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Jonathantuba wrote:The Besson 982 Eb is almost universally used by the British military bands. What is the type of sousaphone used by the US military? Would the type I saw played by the US Navy band be the same type as the ones on the inauguration parade?

Brand names vary, but we all generally play bell front Sousaphones and place them in the rear of the band.

Jonathantuba wrote:

WoodSheddin wrote:Brand names vary, but we all generally play bell front Sousaphones and place them in the rear of the band. For the inaugural I believe all the bands had 9 across the back.

Excuse my ignorance in this area, but would they be in BBb and with 4 valves?

Almost always BBb 3 valved.

Just as it was during all the Reagan ceremonies, it was good to see our nation's military bands front and center. These men and women are awesome. They certainly make me proud.

The three valve Conn 20Ks are all most of us need to do our marching gigs. The privaledged(false) tones are easy to play in tune and speak very well. It's not very often that I stray too far from the ink on marches, but when I need those notes, they are available. Four valves would just be extra weight.

Jonathan,
To answer your question, the overwhelming majority of US military bands have used either the Conn 20K sousaphone (in BBb, 3 valves), or the standard King sousaphone at the time of manufacture (model 1250, 2350, BBb, 3 valves). A few bands have tried the Yamaha BBb sousaphone, which is patterned after an old Martin sousaphone, but I have seen mixed reviews on this instrument.