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Hi all! This is especially aimed at the repair guys on the board. I was given an Eb King sousaphone in decent condition, along with its original hard case. As I really have no use for an Eb sousy, I was wondering if tubing can be added to convert it to a CC sousy. Then, I could find a use for it playing trad. jazz gigs.

Sure! just solder in the required length of tubing to the mains, pull all the valve slides about halfway, and you have a nominal CC souzy.

Here's the catch: by adding that much cylindrical tubing, you will alter the proportions of the bugle to such a degree the overtones or partials won't line up and intonation will be bad.

I built a kit to extend my King Eb sousie into a CC. It was an intellectual exercise which suddenly had money attached when a colleague needed a CC sousaphone for a performance. So I built the kit and it worked fine. It's a little bright, but if it's the full wrap-around style King, It can be put together very easily and removed quickly for transport. Or if you insist, it could be added permanently.

I wouldn’t really recommend the older style King Eb, either in Eb or extending it to CC.

I have a 3/4 York sousa which would probably chop to CC better than lengthening an Eb... or a post-war York Eb which could extend very nicely. Both would be better options if you really plan to play this.

J.c.S. (who'd happily make you a CC sousa in exchange for a wrap-around King in good shape ; )

J.c. Sherman wrote: J.c.S. (who'd happily make you a CC sousa in exchange for a wrap-around King in good shape ; )

Oh, man, I sold a four-valve full-wrap-around King Eb a few years ago for much less than a CC conversion would have cost! Always a tear to shed over lost projects. . .


FWIW, Don Harry has a "raincatcher" CC sousaphone that was built by Robb Stewart. I've played it with the new Sousa Band and it really is a decent horn, with a solid sound and solid pitch. . . It can be done.

--T. J.

Tim Sullivan and I Took a 4 valve King EEb sousaphone ..I make removeable tubes to put in the main tuning slide and the tuning slide goes into the end of the ex. tubes. So Same pull slide is used in both the EEb and CC , and I made a set for the 4th valve. How he has a EEb 4valves King and a CC King sousaphone just by putting the Ex. pipe in. And the horn Plays very nice . The horns in Switzerland with him .He uses it alot for outside gigs.. Hope this helps Harv.

Hi Bill,
Here's your project:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 3D1&_rdc=1

Personally, I think stretching a good Eb sousaphone to make a pea-shooter in CC would be a waste. King E-flat sousaphones are too good for that. (Especially if it has 4 valves; I know a guy who really wants to find one.)

Find a smallish junk BBb sousaphone with a long tuning slide and convert it into a CC helicon by removing most of the tuning slide, shortening the neck, and removing the bell. Stick on a short, straight bell. You'll also need to shorten all the valve tubing by about 12 percent. The best candidate would be a Buescher, because its tuning slide comes before the valve section.

There are also Conn helicons around which have fairly long tuning slides and ridiculously long bells, begging to be replaced with shorter bells.

I saw that one, Art... that needs to be put back to Eb... it's just as easy to make those extensions as a second set of slides, not harming the original.

J.c.S.

Thanks for all of the offers, suggestions and advice. Although I posted this topic, it's probably not something I will do. I think I was just bored and sick of this torential rain we've been getting. It still hasn't let up in 2 days. As long as I still have my Yammy 621, my strolling needs are taken care of. BTW - it's still for sale! If I ever do decide to have the conversion done, I probably wouldn't attempt it myself. I'm sure Matt Walters would be thrilled to mess with it. Or, I might decide to sell it. Thans again for all of the suggestions!

Art Hovey wrote:Hi Bill,
Here's your project:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 3D1&_rdc=1

And here's my point about intonation issues, this quote from the listing:

"I put this sousaphone on a tuner and discovered the intonation issues. The 5th partial is too flat to use so E has to be played 1 and 2, Eb 2 and 3, D and C# are OK with normal fingering. The 3rd partial is about 20 cent flat but can be focused up some. The first valve has an upper tuning slide that slides real easy, but it only has 3 inches of movement. There is no upper 3rd valve tuning slide."