Conn 4p BBb Raincatcher on eBay

[Donn]

I'm STILL learning how to judge how loud a "recording bell tuba" is from BEHIND it.

I'm trying to decide, it might be a little worse than the sousaphone for no reason I can think of.

[bigtubby]

Which gig do you not wanna hear yourself?

That isn't the question for me as much as the sound. Generally I prefer the raincatcher configuration indoors, letting the ceiling disperse the sound a bit and bell front for projection outdoors.

I'm no sousaphone-ologist but I suspect somebody bright saw all the tuba players turning their raincatchers forward and said "Why don't we just turn the bells forward so they don't have to do that?"

Historically this is a bit backward. The predecessor of the raincatcher design was the helicon which usually has a more "bell front" arrangement than does a (raincatcher) sousaphone with the bell rotated.
http://sousacentral.blogspot.ca/2011/01 ... d-its.html

It doesn't devalue your horns to say this. They still are pretty and will demand a high selling price for rarity.

The value of the King pictured above for me comes from its great sound and playing characteristics.

Helicons: