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If you must purchase new, Conn 14k or King 2350.

But if you can convince them otherwise, Dillon music has 4 refurb 14k's right now for $1395 each.

Weril has come up in quality in recent years, and got the ISO certification. Does anybody know how their souzys are?

Jupiters have too thin metal to be durable, and Yamahas are too expensive.

Yes, outdoor concerts were the original purpose of a sousaphone, but only in the "raincatcher" bell up configuration:

http://www.jwpepper.com/history/sousa.html

My school bought 10 new King 2350 last spring, the entire sousa line love 'em. They sound great and they're super light. But they still wouldnt compare to refurbished old Conns or Kings.

Good luck with that grant!

bloke wrote:Are Yamaha brass sousaphones still partially glued together...??

Weril (Dynasty) sousaphones are really pretty darn good, and they come with 4 valves. This makes it nice for not only marching use but concert use as well which was the originally intended purpose of a sousaphone.

You know...I'd buy something with the Dynasty brand name but not the Weirl. The bass trombone our school has is a Weirl, and it's partials aren't even in tune with each other.

With due respect, how old is the Weril bass bone you refer to? They've come up significantly in quality in the last few years. They might be worth a second look at this point, especially with the downward trend of the cyborg.

bloke wrote:Are Yamaha brass sousaphones still partially glued together...??

Why not? Yamaha glues ALL of their saxophones together!