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Has anybody tried fitting a detachable up-right bell to a sousaphone to make a frankenhellicon?

My Last mixed marriage I built ***Schlepporello's Helicon**** out of 3 Horns...I love helicons and see nothing wrong with taken 3 horn that all need help and putting them toghter and making a player.That someone will be happy to play and have with... Thanks Harv.
here is the horn in my shop http://harvshappyhorns.blogspot.com/201 ... licon.html" target="_blank" target="_blank

Harvey Hartman wrote:My Last mixed marriage I built ***Schlepporello's Helicon**** out of 3 Horns...I love helicons and see nothing wrong with taken 3 horn that all need help and putting them toghter and making a player.That someone will be happy to play and have with... Thanks Harv.
here is the horn in my shop http://harvshappyhorns.blogspot.com/201 ... licon.html" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank

Good looking Hellicon but I was thinking more along the lines of keeping everything stock still want to use it as a sousaphone with option of using an upright bell when wanted

http://www.thevillagetinker.com/projects.htm" target="_blank

Scoll about 1/3 of the way down It's a great site overall for ideas and a great guy to boot!

J.c.S.

Thanks for the link Dan has already helped me solve some problems on my sousaphone already this week. Thank you Dan.
I am torn as I have a desire for a 4 th valve on my 26k or a helicon conversion.
Dan's one looks very good

It's possible to put a Martin detachable upright bell on Martin sousaphones of the same vintage. I tried it but the pitch wasn't quite right and the instrument became quite unwieldy due to the imbalance the upright bell created. Looked darn weird too.....

Back in 1961 I put the upright bell of a Conn 25J onto a Conn Short-action sousaphone to make a "raincatcher". It worked. Some years later I saw Keith Brion using the same idea in a Sousa Band recreation concert.

To make a real helicon you would have to remove the large-tubing bend just below the bell collar, and find a straight bell that would fit. It would have to be a long bell to get down to BBb. OR you could make it a short bell and shorten the tuning slide to bring it up to CC.

-Art-

http://greatctjazz.org/Sugarfoot/

Art Hovey wrote:Back in 1961 I put the upright bell of a Conn 25J onto a Conn Short-action sousaphone to make a "raincatcher". It worked. Some years later I saw Keith Brion using the same idea in a Sousa Band recreation concert.

To make a real helicon you would have to remove the large-tubing bend just below the bell collar, and find a straight bell that would fit. It would have to be a long bell to get down to BBb. OR you could make it a short bell and shorten the tuning slide to bring it up to CC.

-Art-

http://greatctjazz.org/Sugarfoot/

Very nice conversion and detailing on the sousaphone who's work is it?
Just looked again is that 4 pistons and a rotary valve?

Both are by bloke and represent different approaches to the shortening occurring when a sousaphone is converted to a helicon. The long upper leadpipe keeps the pitch down in BBb. The helicon below had a very long leadpipe/tuning slide removed and now is in CC.

Klaus

Hey Guys (sorry, I've asked this in a couple of places),

Anyone know what kind of upright bell might fit properly in a Conn 14K? I've heard of it being done to get a pseudo-raincatcher and I'd love to have the option. . .

thanks,
T. J.

T. J. Ricer wrote: Anyone know what kind of upright bell might fit properly in a Conn 14K? I've heard of it being done to get a pseudo-raincatcher and I'd love to have the option. . .

While it's very easy to make a King sousa into a raincatcher, as the 2340/2341 upright bells fit right in (you'll have to putt the main slide quite a bit, however), I don't know of a detachable bell which fits the 14K; there's no similar sized removable bell tuba.

What I would explore is asking TubaTinker if one of his aftermarket bells could be cut to fit the collar; I'm betting it could

J.c.S.