Name That Sousaphone

[brattom]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGChxHnbnNE" target="_blank

Tom

[imperialbari]

Hard to tell from the few close-ups. Looks like a European 4 piston fibre sousaphone. Tho my knowledge the only European maker of fibre sousaphones and tubas was Glassl, who retired from the business maybe 5 or 8 years ago.

Klaus

[Ace]

Now, that is the way a Sousaphone should sound! Beautifully full and rich tone, clean articulation, flawless intonation. Very nice indeed. Let that be a lesson to all the blatty high school and college Sousaphone players in football and parade bands.

[Dan Schultz]

.... I believe the sousaphone is a Miraphone .....

At the least... the valve section is Miraphone or possibly Meinl/Schmidt. Also looks a lot like the valve sections on the Bohm & Meinl (aka Marzan) tubas.

[brattom]

We used to have some 4 valve German (I think MW) Sousaphones in the Army Band, but I don't remember that loop in what is probably the 4th valve tubing you see around 0:02. It also looks like the bell sits a little higher than most (2:24), but granted most of my Sousaphone viewing is done from the driver's seat. Or maybe the flair is smaller?

Whatever it is, it sounds great.

Tom

[toobaa]

I always thought sousaphones were supposed to be blatty, loud, and even uglier-sounding, but at one point he sounded just like a bass french horn but played under them. Later he dominates the whole group (but in a good way) . I was impressed. Did anyone notice that the largest guy plays the smallest instrument?

[J.c. Sherman]

Need one, want one, gotta have one!!!

Wonderful playing - these folks are TOPS!

But who is that on the tubage?

J.c.S.

[sousaphone68]

Christmas starts earlier every year it seems but for once its welcome absolutely can not believe how good the fibreglass sousa sounds and its the biggest/tallest one I have seen

[imperialbari]

A few photos of a Glassl BBb sousaphone. I am not sure it is the same at the one in the video, which appears having a quite shallow bell and bell knee. Something I remember from the old B&S brass sousaphones of the GDR era.

Klaus

[J.c. Sherman]

I should've been more clear... I meant "where's Herr Hilgers?"

J.c.S.

[imperialbari]

The German Brass site won’t open on my screen.

I am not so breathtaken by this group.They play very well, but on the boring side as they stress perfection more than spirit. They used to be built far too much around their usual lead trumpet, Matthias Höfs, who is not on this video.

Klaus

[Bob Kolada]

I am not so breathtaken by this group.They play very well, but on the boring side as they stress perfection more than spirit.

I understand what you are saying, but (for me) their technical aptitude and array of cool instruments balances it out for me. Or, it could be like it is for Pantera's Great Southern Trendkill for me- LOVE that one album (German Brass does Bach) but am not especially enamored of other works. I do view some of their pieces as the standard/perfect interpretation. Listening to any other group play Toccata and Fugue n D minor does nothing for me.

I should've been more clear... I meant "where's Herr Hilgers?"

I believe he has left the group to pursue other musical goals (conducting?). But also, where's Uwe Fussel? Happiness is listening Air with him on contra and Hilgers on Bb playing that lovely bass line.

[J.c. Sherman]

Amen to that, Bob!