sousaphone gooseneck/bits

Chadtuba · Post by **Chadtuba** » Wed Oct 17, 2007 4:16 pm

I just aquired an old eb Ludwig sousaphone of ebay without a neck or bits; does anybody have any ideas which set would fit this or am I out of luck? It has a smaller receiver and the extra sets I have at the school are all too big to fit.

Thanks.

iiipopes · Post by **iiipopes** » Wed Oct 17, 2007 4:47 pm

Bloke?
Dan?
Lee?
Dan?
Andy?
Others?

Dan Schultz · Post by **Dan Schultz** » Wed Oct 17, 2007 5:04 pm

I have a few old necks flying around but it would be a crap shoot finding something to fit your horn. Your best bet might be to buy a standard Conn neck and change the upper mouthpipe receiver.

Sequel....

I check out the E*** listing. That horn is definitely an Eb sousa. I don't think the maker is American. It's probably a stencil horn made in Eastern Europe. The odds of finding a neck that will pop right in are pretty slim. Get the calipers as another poster suggested and post the information.

Lee Stofer · Post by **Lee Stofer** » Wed Oct 17, 2007 9:02 pm

Since Ludwig never made sousaphones, the trick would be figuring out who DID make it. If the bore is in the .720-.730" area, then renovating it with Conn parts would solve the issue, using the neck and one tuning bit. If the bore is in the upper .600" range, then King parts might work, or Olds/Reynolds parts if it is a little smaller still.

In the case of a really small bore, a long and expensive fabrication might be required to make parts for the instrument. This is the point at which you would probably question whether the instrument is really likely to be worth the bother, or if it should adorn the wall above the couch in the living room.

Photos of the instrument would be valuable in determining if it is a stencil brand model of a standard American Eb sousaphone of that era. Sometimes you can find a "sleeper" instrument out there. I took in a nasty old "Indiana" BBb sousaphone once, which turned out to be a marvelous Martin Mammoth under a different name, a beauty.

Dean E · Post by **Dean E** » Wed Oct 17, 2007 10:38 pm

Pictures are on e***. Search in closed auctions for ludwig sousaphone. I didn't provide a direct link because I wanted to give the original poster a modicum of privacy.

Depending on the school, there should be a machine shop or engineering lab with telescoping gages and micrometers to get an accurate measurement of the receiver bore. I always check several places, as it may be out of round, as well as tapered.

iiipopes · Post by **iiipopes** » Wed Oct 17, 2007 10:47 pm

Have you tried horn-u-copia? They might have a listing.

Dan Schultz · Post by **Dan Schultz** » Thu Oct 18, 2007 12:34 am

bloke wrote:.... I'm NOT going out there right now in the middle of an electrical storm to have a look."

You just keep those storms down there! We don't want 'em in Southern Indiana!

Chadtuba · Post by **Chadtuba** » Thu Oct 18, 2007 12:35 am

Thanks for the replies. I'll see if I can get a set of calipers and get a measurment and get back to you.