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Help Identifying Sousa Neck and Tuning Bit

Posted: Mon Aug 03, 2015 10:01 am
by opus37
I got this neck and tuning bit as part of a Sousaphone attic find. Does anyone know what they are from? The brass colored neck has an outside diameter of 0.656 inches at the end where it goes on to the Sousaphone. The inside diameter of of the bit end is 0.63 inches. The silver tuning bit fits into the neck and the inside diameter of the mouthpiece or additional bit end is 0.625 inches. Conn bits or an American shank mouthpiece are too small to fit.

Re: Help Identifying Sousa Neck and Tuning Bit

Posted: Mon Aug 03, 2015 10:54 am
by imperialbari
Not based on any hard knowledge, but this looks Czech made to my eyes.

Klaus

Re: Help Identifying Sousa Neck and Tuning Bit

Posted: Mon Aug 03, 2015 11:01 am
by PaulMaybery
The neck does look Czech or Austrian as found on many imported helicons and sousaphones. I have one similar. Though the expanded ferrule looks suspiciously like an after market fabrication. Just an educated guess.

The tuning bit looks like an old Holton bit. There is a similar one with my Chicago Holton Raincatcher. (1920s)

Re: Help Identifying Sousa Neck and Tuning Bit

Posted: Mon Aug 03, 2015 12:32 pm
by Dan Schultz
.654" is the standard tenon for a King neck. .654" and .656" are close enough to be considered the same. The bit receiver also looks like the size for the 1st bit of a King set.

This is probably something that was crafted to fit a King sousa being played by one of us older guys with tall shoulders and short necks. Or maybe just to raise the pitch a bit.

Re: Help Identifying Sousa Neck and Tuning Bit

Posted: Tue Aug 04, 2015 5:07 pm
by groovlow
August is Sousaphone Month !

Here is an old post with a similar bit on an old King.
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=64379
Image

My current sousa bitchrant:
I've been playing my HNWhite King BBb sousa with a F%^$^* newer short neck and
2 fresh King bits. Mouthpiece is too far back to hold the horn properly. :( :x

Re: Help Identifying Sousa Neck and Tuning Bit

Posted: Wed Aug 05, 2015 3:55 pm
by butch
groovlow wrote:August is Sousaphone Month !

Here is an old post with a similar bit on an old King.
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=64379
Image

My current sousa bitchrant:
I've been playing my HNWhite King BBb sousa with a F%^$^* newer short neck and
2 fresh King bits. Mouthpiece is too far back to hold the horn properly. :( :x
I bought this sousaphone in Poland and it came with the neck pictured. The neck looked like self-made. The bits are original King bits. I wasn't able to play it like that so I bought an old King neck.

Regards
Butch