The date on which Frank Ellsworth Olds made his first brass musical
instrument is not recorded. Assuredly, it was prior to 1910, the traditional
formation of the Olds firm, but could have been as early as the mid-to late
1880’s.
Alva James Olds and Sarah Merril Averill (Olds), Frank’s parents, lived in
Lockport, New York, but Frank was born in nearby Medina on 19 May 1861.
The family moved to Toledo, Ohio when Frank was young.
It has been reported, but not corroborated, that, Frank worked in C.G. Conn’s
musical instrument factory in Elkhart, Indiana, presumably at the approximate
age of 16 years. Conn factory records were destroyed by fire on 22 May
1910, and Elkhart City Directories do not list Frank as a resident.
Frank had returned to East Toledo in about 1879, living at home with his
parents on the southwest corner of Utah and Wilmot. His occupation was
listed as being a “Cooper”, or one who makes tubs and barrels. By 1882
Frank was listed simply as a “laborer”, as inauspicious beginning for a man
whose surname would become one of the most famous in musical instrument
history.
Olds’ activities for the approximate two years between 1883 and 1885 are
unknown, but the latter year found him in Los
Angeles, the location of his home for the rest of his life. The reasons for
Frank’s move to the West Coast are lost, but speculation suggests that
factors other than an interest in pursuing a career in musical instrument
manufacture may have dominated his thinking. The center of the brass
instrument industry had begun to be established in the Mid-West, not the
West Coast. The lure of an increasingly prosperous business environment
and the reality of infinitely better weather conditions may have prompted
his move to Los Angeles.
Frank began employment in Los Angeles at the L.A. Tool Works, where
he was an electroplater. His residence at the time was 263 S. Spring Street,
now in the heart of downtown Los Angeles.
Olds’ early focus in Los Angeles appears to have not been music, nor
trombones, nor instrument manufacture, but bicycles. By the late 1880s,
the bicycle had become immensely popular in America. In early 1887,
Frank had begun participating in a wide range of activities sponsored by the
Wheelmen and the Los Angeles Bicycle Club. He participated in races and
often provided spectacular demonstrations of skill riding the “large wheel
first” bicycle fashionable in the late 1880s.
By 1889, Frank had left the employ of the L.A. Tool Works. His
popularity within the bicycle community was such that it provided sufficient
incentive for him to open his own firm, F.E. Olds Plating and Novelty
Works at 110-113 W. 5th. Street in Los Angeles. From a relatively
anonymous existence in Toledo, Frank Olds had, within less than four
years after his appearance in Los Angeles, risen to at least a modicum of
prominence, both in the manufacturing and bicycle communities.
F. E. OLDS AND SON, INC.
A SHORT HISTORY
R. DALE OLSON
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In approximately the same year as Frank’s arrival in Los Angeles, a widow,
Helen A. (Moore) Birdsall and her daughter, twenty-four year old Helen Daisy
Birdsall, moved there from the State of New York. Daisy began work as a
clerk, in 1887, at the Joseph W. Robinson department store and lived in
downtown Los Angeles. The manner in which Daisy Birdsall and Frank Olds
met is not recorded, but both worked and lived in the same area of downtown
Los Angeles, both were young, and single. Frank and Daisy appear to have
been very social, and the young couple was soon accepted into the higher
ranks of Los Angeles society circles. After a courtship of undetermined length,
Frank E. Olds and Helen Daisy Birdsall were married on May 2, 1890, with a
glowing report of the fashionable wedding appearing in the Los Angeles
Times. They were referred to as, “favorites of society”, a singular honor for a
young couple who were relative newcomers to Los Angeles.
Frank’s activities in the world of bicycles included acting as a “bugler” at
special events in 1887, apparently the first reference to Frank’s musical
activities.
By 1891, Frank, Daisy, and Helen Birdsall, Daisy’s mother, moved to a
new home, the location of which, over one hundred years later, bears historic
significance to the musical instrument industry, 206 West 24th. Street, Los
Angeles, California. Helen lived with Frank and Daisy until her death in 1923.
Helen was also a prominent figure in Los Angeles at the time, and received
many mentions in the Times regarding her social activities and church work.
The home became the location from which would later flow the very first
production models of a musical instrument made by Olds, a trombone.
From bicycles, Frank appeared to have moved to the still relatively new
business of automobiles. By 1901, he was associated with the Locomobile
Company of the Pacific. Although listed as a “machinist”, Olds’ position
with Locomobile is vague. It is probable that he functioned in a considerably
larger capacity, possibly even as a dealer for the Locomobile automobile.
The steam powered Locomobile was fitted with approximately 298 “tube
joints” of brass or copper, with an approximate interior bore of ..437 inches.
Frank would have been intimately familiar with the soldering and repairing of
such tubes should they have developed leaks. Interestingly, the bore of the
Locomobile tubing was very close to the internal bore of brass instruments
with which Olds was most familiar.
Compelling evidence suggests that Frank perhaps operated a repair facility
at his home, prior to entering production of trombones.
Olds’ alleged patent for a new trombone, of April, 1912, was probably
concurrent with, or somewhat after, the development of his early production
trombones. Although catalogs from the firm often implied that the Patent of
1912 was Frank’s, there is no information which confirms that he ever held
a United States Patent. The patent identified in engraving of early Olds
trombones was held by a George Riblet, whose association with Frank is
unknown. Ironically, Frank’s son, Reginald B. Olds, often dismissed as a
figurehead within his father’s firm, was granted five United States patents!
Production of trombones at the factory at 206 24th. Street (a facility the
Olds family referred to as the “barn”) was highly successful. In 1922, Frank
either purchased, or constructed, a new factory on Raymond in Los
Angeles. By this time, 23 year old Reginald had joined the firm, and was
apparently instrumental in its operation. It was at this location that the name
“Olds” gained an immensely coveted reputation, and it was also from this
factory that the now legendary trumpets by Olds were first made.
Frank and Daisy were now highly successful factory owners and
socialites in Los Angeles, and moved to a new home in the exclusive West
Adams area at 2266 West 24th. Street. Reg and Frank’s mother-in-law,
Helen Birdsall also lived at the Olds home. On Thursday 5 October 1928,
Frank and Daisy walked from the porch of their home in anticipation of a
luxury ocean voyage on the ship, “City of Los Angeles’. It was the last time
Frank would leave his beautiful home.
During an anticipated absence of Frank of two months, Reginald went
about the business of managing F.E. Olds and Son, Inc. He had just begun
to adapt to his temporary role as the leader of the Company, when, on the
9th. of October, he received word that his father, Frank E. Olds, had died
suddenly while at sea. Although Reg reported that his father appeared to be
in excellent health just prior to departure, the cause of death was listed as
“heart disease”. Frank was buried at sea, off the coast of Acapulco, Mexico,
and, at Reg’s urging, Daisy remained to complete the voyage alone.
Reg Olds who was accustomed to the finer things of life and enjoyed
obvious career security, now assumed the void left by Frank’s death. Reg
was now “Mr. Olds”. In early to mid-1928, Frank, and presumably Reg,
had begun experimental work on an Olds trumpet. This became a passion
of Frank’s, but he died a four short months before the first trumpet was
produced on February 5, 1929. It was, therefore, the responsibility of
Reginald to not only continue production of trombones, but now an
increasingly popular line of trumpets and other brass instruments.
It was under Reginald’s leadership that the now highly regarded
trumpet models flowed: “The Olds”, “Standard”, “French”, “Military”,
“Special”, “Symphony”, “Super, “Super-Recording”, and the
“Recording”. Supporting Reg during the difficult days following his father’
s death, were several employees whose contributions could not be
dismissed. Master trombone makers Sherm Sheld and Roe Plimpton,
plant superintendent Clayton Stump, and French horn maker Peter
Sekora, formed the backbone of continuing operations. In the late 1940s
and early 1950s, Foster A. Reynolds and later Zigmant J. Kanstul
provided an even elevated level of continuity to the success of the firm of
Olds.
The decades of the 1920s and 1930s flourished for the Olds Company,
but the world was on the brink of war as the 1940s emerged. The fast-
expansion was, rather abruptly, terminated. Production stopped,
new models ceased to appear, and F.E. Olds and Son, Inc. entered a role as
a United States Government contractor, making a variety of parts for
military aircraft such as gun sights. It has been reported that Olds
manufactured a run of saxophones for the government, which was lost with
the sinking of a ship on which they were being transported. Former General
Manager Don Agard clearly recalls tooling for saxophones having been
stored in the attic upon his arrival at Olds in 1952.
Reginald Olds was indeed fortunate in that most of his employees were an
older group at the onset of WWII, and were not included in the military
draft. Only two men were required to leave Olds for military service, and
both returned after the War. This fortuitous circumstance assured that,
upon a return to musical instrument production, little time would be lost in
retraining a new workforce.
After the War, the Olds Company attempted to reassess the market and
provide the consumer with their changing needs. Olds had, prior to WWII
only produced what may be referred to as “professional” level instruments.
But, the emerging needs of a post-War population suggested that a lower
priced, or “student” line of instruments was desirable.
Chicago Musical Instrument Company, headed by Maurice Berlin, had long
been associated with Olds as a distributor and probable financial partner.
Shortly after the cessation of WWII, Berlin, his Sales Manager Jack Levy,
and Reginald Olds met in Los Angeles to discuss the future of their
enterprise. From a meeting around the swimming pool of a Los Angeles
hotel, the visionaries agreed that the future of F.E. Olds and Son, Inc. would
be secured only if the “student” market were entered. Increased
production would, of course, be necessary, and the firm must adopt a new
operating strategy, perhaps even under new leadership. The
“Ambassador” line was thus conceptualized to fulfill the perceived new
path for the firm.
CMI had, by this time, assumed majority interest in the firm, and it was
Maurice Berlin who charted the new course. Enter Foster A.
Reynolds. “F.A.” had recently sold his brass instrument manufacturing
firm in Cleveland to violin maker Heinreich Roth, and had retired to a small
ranch near Cleveland. Reynolds’ expertise and experience involved not
only managing his own firm, but had worked for York and H.N. White,
developing his skills as an instrument producer.
Foster A. Reynolds was the antithesis of Reginald B. Olds. Olds was
admired, Reynolds was feared. Olds was beloved, Reynolds was
grudgingly respected. Olds was the friend of the worker, while
apprehension among employees at the announcement of Reynolds’ hiring
was so great that they unionized for the first time in forty years. With Reg
running things, unionization was unnecessary. With Foster Reynolds in
charge, the workers glared apprehensively and became distrustful of
management. From that point on, F.E. Olds and Son, Inc. would be a
union shop. Even as such, the magnificent quality of the instruments was
strictly maintained.
Reynolds quickly began work. He worked closely with Raphael
Mendez in bringing to fruition both the Ambassador and the Mendez model
trumpets. Arguably, the Ambassador is the most famous trumpet ever
produced.
Maurice Berlin’s actions had the proximate effect of casting Reg in the
light of figurehead, in which the world would forever, albeit unfairly, view
him. CMI dictated sales policy, and Foster Reynolds controlled the factory.
Reg maintained his dignity, and was always treated deferentially, even by
Berlin and other CMI personnel, but his prestige had been severely
undercut. He soon assumed the role of the grand old Padre who strode the
halls of his beloved monastery long after a new Order had assumed power,
all bowing and nodding politely to him, and speaking with great respect, but
with the full awareness that his glory days were past.
In 1952, an ambitious young man moved to Los Angeles and was
immediately employed at Olds. Zigmant J. Kanstul not only excelled at
every position to which he was assigned, F.A. saw in the young man
someone to carry his legacy. The two were near mirror images of each
other. Both were meticulous, demanding managers. Neither would accept
shortcuts, or a diminution in quality. Both demanded, and received, the best
each worker could provide. Both were immensely successful. In 1960, six
years after the firm had moved to Fullerton from Los Angeles, F.A.
suddenly died of a heart attack while meeting with Zig.
Don Agard, whose father had known Reynolds in Cleveland, worked for
F.A. on the small ranch during summer vacation from school. Upon his
graduation from Case Institute, Agard accepted a position with Olds and
functioned in many management capacities including the honor of having
been the final General Manager of F.E. Olds and Son, Inc., at the time of
its closing in 1979.
One of Agard’s early assignments was to modify the manner in which
serial numbers were maintained. Upon his employment, valved
instruments and trombones each carried their own separate set of serial
numbers. Thus, it was possible that a trumpet and a trombone would
both have the same number. Beginning January, 1954, serial numbers
for all instruments were merged, beginning with the number 100,000.
An earlier assignment for Agard was to scout the Los Angeles area
for a location of a new factory. Production had surged and the firm
could no longer continue its expansion at the old factory into which
Frank had moved in 1922. Agard drove many miles around Southern
California and finally suggested an orange grove in the city of Fullerton,
about 40 miles from the Los Angeles plant and, ironically on a street with
the same name, “Raymond”.
The move to Fullerton was seamless. Each department was moved
separately, and the firm experienced no break in production. The myth
that differences somehow exist between Los Angeles Olds instruments
and those made in Fullerton is totally without foundation.
The factory at 350 S. Raymond, in Fullerton was new, large, well lit,
modern, with a large parking lot, and offices for those in management. F.
A. and Zig ran the plant, opening very early and remaining until all had
left in the late afternoon. Reg typically appeared
about 10:00 a.m. daily, and left at 3:00 p.m. to play golf, leaving many
administrative duties to his loyal secretary, Ruth Dallas. Reg was Vice-
Consul to Estonia, a country which he had never visited. He drove Cadillac
convertibles with diplomatic license plates, mixed the driest Martini on the
West Coast, and spent much time at private clubs playing golf and tennis.
He was, however, still “Mr. Olds”.
I joined the firm on 3 January 1961, having been hired by Maurice Berlin
and Reginald Olds to begin design work on high pitched trumpets, and other
products. I remained as Director of Research until 1969, and served in a
consultation capacity for an additional few years.
Zig left the firm in 1972, leaving a void which was never filled. His
intuition had been precise. CMI’s philosophy and leadership had changed,
and Zig became wary of the future. Kanstul was once asked to guide a new
CMI executive through the Olds factory, and was astonished when he was
told that the new executive felt such was unnecessary! Zig knew that such
indifference signaled the beginning of the end to a legend.
CMI owned many musical instrument manufacturing firms: Gibson
Guitars, Story and Clark Pianos, Epiphone Guitars, and others. Making
quality brass instruments never produced corporate profits such as could be
made by stamping out hundreds of thousands of guitars and drum sets to
young people suddenly immersed in tock bands. School bands were on the
wane. A new company, Yamaha, had emerged as a threat to all others.
Production quotas and demands were made on Olds by CMI which could
not be met. The work force on the factory floor was still guided by the
ideals first established by Frank, and later perpetuated by Reg, F.A. and
Zig. No shortcuts. No lessening of quality. Work hard
. New ideas were tried in an attempt to salvage the firm. A factory
was opened in Abilene, Texas, a place with hundreds of cowboys, but
totally devoid of workers skilled in the production of musical instruments.
Managers and supervisors from the Olds factory in Fullerton were
unsuccessfully enticed to move from Southern California to relatively
inhospitable west Texas. CMI had purchased the name “Reynolds” in
the mid-1960s when a firm operated by Paul Richards, of which the
Reynolds Company was then a part, entered bankruptcy, and the plant in
Abilene was referred to as the “Reynolds’ factory”. Simply stated, it
never worked.
The concept of moving production to Mexico was briefly debated, but
was discarded. The Abilene plant was eventually closed, the victim of an
abysmally flawed strategy. Paradoxically, the Olds plant in Fullerton
pressed on, continuing to produce excellent instruments, and occasional
new models. There was, unfortunately, no technical or musical leadership
inspiring or guiding the progress. Still, the few old managers and
supervisors who could recall F.A. strolling the factory floor demanding the
best, recalled with deep respect the lessons taught by F.A. and Zig.
Why did this esteemed, and successful firm simply cease to exist? When
posed this question, Don Agard responded with a three letter answer,
“ROI”. “Return on Investment” was unsatisfactory to the group of
executives who now managed CMI. The firm of F.E. Olds and Son, Inc.
was no longer the financially viable entity demanded by management. The
new CMI also owned a brewery in South America, and their sensitivity to
fine musical instruments was nonexistent. The name CMI gave way to
“Norlin”, then to other corporate names. .The firm was now guided by
distant executives in Chicago who could read only balance sheets, not
musical scores. In the end, it is generally conceded that they did not even do
that very well.
Although a buyer for the firm was sought, with Vito Pascucci of LeBlanc
being the foremost candidate, CMI could not sell the Olds factory for its
illusive asking price. The decision was made to simply close the plant and
auction all assets.
On December 7, 1979, Don Agard turned out the lights for the last time.
A legacy had been blithely discarded, but in its place, a legend was born.