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It would seem to be quite a task and maybe not something a repair tech could do, but has anyone heard of cutting down a sousaphone bell? It seems to me that 26" bells are rather superfluous and that a 24" bell or a little smaller would not only make the instrument a little more flexible and more focused sounding but would also reduce the heft and increase the physical manageability of the beasts.

Anyone tried it?

You're talking about cutting off a one-inch ring all the way around? I'm thinking a sousa bell without the outer bead and stiffening wire would be horribly easy to bend, plus pose a danger of slicing hands every time it was handled putting it on or off.

Although entirely possible... someone might be tickled to death to swap you a 24" flare for your 26" one. What model sousa are you speaking of?

Me I would love to have a 24inch bell cut down to a 22 or 21inch. 24 is just too big in my opinion and I wish I could get a bell with a smaller flare.

TubaTinker wrote:Although entirely possible... someone might be tickled to death to swap you a 24" flare for your 26" one. What model sousa are you speaking of?

I was thinking that most older King tubas have a 26" bell and that it would be difficult to find a 24" one. I did once play a King with a smaller bell, but it was the only one I remember running across, are the smaller bell ones more common than I have been thinking? The one that I did play was a really great playing instrument, unfortunately the owner was asking more than I was willing to pay at the time. It was a mismatched combo if I remember correctly, and may not have even been a King bell but as with many things I unfortunately have a foggy memory of it.

Also, what about the older conn 14k's, 36k's and 20k's are there any alternate bell styles/sizes for any of these instruments?

This is for future reference only as I currently am sousa-less.

If your going to do such a cut, I'd have a precision machining shop do it. It will cost a bit more but, they have the best equipment for the job and will make the most accurate cut.

Not to pee in your good gig, Brian, but 20"of wire in a loop will miss out on a certain factor.

Klaus

If its a King your talking about Look for an old Cleveland sousa or American standard . They both were made with smaller bells

If you do decide to cut your existing bell instead of trading it for a smaller one, this posting from an earlier thread on a similar topic may be useful.

Re: cutting bell flare

Postby Daniel C. Oberloh » Mon Apr 09, 2012 8:58 pm
The only economically workable way I have found to cut down a tuba bell rim is not re-spinning but replacing the rim with a solid rim made from brass rod, that is milled, brazed into a ring, shaped on a roll-stand and after proper fitting, soldered to the bell rim. If done properly and with care, it will be nearly impossible to tell that it was altered. It is very doable.

Daniel C. Oberloh
Oberloh Woodwind and Brass Works
http://www.oberloh.com" target="_blank

goodgigs wrote:All he did was take a wire, make a 20" loop, solder its ends together, and grind and file flat the side of it where
it contacted the sheet metal and solder it on.

Here's an idea for a variation that I bet hasn't often been done: cut a series of half-ellipses around the rim like petals of a flower, and then solder that wire to the tips of the petals. Unique, and awesome.

KiltieTuba wrote:

Donn wrote:

goodgigs wrote:All he did was take a wire, make a 20" loop, solder its ends together, and grind and file flat the side of it where
it contacted the sheet metal and solder it on.

Here's an idea for a variation that I bet hasn't often been done: cut a series of half-ellipses around the rim like petals of a flower, and then solder that wire to the tips of the petals. Unique, and awesome.

Wasn't there a Besson euphonium with a flower shaped bell?

It's a Sterling, not a Besson.
http://www.johnpacker.co.uk/blog/?tag=/euphonium" target="_blank

I am honestly not certain if either diameter would be appropriate for the Vaughan Williams Concerto.

(adapted from randomly selected photo found on the web.)