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The very narrow bore Barcone kids’ sousaphones hardly would be recommendable. Hard to come by anyway.

BBb-wise my own, a Conn 40K, is insanely heavy on ones shoulder, but the sound is worthwhile in breath and depth, still with enough of formants to keep clarity.

But shortly after I got my own back in 2000, a Swedish TubeNetter asked me to try out a small second hand Conn BBb that was for sale in a Copenhagen store.

It was much smaller and lighter than the 40K, 3 pistons only of course. One funny trait that I never saw in any other sousaphone was the number of bell screws, two only. Not because one was missing. Instead of the standard 120°, they simply sat 180° apart.

Wasn’t nothing for my own use, but had I still taught band then, it played well enough for me to buy it for a student, had a sousaphone been relevant (which it hardly had been - never saw a sousaphone in a Danish junior band).

I am not positive about the model #, but somehow Conn 10K rumbles in the back of my mind.

Of the modern Conn’s the fiberglass model 36K might be the most relevant one.

Klaus

Rare and old, they're called Junior sousaphones and they seem to be of healthy 3/4 size, not tiny. There are King and Olds models, and a York Master under various names.

Seem to sell quick and high. Would be cool to have, especially if they weigh under 20 lb.

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Which bore?

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Ooo, my shoulder longs for a horn like that. Virtually every sousaphone gig I do is amplified so small is good.

Tubainsauga wrote:Ooo, my shoulder longs for a horn like that. Virtually every sousaphone gig I do is amplified so small is good.

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Very cool. What is the tenon size, to get an idea of overall size? Probably 5.5"?

TheGoyWonder wrote:Very cool. What is the tenon size, to get an idea of overall size? Probably 5.5"?

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bisontuba wrote:

Tubainsauga wrote:Ooo, my shoulder longs for a horn like that. Virtually every sousaphone gig I do is amplified so small is good.

It can be yours

Very tempting...

How much does it weigh?

TheGoyWonder wrote:How much does it weigh?

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bisontuba wrote:

TheGoyWonder wrote:How much does it weigh?

A tad more than my old CC 4v Mirafone 186..maybe +/- 18 lbs?

Hard to beat the balance and weight of a Conn 36K -only 16 lbs - the fiberglass version of a 14K - talk about ease of playing. I can't imagine these little brass sousaphones can even come close to the sound and volume of a 36K

yea, it would appear fiberglass won the war over junior BBb and Eb. But it's too small and too gov't subsidized a market to be highly efficient, maybe something was lost.

Eb sousas the same size of a junior sound really good, within a certain volume cap. The Eb-ness means constant use of valve combination notes and bottoming out the register so a similar BBb is tempting. vs a real 36K, who knows.

tofu wrote:

bisontuba wrote:

TheGoyWonder wrote:How much does it weigh?

A tad more than my old CC 4v Mirafone 186..maybe +/- 18 lbs?

Hard to beat the balance and weight of a Conn 36K -only 16 lbs - the fiberglass version of a 14K - talk about ease of playing. I can't imagine these little brass sousaphones can even come close to the sound and volume of a 36K

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ever played an Olds O-99 or O-99-4, I'm guessing the sousa plays just like it? That would be the pattern established by Conn 20K/20J, King 2350/1240 ect, and Olds big sousa/recording bass.

tofu wrote:

bisontuba wrote:

TheGoyWonder wrote:How much does it weigh?

A tad more than my old CC 4v Mirafone 186..maybe +/- 18 lbs?

Hard to beat the balance and weight of a Conn 36K -only 16 lbs - the fiberglass version of a 14K - talk about ease of playing. I can't imagine these little brass sousaphones can even come close to the sound and volume of a 36K

Yes. If the issue is weight rather than wideness of the branches, the 36K is lighter than the skinny brass sousaphones, and plays more like a 4/4 tuba. Plus, they are neither rare nor expensive.

Rick "who'd rather have the 36K than the King 1250 sousaphone that was sitting in that Wenger chair when he was in school" Denney

Way too many fiberglass sousaphones just don't cut it for me. I want to have the quick lively response of brass but end up with the dull dead fiberglass sound. I once played a Reynolds that might have helped change my bias but it wasn't really a fair trial run, being that I was playing it in a small living room.
At a music shop I tried one of these small Olds that played like a firecracker (in a good way). Real light and real fun. I've no idea how it would stand up in larger ensembles but in a small combo, brass quintet or anything of this size it would have worked real well.

pjv wrote:Way too many fiberglass sousaphones just don't cut it for me. I want to have the quick lively response of brass but end up with the dull dead fiberglass sound. I once played a Reynolds that might have helped change my bias but it wasn't really a fair trial run, being that I was playing it in a small living room.
At a music shop I tried one of these small Olds that played like a firecracker (in a good way). Real light and real fun. I've no idea how it would stand up in larger ensembles but in a small combo, brass quintet or anything of this size it would have worked real well.

I wonder if the bell from an old 14K would fit in the tenon receiver of a fiberglass 36K?

But even a 14K is not really that heavy. Those are also plentiful, but not as cheap.

Rick "who has two, as it happens, one of which is in good playing condition" Denney