A few Eb sousaphone questions......

[abracadabra]

Hey there-

This is my first post, and let me say that first and foremost I'm a drummer but more and more I'm playing my sousaphone with my wife....while I'm playing drums! So I'm starting to take it a bit more seriously.

My questions are pretty basic, and yes I have searched on here for answers and have found some.

I've got an old 50's Besson Eb sousaphone, all the lacquer is pretty much gone, it has some dents and dings, its dirty, but boy it sounds GREAT! It is a bigger Eb from what I can tell from seeing other ones.

My first question is mainly one of the mouthpiece: I've only ever used the only one I could find used locally which is an old one that says "all star" or something like that and its a BIG piece.....of course the low end is pretty good but I've always thought maybe a better match could be had. For those of you who play the bigger Eb sousaphones, what could you reccomend? I mainly play more gritty simple lines, ala old brass band stuff, rocksteady/early ska (50's!), and some old jazz. I'm looking for something fairly balanced.

And, the only other question is, does anyone have an old Eb sousaphone case laying around? It doesn't have to be an exact fit but I REALLY need a case and can't dig one up anywhere!!!

thanks!

mark kaylor

[Tom Holtz]

first and foremost I'm a drummer but more and more I'm playing my sousaphone with my wife....while I'm playing drums!

They have this thing called "YouTube" and you need to get on that immediately. Right after you find the Bach 18. I second that motion.

[iiipopes]

An alternative to a Bach 18 is the lexan Kelly 18, for all the usual reasons: cheap, light weight, temperature insensitive, good intonation, etc. Different players tend to either love them or hate them, as they are different. Wrap a piece of golfer's lead tape around the throat if you're going to be playing high dynamic range stuff.

Some guys have used a Wick 3L to good effect on an Eb souzy, depending on the gig.

Others like a 24AW; similar bowl cup and therefore similar tone, but a tad smaller than an 18, with a wider rim for comfort.

A Conn Helleberg is a standard, and the shallower version, the 7, is sometimes used if an eefer player is going to be mostly doubling the octave of the BBb souzys.

The Blessing version of the 18 is "the best 18 Bach never made," and is based on the older Mt. Vernon version, which I also believe is better.

Faxx makes a good copy of an 18, but I have never played it. Others will have to post how it is.

There are others, but these are the most usual culprits.

The main thing with a souzy is get the tone out projected front to support the band outdoors. So you want a tone with some brightness and definition of articulation. No deep dark velvet here -- it won't carry.

[rocksanddirt]

so, i'm confused....you play the drums and sousaphone at the same time? or the wife is playing drums whilst you play the effer?

what ever the case, don't forget to give the horn a good wash/flush every now and again, you never can tell what gets into an older sousaphone.

[TexTuba]

[Rick Denney]

The Bach 18 and the Conn Helleberg are the two principal mouthpiece archetypes against which most other are measured. You're never very far off base with one of those. The Helleberg is a bit rounder in tone, and for your purposes the 18 would probably be preferable.

The good news is that neither of these designs are any longer protected by patents. Thus, many manufacturers have cloned them at low prices. But even those made by the original makers, with Bach or Conn on them, are not expensive compared to the brands used by many. Just about any tuba mouthpiece that says "18" is a clone of the Bach 18, but the variations on the Helleberg vary a bit more widely (back in the deeps of time, August Helleberg spawned a wide array of different designs, many of which still use his name).

Sousaphone cases tend not to last as long as the sousaphones they house. They are very large and the old ones were made of wood and very heavy. Most folks who use sousaphones find that they can carry them without a case more easily than with one, and because they are aware that the brass is providing its own armor, they are more careful with it.

If you need to fly with your sousaphone or carry it at the bottom of a pile of drum equipment, be prepared to spend more on the case than you did on the sousaphone.

You might call Taylor Music (aka 1800USAband.com) and talk to them. They have one of the better selections of refurbished sousaphones and might have a case available for purchase.

Rick "whose back hurts at the prospect of hauling a sousaphone in a case" Denney

[WakinAZ]

I had an MTS sousaphone case (which is vinyl and much lighter than the old wooden cases) and found it to be manageable. It might be a little loose for an eefer. Another alternative is the ProTec sousaphone gig bag. Cheaper and free shipping at WWBW: http://wwbw.com/Protec-C247-Deluxe-Sous ... 4966.music WWBW also sells the MTS case. Give Roger a jingle and he can advise if it will fit your horn.

I vote for a Blessing or Faxx 18, btw.

Eric "who will give in to his sousaphone lust soon, heh-heh" L.