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Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2005 9:52 am
by Brassdad
I don't know about Tubas, but one of the local music stores here in NE Virginia has plastic Saxaphones, Trumpets, and (I think) a flute.
Not toys either based on the $300.00+ for the sax
Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2005 10:12 am
by jlbreyer
Do a search on GLASSL
That is the name of a German company that makes fiberglass tubas.
jlb
Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2005 6:15 pm
by Leland
I once marched with an apparently all-plastic sousaphone at an alumni game.
Seriously, ALL plastic, or as much as possible. I think even the valve casings were plastic, although I couldn't unscrew the valves to find out for sure. I don't know how it sounded, but it sure was light.
Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2005 7:48 pm
by Leland
Gary Swart wrote: I know of no sousaphones made of plastic, but I'm sure not the last word on that.
I didn't know of any either until I happened upon the one I mentioned. It wouldn't surprise me if the outer branches were fiberglass, but even the bell didn't have the same feel that fiberglass usually does.
I think the water keys, valve stems, buttons, and valvesprings might have been the only metal parts. I tried to take apart the valves to see inside, but they were stuck fast, and I had to get to practice anyway.
I haven't seen anything like it since, either (thank goodness).
*edit*
While I'm reminiscing, if anyone here has been at the University Of Nebraska-Lincoln, I'd like to hear if they've seen it buried in the depths of Westbrook. When I used it, they had pulled it from somewhere in the basement.
Re: Plastic sousaphones?
Posted: Sun Oct 30, 2005 2:11 pm
by Lew
tubafreaks7 wrote:Somewhere among the cobwebs of my mind I seem to recall coming acrost a sousaphone made of PVC or ABS? Perhaps it was just te bell. It wasn't a shiny finished fiberglass but a thicker, rougher finish. Am I a little loopy or does a plastic, production model, sousa exist?
Your description of a rough pebbled finish sounds exactly like the fiberglass sousaphones I used in high school. I would expect a PVC or ABS sousaphone would have had a smooth finish.
Posted: Sun Oct 30, 2005 10:38 pm
by iiipopes
You might want to check the UMI/cyborg website, because I believe they are advertising their sousaphones with a resin bugle & bell. If you MUST have something besides all brass, get a pre-UMI King from the early to mid 1970's: lighter than the first generation fiberglass, minimal upkeep, and the .687 bore has better projection and centering than the Conn .734 bore.
THIS COMMENT ONLY APPLIES TO FIBERGLASS HORNS -- NOT ALL BRASS HORNS OR ANY OF THE NEWER HYBRIDS