Sousaphone Knowledge Bowl

[Bandmaster]

The style of the braces are wrong, but everything else looks like the Conn 10K or 14K.

[dwaskew]

I mean it really, really looks Conn, don't think it's 14k. It's an older model, more like an older 20K, but it's not 20K, either. I haven't seen 14K's with the "weight-distribution-metal-shoulder-pad", but.......

hmmm. good one, Bloke.......

[dwaskew]

then I go with older 20K

maybe from the 40's?

[dwaskew]

yeah, yeah. I know. but I wanted it to be a 20K.....

I shoulda known better than to get into this one.....

[k001k47]

186

[jacojdm]

Has some similar characteristics to modern King sousaphones...

Yep. Three valves. Tuning slides. A bell. Might be a King.

[dwaskew]

We're going to have to reconsider your tenure ...and (perhaps) redo your orals.

yup. I agree.

[Todd S. Malicoate]

A Weril J470 - in silver? I didn't know they made them in silver...would that be a J470S?

Nice looking horn!

[windshieldbug]

King 1250

[ZNC Dandy]

Is it a Boosey or Besson?

[TUbajohn20J]

I almost said it was a Conn 38K..until i noticed the short action valve. But I would have to go with the short action Holton, as it was made before Conn patented the short action valves.

[TUbajohn20J]

ok we give up...SOOO WHAT IT IT???

[iiipopes]

Miraphone 3100U

[The Jackson]

York #4?

[TUbajohn20J]

I knew something was fishy here. I would have never guessed it was chinese. It looks exactly like a 38K to me but that is definately one beautiful horn.

[Rick Denney]

bloke "My favorite feature is the campy east German-style bracing.

That's what kept my fingers away from the Submit button. Those braces look just like the braces on the erzatz Alexander or like-a-B&S-but-much-less-refined that Dan Schultz was asking about in another thread. I've never seen braces like that on an American sousaphone, but I haven't seen every American sousaphone.

Sanders tubas were not Chinese very early in the 80's. I bought an SM-1314U in 1985 that was Cerveny/Amati through and through, including under the stick-on label that said "Sanders". That was not a bad tuba, actually, but it was definitely not Chinese.

Rick "who knew those were not Holton short-action valves" Denney

[TUbajohn20J]

So..did that thing actually come with short action valves from China? or was it a custom American job

[OldsRecording]

York #5?

[windshieldbug]

Sousaphone Knowledge Bowl

New test, easier, therefore less mean...

My guess: NOT a sousaphone

(you say 'less mean', but still creepy!)

[Bandmaster]

Let me guess... the Chinese manufacturer was Jin Boa? I played one of their sousaphones at the 2005 NAMM Show and it had short stroke valves that look just like the ones in Bloke's satin silver sousa. It is definately a Conn rip-off design. I remember pulling out one of the valves and saw the huge stack of felt washers on the valve stem to align the valve. I was thinking at the time that they should install a solid plastic spacer and just have a couple of felts on top of it it instead of a dozen or more felts stacked together. But it also played pretty nice as I remember.


(Sorry, the angle of the photo make the bell look really big...)