"Champion" was a tradename used by Lyon & Healy, at least for some imported instruments (some of which had "Austria" or "France" or "Chicago" or "U.S.A")
Horn-u-copia even has a trombone that says "Made in Elkhart" tenatively listed in the Lyon & Healy section, for what it's worth...
Information about susaphone
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windshieldbug
- Once got the "hand" as a cue
- Posts: 11516
- Joined: Tue Mar 01, 2005 4:41 pm
- Location: 8vb
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imperialbari
- 6 valves
- Posts: 7461
- Joined: Fri Mar 19, 2004 3:47 am
The designation of the place of fabrication hopefully is true just for matters of principle.
American sousaphones rather early settled for a valve tubing wrap, where all valves have at least one bow/knuckle on the far side from the player. On BBb instruments the 3rd valve almost invariably has 2 knuckles there.
As sousaphones never became a really big hit in Europe, most makers transplanted the valve blocks, in a mirrored fashion, from their top valved tubas. Often there is no valve tubing at all on the far side from the player. The 3rd slide tubing often is doubled back to stay within the main perimeter.
After European makers started making front action piston tubas, a very few German makers have started using American-style valve blocks on their sousaphones. That is a good thing, as the geometry of the air passage through their pistons is much better and less restricted by sharp bends.
Klaus Smedegaard Bjerre
American sousaphones rather early settled for a valve tubing wrap, where all valves have at least one bow/knuckle on the far side from the player. On BBb instruments the 3rd valve almost invariably has 2 knuckles there.
As sousaphones never became a really big hit in Europe, most makers transplanted the valve blocks, in a mirrored fashion, from their top valved tubas. Often there is no valve tubing at all on the far side from the player. The 3rd slide tubing often is doubled back to stay within the main perimeter.
After European makers started making front action piston tubas, a very few German makers have started using American-style valve blocks on their sousaphones. That is a good thing, as the geometry of the air passage through their pistons is much better and less restricted by sharp bends.
Klaus Smedegaard Bjerre