What kind of Marching Tuba(s) do You Own/Use

[Z-Tuba Dude]

Hey folks,

Just wondering what kinds of marching tubas people have (and use)....

If you have more than one, which do you like to use the most?

[imperialbari]

My last marching bass was a King 7B.

That aside a question for bloke about his shift from circular Eb basses in jazz bands to a CC and even a BBb circlophonium:

Is it so that the, partially quite old, pale members of your old band simply didn’t play as loud as the NO-rooted members of your current band?

Klaus

[David Richoux]

I have marched and played many "standing/strolling" gigs with standard tubas on many occasions, but I prefer Sousaphone/Helicons for these kinds of situations. Rainy parades do happen and my nice little Eb Disten fills up with water quickly, I found out one time.

[windshieldbug]

Before I could actually walk without falling over, I used for marching (as appropriate) and still have

1924 Conn 2k Eb Helicon
1912 Holton BBb "monster bore" Helicon
c.1900 Missenharter/Coleman Eb Raincatcher
1952 Conn 26K Eb Sousaphone
1918 JW York & Sons Eb Upright

I also have

1894 Boston Musical Instrument Manufactory Eb Helicon
1888 Besson Eb Upright
c.1918 Paolo Rondoni Eb Upright

[Chadtuba]

I own an old Ludwig Eb sousaphone but have not used it yet. I hope to eventually own a good Eb helicon and a jumbo Bb sousaphone, but those are wish list at this point.

[Wyvern]

Currently I use a B&S PT-3 CC specially fitted with strap hooks.

Over this side of the pond sousaphones are largely used for just jazz and marching with concert tuba is the norm. Top valve Eb and BBb are usual in the UK.

[eupher61]

no option for F helicon...

I use that, or my Weril 680. Lightweight and easy to hold, but not for really long gigs. Hooks on it are all but useless.

[Bob Kolada]

My unit has about 4 20K's that are OK. At the SOM, I also played a 20K but it was super friggin awesome. Good intonation, loud, pretty decent low Eb,...

That said I would never buy a brass contrabass sousaphone. I am quite thin, and they really bug on my shoulders. If I were to buy a sousa it would be a fiberglass one, probably a 3 valver.
I actually prefer to walk/march/.... with a small Eb concert tuba on a strap or harness.

[PolkaNoble]

See signature.

Martin Handcraft Eb Helicon
Mirafone 186 4U CC

(not listed in signature) GG 2Valve Contra (Olds, I believe, It is not mine but I have to use it for Shrine Drum & Bugle Corps) Big inefficient Monster!!

[ken k]

1919 Pan - American BBb helicon, which I use for two or three parades a year with a small concert/marching band and I also use it with the Nasty 9, a NOLA street band. great player. One of the nicest BBb tubas i have played.

k



I was told (however I have not seen it myself yet) that I was seen playing this horn on the "reality" show John & Kate plus 8. They live near my hometown and evidently they went to the 4th of July parade that my band marched in and we were on the TV show. My friend said that it was actually a pretty good shot of the band and me! My 15 SECONDS of fame...

[LOTP]

Although I voted "Eb Sousaphone, forward bell" (1930's American Standard full circle), I have a parade gig this afternoon that I'm doing on a TINY Lyon & Healy Eb upright with 12" bell and .560 bore. There will be TWO OTHER tubas (FG BBb) in our 20 piece band. We have to do something about personnel management re balance etc. I'll take a lot of stuff up an octave.

[bearphonium]

Currently, a borrowed King fiberglass BBb sousy. When I get better at some tasks, a frankenhorn brass sousy (King and Conn mostly, I think. Not a monster, just a "BBb sousy I found in my barn, and wondered if you wanted to help me work on it" from the Tuba Meister, Jim Newell.

As an aside, I'm glad (today) it isn't a rain catcher, because it would. Marching in a parade with one tuba for 25 bandsmen. In the rain...in Oregon...well, duh.

[OldBandsman]

I'm using an H. N. White "King" built for USQMC about 1909. They advertised the commercial version as a "Monster Helicon". I love this beast. It's responsive, throws lots of sound out across the band, has pretty good tuning, balances very nicely on my shoulder.

Have not marched with it yet, but use it all summer for outside concerts and parades on the truck.
Even played an outdoor church service, hymns, responses, 'ludes, all solo.

It is such fun to make music with an old horn like this.


J L Roberts
Massachusetts

[Jedi Master]

Wow! I am really surprised at how many people, proportionately, are marching with concert horns! My back hurts, just thinking about it!

[SplatterTone]

No marching horn because I don't march. There is, however, this Edie van Halen horn I should get, but I can't think of any venue where I would use it. We church players just sit around.

[Arkietuba]

Korean War era Conn 20K

Nothing wrong with it (other than the fact that it's seen better days)

Our director wants to get Jupiter sousas since we just bought all new Jupiter mellos/marching baritones/marching euphs and bass trombones but I'm trying to get him to buy new 20K's. I think he'll like the big-ness of them compared to the smaller Jupiters.

[iiipopes]

38K with the upper loop of the 1st valve circuit modified into a usable slide. All 35 lbs. of it.

[David Richoux]

Another (possibly better-than-Chinese...??) solution would be to get a Weril-made (LARGE bore / LARGE body / FOUR valves) sousaphone for right at the same price as a Jupiter 3-valve...

http://www.wwbw.com/Dynasty-M890-USA-4- ... 22990.wwbw

bloke "who sells some new Dynasty stuff from time-to-time...and would be willing to hand-deliver to Central Arkansas"

I wonder why the only two reviews on this horn are both of high school student level experience from Texas who sound a bit like they "drank the Kool-aid" and wrote 3 to 5 word reviews (and live within 200 miles of each other?)
Not saying they are wrong (or right) - just seems a bit like review stuffing... However, do Texas High School band members buy their own sousaphones very often?

[Z-Tuba Dude]

Another (possibly better-than-Chinese...??) solution would be to get a Weril-made (LARGE bore / LARGE body / FOUR valves) sousaphone for right at the same price as a Jupiter 3-valve...

http://www.wwbw.com/Dynasty-M890-USA-4- ... 22990.wwbw

bloke "who sells some new Dynasty stuff from time-to-time...and would be willing to hand-deliver to Central Arkansas"

I wonder why the only two reviews on this horn are both of high school student level experience from Texas who sound a bit like they "drank the Kool-aid" and wrote 3 to 5 word reviews (and live within 200 miles of each other?)
Not saying they are wrong (or right) - just seems a bit like review stuffing... However, do Texas High School band members buy their own sousaphones very often?

............AND they seem to have posted their reviews at the EXACT same second!

[David Richoux]

Another (possibly better-than-Chinese...??) solution would be to get a Weril-made (LARGE bore / LARGE body / FOUR valves) sousaphone for right at the same price as a Jupiter 3-valve...

http://www.wwbw.com/Dynasty-M890-USA-4- ... 22990.wwbw

bloke "who sells some new Dynasty stuff from time-to-time...and would be willing to hand-deliver to Central Arkansas"

I wonder why the only two reviews on this horn are both of high school student level experience from Texas who sound a bit like they "drank the Kool-aid" and wrote 3 to 5 word reviews (and live within 200 miles of each other?)
Not saying they are wrong (or right) - just seems a bit like review stuffing... However, do Texas High School band members buy their own sousaphones very often?

............AND they seem to have posted their reviews at the EXACT same second!

A Yamaha YSH-411 and Conn 20K Series were given several 4 or 5 star reviews one minute later on the same day - must have been a great Wednesday morning for some Sousaphone salesman!
(or it just could have been a glitch - I just searched [ wwbw.com 1/28/2009 ] and there are many dozens of reviews on the site that were posted at around 9:45:19 AM on that date. )