Sousaphone Tuning Bits

[Hank74]

Hi all,

I'm curious, is there a difference between having one or two tuning bits on a regular BBb sousaphone, in terms of the sound?

[eupher61]

Pitch.

[Hank74]

So you're saying having one or two bits affects the pitch?

[eupher61]

Sure. What does a bit do? Makes the pipe longer. What does length affect?

[Three Valves]

Who worries about pitch in a 100 piece marching band??

Use what is comfortable and let your lip and ear do the rest!!

[NCSUSousa]

The bell will point too high if you're only using 1 bit. Using both bits and holding the instrument correctly orients the bell over your left shoulder so that it is pointing forward and balances the weight of the instrument on your left shoulder and right hip. The bits are used to move the mouthpiece up or down to meet your face correctly.

One other thing - some sousas (I think Conn?) are built with graduated bore in the bits. Your mouthpiece will only fit correctly in the 2nd bit and the two bits are not interchangeable.

There are many previous threads with pictures on how to hold a sousaphone correctly.


For all the people saying pitch - sousaphones still have tuning slides. There's way more adjustable length on the tuning slide than the ~2" that a bit adds.

[Z-Tuba Dude]

...One other thing - some sousas (I think Conn?) are built with graduated bore in the bits. Your mouthpiece will only fit correctly in the 2nd bit and the two bits are not interchangeable.

I believe you are thinking of King bits.

[Dan Schultz]

Who worries about pitch in a 100 piece marching band?? ....

I honestly hope you are just being sarcastic! That 'wall of sound' depends on EVERYONE being on pitch.

[bearphonium]

Bit by bit I learned that having the right bits for the horn made a bit of a difference in comfort, pitch and tone.

[WC8KCY]

Occasionally a sousaphone comes along with a non-original neck and bits. My Martin Indiana E-flat sousy came with a 20K neck and bits and played a bit flat even using one bit. Sometimes you have to experiment a bit.

[iiipopes]

Who worries about pitch in a 100 piece marching band?

My Navy-trained high school band director damn well did, as well as all the other aspects of performing on both field and in concert (we had to use the souzys for both due to school budgeting) and we were all better musicians and won more field competitions and "I" ratings at state festival as a result.

Hell to the yes that it makes a BIG difference to have a solid foundation. I rarely express myself so intently, but in this case I cannot have a stronger opinion as to how important it is to have a solid, in tune, in time, in step section to the benefit and musical expression of the entire band.

[Three Valves]

Who worries about pitch in a 100 piece marching band?? ....

I honestly hope you are just being sarcastic! That 'wall of sound' depends on EVERYONE being on pitch.

That's why I followed up with "... let your lip and ear do the rest!!"

The tuning slides work pretty good too!!

If someone is more comfortable using just one bit, it may be compensated for.

[eupher61]

For all the people saying pitch - sousaphones still have tuning slides. There's way more adjustable length on the tuning slide than the ~2" that a bit adds.

And your point is? The question was specific. So was the first answer.

[NCSUSousa]

For all the people saying pitch - sousaphones still have tuning slides. There's way more adjustable length on the tuning slide than the ~2" that a bit adds.

And your point is? The question was specific. So was the first answer.

My point in this statement is this - With or without bits, it should be tuned to exactly the same pitches. Therefore, the functional pitch has not changed.

My greater point - Sousaphone bits were originally created to solve an ergonomic issue. Adding or removing them should be done to fix ergonomics, not for tuning.

Bloke's post does a better job of addressing the potential impact to the instrument's tone, but even that depends on if the instrument was designed for the bits to make that kind of change to the tone.

[Paul Scott]

I think the weakest part (sonically speaking) of any sousaphone is the leadpipe/bit system typically used. Martin Wilk built several upper lead pipes that are very closely fitted, based on the old Martin Band Instrument models. He has done this for both my King and Conn sousas, (an example of the King is pictured below). There is quite an improvement in response with this setup, (plus the bits don't move around while you're playing).

[Dan Schultz]

Tuning bits serve to make the leadpipe of a sousaphone universal. I've bent custom leadpipes for a couple of sousaphones and eliminated the bits altogether. I once owned a Martin 'Mammoth' sousa and elimination of the bits in favor of a single pipe made a World of difference in the response and intonation of the horn.

[eupher61]

Hi all,

I'm curious, is there a difference between having one or two tuning bits on a regular BBb sousaphone, in terms of the sound?

Emphasis added.

The answer is pitch. Everything else in this thread dies nothing to answer the question.

[Heavy_Metal]

...One other thing - some sousas (I think Conn?) are built with graduated bore in the bits. Your mouthpiece will only fit correctly in the 2nd bit and the two bits are not interchangeable.

I believe you are thinking of King bits.

Correct.

[toobagrowl]

They are called tuning bits for a reason. But they are also good for ergonomic reasons. You cannot play a sousa without at least one bit. I usually need only one bit on sousas, and prefer it that way. When I use two bits, I find the sousa not quite as responsive, and not as comfortable to play. Most sousas have long main tuning slides, so you still have plenty of "pull" if using just one bit on it in the summertime.
That is especially nice to have on the Yamaha 411 sousas, as they seem to be factory-tuned to A=442.

The old Selmer Signet sousas also had similar "cylindrical" tuning bits that had those winged screws you had to tighten.