Reynolds began as an apprentice with the Brass band instrument manufacturer J.W. York. At York he learned brass band instrument design in a tradition that traced its lineage back through James York, the company's founder to the company where he learned the craft, the Boston Musical Instrument Company, which in turn had been formed by the union of the E.G. Wright Company and Graves & Co which had been making instruments since the 1820s and the advent of valved brass instruments. In 1904, Reynolds left the York company 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 cornets, trumpets, baritone horns, French horns, and bass trombones among others. The company realized significant sales of instruments to the United States Armed Forces 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 Committeetrumpet 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 companyChicago Musical Instruments. Reynolds moved to Los Angeles, California and took control of the Olds factory there. By 1948 this involvement lead to the birth of the Olds Ambassador line of cornets, trumpets and trombones 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, California.
Company legacy
F.E. Olds and Son has been reconstituted and is selling Olds and Reynolds branded instruments with a headquarters in Westfield, New Jersey. 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.
Personal life
Reynolds was married twice and had three children. His marriage to Frances Dean at the age of 19 lasted 31 years before ending in divorce. His second marriage, to Myrtle Rozelle, lasted the remainder of his life. He entered the workforce at the age of 19 in 1903 and died on the job July 18, 1960, at the age of 76.
