in 1949 with new trumpet and bass trombone models, followed by cornet and tenor trombone. A year later, most original "F.A. Reynolds" instruments had been rebranded on paper as "Contempora" instruments, including the Recording Basses, though they were still referred to as "Reynolds" instruments throughout the 1950s. It is undetermined if the "Contempora" name was engraved prior to 1952, so many of these instruments may look the same as the F.A. Reynolds models.

Recording Bass instruments made from 1952-1960 should have "Contempora" and "Made by Roth-Reynolds" engraved on the bell.

The Recording Bass was part of a group of instruments in the early 1950s that had the word "Symphony" in their formal name—Reynolds Contempora "Symphony" Bass Trombone—or in the catalog description—"Pottag Model Double French Horn built for Symphony use". This was at the same time that Reynolds was using members of the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra to play test instruments and the company was increasingly endorsed by orchestra players—Pottag, Chambers, Kahila, Ostrander, Counihan—rather than members of the dance bands of the 1930s and '40s.

The association with symphony orchestra players evidently led Roth-Reynolds to add a "European style" upright bell option to the Recording Bass. Introduced sometime between 1953-58, Roth-Reynolds sold the configuration as the Reynolds Contempora Tuba. Players could purchase either or both bells, interchanging them as needed for specific performance settings.

Sometime after Richards Music purchased Reynolds in 1961, the product catalog was reorganized. Old model numbers were replaced with a new scheme that incorporated an abbreviation for the type of instrument, e.g. "FE" for French Horn, and a hierarchal numbering system that reflected the grade of instrument, e.g. "01" for top-level artist instruments, "56" for student horns. To the best of knowledge, the instrument specifications did not change, just the model numbers. The new numbering system was used for the rest of the company's history.

New to the Reynolds catalog in 1961 was the introduction of a Fiberglass Sousaphone. Promising significant weight reduction and a variety of colors and finishes, the model married the traditional brass valve section to a fiberglass body and bell. By 1963, the catalog had expanded to offer fiberglass tuba models as well.

After CMI purchased the assets to Reynolds, background and low brass instruments were produced at the Reynolds factory in Abilene, Texas. There were slight adjustments to the model specifications compared to the Cleveland instruments. It has been reported that some parts—e.g., baritone and low brass bells—were manufactured at the Olds plant in Fullerton and shipped to Abilene to be assembled with parts made there. The E♭ models (TB-15/16) were dropped from the catalog sometime between 1968 and 1970.

In 1970, Reynolds merged production lines with Olds in Fullerton and sold the Abilene plant to Conn. In most cases, a horn would come off the California production line and become either a Reynolds- or Olds-branded instrument based on detailing and finish. With the closing of the Abilene plant, the era of "big brass" was finished as well. The large tuba and recording bass models were abandoned in favor of a smaller student tuba model (TB-09/10) that was identical to Olds Model O-99.