F.A. Reynolds
Encyclopedia
Life
Foster Reynolds was born December 29, 1884, was married twice and had three children. His first Marriage to Frances Dean at the age of 18 lasted 31 years before ending in divorce. His second marriage to Myrtle Rozelle in the late 1940s lasted the remainder of his life. He entered the workforce at the age of 18 in 1903 and died on the job July 18, 1960 at the age of 75.Early career
F.A. Reynolds began as an apprentice with the Brass band instrument manufacturer J.W. YorkJames Warren York
James Warren York was a musician, businessman, business owner and musical instrument innovator. The "York tuba sound" is considered by most tubists to be the defining timbre of a quality instrument...
. At York he learned brass band instrument design in a tradition that traced it’s lineage back through James York, the company’s founder to the company where he learned the craft, the Boston Musical Instrument Company
Boston Musical Instrument Company
The Boston Musical Instrument Company was an American manufacturer of brass band instruments in the late 19th and early 20th centuries located in Boston, Massachusetts.- Corporate History :...
, which in turn had been formed by the union of the E.G. Wright Company (est. 1841) and Graves & Co which had been making instruments since the 1820s and the advent of valved brass instrument
Brass instrument
A brass instrument is a musical instrument whose sound is produced by sympathetic vibration of air in a tubular resonator in sympathy with the vibration of the player's lips...
s.
In 1904, Reynolds left the York company
James Warren York
James Warren York was a musician, businessman, business owner and musical instrument innovator. The "York tuba sound" is considered by most tubists to be the defining timbre of a quality instrument...
to take a position with the H.N. White company, the maker of “King” instruments. There he transitioned from craftsman to shop superintendent. Reynolds worked for 30 years in Cleveland at King rising far in the company.
F.A. Reynolds Company
In 1936, Reynolds founded the F.A. Reynolds Company to manufacture his own line of band instruments. Reynolds gained a reputation for superior workmanship and the acoustical properties of the instruments. Reynolds spent 10 years with his company, developing successful lines of cornetCornet
The cornet is a brass instrument very similar to the trumpet, distinguished by its conical bore, compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B. It is not related to the renaissance and early baroque cornett or cornetto.-History:The cornet was...
s, trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
s, baritone horn
Baritone horn
The baritone horn is a member of the brass instrument family. The baritone horn has a predominantly cylindrical bore as do the trumpet and trombone. A baritone horn uses a large mouthpiece much like those of a trombone or euphonium, although it is a bit smaller. Some baritone mouthpieces will sink...
s, French horns, and bass trombones among others. The company realized significant sales of instruments to the United States Armed Forces
United States armed forces
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. They consist of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard.The United States has a strong tradition of civilian control of the military...
during the Second World War. At the age of 61, Reynolds sold the company to Scherl & Roth in 1946.
While at F.A. Reynolds, he teamed with other notable brass men of the day to work on the Martin Committee
Martin Committee
The Martin Committee was a line of band instruments, including trumpets, cornets, fluegelhorns, trombones, and saxophones. The name originated in the mid-1930s and was used until 2007...
trumpet in 1939. He also Established the Ohio Band Instrument Company concurrently owned by himself, his brother Harper and Max Scherl of Scherl & Roth. This spin-off company became wholly owned by Scherl & Roth at the same time they purchased F.A. Reynolds.
Retirement and F.E. Olds
The year after selling his company to retire, Reynolds was lured to F.E. Olds by Maurice Berlin, the president of Olds’ parent company Chicago Musical Instruments. Reynolds moved to Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and took control of the Olds factory there. By 1948 this involvement lead to the birth of the Olds Ambassador line of cornet
Cornet
The cornet is a brass instrument very similar to the trumpet, distinguished by its conical bore, compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B. It is not related to the renaissance and early baroque cornett or cornetto.-History:The cornet was...
s, trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
s and trombone
Trombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
s which Olds sold for decades. In 1953 Reynolds took on an apprentice, Zigmant Kanstul, who would serve as plant superintendent until 1970 after Reynolds’ death. Reynolds died on the job from a massive heart attack in the company of Kanstul and others at the Olds plant in Fullerton
Fullerton, California
Fullerton is a city located in northern Orange County, California. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 135,161.It was founded in 1887 by George and Edward Amerige and named for George H. Fullerton, who secured the land on behalf of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway...
California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
Present Day
F.E. Olds and Son has been reconstituted and is selling Olds and Reynolds branded instruments with a headquarters in WestfieldWestfield, New Jersey
Westfield is a town in Union County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town population was 30,316. The old village area, now the downtown district, was settled in 1720 as part of the Elizabethtown Tract....
New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. The original F.E. Olds company closed its doors in 1979, still managed by one of the employees present with Reynolds at his death, The Ohio Band Instrument Company name went away around 1950.