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I'm looking for some good shoulder pads and bow pads, anyone know a good online store where i could find some?

woodwind / brasswind
Interstate Music
Taylor Music
1-800-usa-band
mid-south music
any of these places would be able to get them for you.

Yamaha makes them, I would imagine Conn-Selmer makes pads as well.

ken k

Hey,
I'm sure Dillon could get it for you too.
FWIW, I have the Yamaha shoulder pad and to be honest it doesn't really do much and it didn't quite fit my sousa, luckily black gaffers tape made it work just fine.
Bill

I purchase foam pipe insulation in an appropriate diameter... split it lengthwise if it isn't already... and secure it to the bottom bow and shoulder plate with large wire ties. Cheap and quite effective.

yamaha's pads look badass if you have the bow and shoulder pads.

I bought a set of white pads from Tuba Exchange many years ago (top -shoulder and bottom bow) that have worked very well - they do show scuffs and dirt a bit. I use them on my fiberglass Olds, more for horn protection than shoulder relief.

I also got a set of Yamaha pads for my big ol' Conn 4 banger, but this time I got black! They are very nice!

the yamaha pads not only look good but work very well also. A local high school got a bunch of 20K's with yamaha pads for each ... I like the pads ... they actually do what they are supposed to do increase comfort and function

bloke wrote:

TubaTinker wrote:I purchase foam pipe insulation in an appropriate diameter... split it lengthwise if it isn't already... and secure it to the bottom bow and shoulder plate with large wire ties. Cheap and quite effective.

Several schools around here use that...It get's pretty crappy-looking pretty quick with hard use.

a question: Is there any sulfur in the pipe insulation that could react with silver plating?

Dunno. I've always used the pipe insulation on raw brass or lacquered horns. For what I do, it seems to last forever. I can't imagine kids tearing it up!

I haven't tried it on silver horns but I understand your concern about exposing silver to sulfur... like when band directors 'fix' waterkey springs on silver horns.

KiltieTuba wrote:I mean you dont see them on old photographs or even mentioned anywhere in old catalogs. It is my guess they are specifically aimed toward high school players as those kids tend to be scrawny and weak, probably needing that padding.

I Think these pads are made for a number of different markets.

1. The Kids: These days we're lucky to get a kid to play tuba let alone a Sousaphone. If a little bit of padding means a new Sousaphone player then that's a good thing.

2. Life long Sousa players: The young men in those pictures are not as strong as they once were. If the pads will help them play then they should use them. Even if they're a little ugly and inconvenient.

3. Part time players: Many people only get the chance to wiggle into a Sousaphone a few times a year. I know I'm thankful for every molecule of padding on my horns every time I play. (about 24hrs yearly)

Full time players are/should be expected to work up a tolerance the same way hockey players need to get used to skating. I think if a few ugly/inconvenient pads will make playing a horn easier and more enjoyable then go for it.

I'm actually not looking for comfort or anything like that, it's just that the sousas are brand new and I don't really want to dent or scratch them lol

Here's my favorite thread about sousaphone pads:

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=16100&p=132386&hili ... on#p132386" target="_blank" target="_blank

Too bad those pics have all expired. I had fun putting that together.

KiltieTuba wrote:I for one am against sousaphone pads. I think they look just plain awful. I mean you dont see them on old photographs or even mentioned anywhere in old catalogs. It is my guess they are specifically aimed toward high school players as those kids tend to be scrawny and weak, probably needing that padding. With that said they are a useful tool to slowly transition into playing a sousaphone for long periods of time.....So what you really should look for is some exercise and muscle building. just my two cents

I think they do serve a purpose, even for those of us who are the polar opposite of a scrawny, weak high schooler. I'm 23 and weigh 250+, played football in high school and work out regularly and I still get bruises from my sousaphone. We play on Yamahas, which from my own experience, are one of the heaviest manufactured sousas out there today. Maybe we keep our horns on longer than most schools since we never take them off during football games. On a typical game day, if you include rehearsal, pregame, game and postgame...we have our horns on for about 7 hours or so. We don't take them off at all during the game except if you have to relieve yourself or something, but we all come home with bruises...even with the pads. They do allow you to keep the horn on for longer and do reduse some of the bruising, even for us non-scrawny kids. If you wanna be all "macho"...go ahead...I'm gonna keep my sousa pads