.

[TheHatTuba]

.

[Chadtuba]

I would have to say my Conn 28K 4 valve Eb. I've been very happy with how this plays ever since I bought it.

[EdFirth]

Every halfway maintained Conn 14K I've ever played. Ed

[bort]

I don't know my Conn model numbers... but there was a Conn Naked Lady BBb sousaphone I used in college that was just stupid easy to play. I guess there are lots of "naked lady" models, but maybe I should learn the model number? Help??

[Donn]

Guys, the question is not "pretty good", it is "best ever". That would be the 40K.

[tclements]

I LOVED those heavy Conns with the short action valves. Sorry, I don't know the model number. I only played the brass versions; I would have liked to try a satin silver number.

[windshieldbug]

I'll agree with Chad; a 26/28K has enough range and clarity that I could get over how it looked (if I was like bloke... )

[oedipoes]

how good are vintage 36K 's ?
I'm thinkin about bying one, especially for the weight vs sound ratio

your thoughts?

[iiipopes]

I absolutely agree with bloke. And to make the best even better, have someone take the upper loop of the 1st valve circuit on a Conn and convert it to a usable slide so you can "ride throttle" on #1 just like on a concert tuba.

[EdFirth]

My last sousaphone was a 40K and while it Did have a great sound and response I found it too damn heavy for a strolling job which is what I use sousaphones for. I sold it to Harry Connick for John Allred to play one tune per show in their "second line" segment. But Bloke has reminded me of a long forgotten sousaphone that I bought from the New Orleans Police Band back in 1980 which was a Cleveland. As he said, similar to a King. But without the uncomfortable and resistance causing tight main slide before the valves. Never should've let that one go. Ed

[Dan Schultz]

Of course... best to OWN would have to be my Conn 48K 'jumbo'.

Best to PLAY would be my Selmer 'Signet' commode-O-phone.

Anyone who has ever stood playing a 48K for an hour or so would understand what I mean!

[Donn]

The 40K has the same body as the 38K and 20K. The open F with most all of these 20K/38K/40K sousaphones is very flat (and, alternately, can be played 1-3)

It may have the same body, but I can't find any evidence of a flat F, and my impression has been that the 38K likewise has superior intonation. Maybe it's the valve section that does it. I tried it just now, in case I had just been oblivious for all these years, but fine with a Conn 2 and even better with a Marcinkiewicz H1. 1-3 was flat, but that's because I tune 3 long.

But for sure, it's big. I suppose it's true that such big tubas are not suited to orchestral use, and then there's that extraneous 4th valve that would just be in the orchestra player's way. For sure, the way I play it is not suited to the orchestra!

[Dan Schultz]

I would have to believe that most of the (and they were always rare) 40K or 48K (four valve "large" and "jumbo" Conn) sousaphones that were sold (in addition to the King "Giant", Buescher "jumbo", Martin "Mammoth", etc.) were supported by those old "butterfly"-shaped stands (with the bell cocked to the right, in order to face forward) and were nearly exclusively used by seated players in dance bands.

I'm planning to attend 'Windjammers' summer meet in Oskaloosa, Iowa this year. I'm thinking about taking my 48K. If I do... I will take along one of those 'butterfly-shaped' stands. There's no point in an old guy like me trying to endure three days with one of those beasts on my shoulder and playing circus music to boot!

[Paul Scott]

The best sousa I've ever played is (happily) one that I own right now. My own definition of "best" means that it plays in tune, has a response like a tuba and yet still has the best attributes of a sousa, (to me that means great resonance and depth plus the projection that the forward bell can give). I believe that this instrument could function in a concert setting quite well.

It is a 1924 Martin BBb that has the standard Martin .712" (more or less) bore but also a smaller 23" bell, (it is an original Martin bell, just not the usual 26" job). Technically this is not a "Handcraft" since Martin did not use that designation until the Spring of 1924 and this instrument must have been made just prior to that. I think the smaller bell tightens up the response a great deal. This particular instrument was modified and greatly improved by Martin Wilk. The horn had to be cut since the older Martins tended to be built to A=435 and Martin (Martin Wilk, that is), created a new gooseneck and bit assembly since the original one was missing. He also added some custom valve buttons. I've included some photos just to show what this wonderful craftsman can do. So admittedly this is not a "stock" Martin but it is indeed a pleasure to play.

[Rick Denney]

I've played 48K's and other jumbos. I've played 40K's, 20K's, and other 6/4 sousaphones. I played a plastic King all through school.

The only sousaphone I've played that didn't annoy me has been the Conn 14K. The big ones annoyed me because playing them was like blowing into one end, and then next week hearing back from the next county that sound arrived. If I played one regularly, I think I'd use a Sellmansberger Solo--shallow and crisp--to try to control that woofiness.

I have never played a Martin Handcraft, but I bet they would be excellent. Martin seemed to understand that a big tuba needed clarity as much as a small tuba.

I own two 14K's. One is in a repaired state, though still quite brown, and it hangs on the wall. I paid $300 for it and it was a good deal. The other one I bought because it was impossible not to--I found it at a junk store in Lucketts, Virginia, sitting on the porch out in the weather, with a $97 price tag on it. It is now sitting out on my porch. It could be made playable with very little work. (That junk store was across the street from the junk store where I paid $100 for a Conn 48H trombone in excellent condition. The signs declare these as "antique" stores, but mostly what they have is junk. Not always, though.)

I had to learn, though, that the 14K, because of its tighter wrap, may only require one bit to achieve a good position. When I tried to use two bits, I could never get comfortable. They are not that heavy, and come closest to a sousaphone that I could rest on my shoulder. I have lifted heavier fiberglass sousaphones, that's for sure.

Rick "whose to-do list places the Porch Conn lower than the plastic Martin tuba" Denney

[Full Metal Ratchet]

I couldn't agree more. 14K with one bit.

I can get used to most sousaphones with enough time, but the 14K was always my "go to" horn. We had a squadron of fully restored 20Ks to use because we were always doing one of the major parades each year, but I would always grab the ratty old 14K with half it's lacquer missing whenever I could.

I also like the regular King sousaphones, especially old and silver.

[b.williams]

I have access to both a Martin Handcraft Eb sousaphone and a Martin Handcraft BBb sousaphone via the area Shrine Band. The Eb is silver with gold inside the bell and was built in the 1920's. The BBb is brass and is, I believe, from the 1960's. The BBb sounds as good as any tuba I have owned up to this point. I found both of these gems while exploring the Shrine's instrument storage room. I also found a really sweet double bell euphonium. I wonder about how many great horns are collecting dust in instrument storage rooms across the country.

[PolkaNoble]

There are several. Our Shrine has a Conn 24J that has not been played regularly since the early 1980s. (I've played it maybe 3 times since then) We have a number of other interesting high quality brass horns as well. I don't think we would be allowed to sell them and we really do not want to do that anyway.

[Wayne Rice]

I have a 1952 Frank Holton Model 122 that has an incredibly sweet, focused sound, very good intonation and wonderful color. Haven't heard much chatter about this particular model, but it is worth looking for.

[TUbajohn20J]

Conn 40K