New Old Sousaphone Question

[jamsav]

not getting any younger....my trusty King 2350 can be a real load on some of the parades ! I have been gifted a Buescher Eb , there is hardly a dent in it- not having been used in close to 50 yrs, the normal deferred maintenance is required , as well as a good cleaning. I also need to track down or make some tuning bits - in conversation with allied trying to dig up a few parts ( missing neck bolts ) we found a serial # with an LP suffix, indicating LOW PITCH !!! I dont imagine this means it blows at A equals 440 - not having had this on a tuner yet, I dont know what to expect but I can imagine . Any thoughts on how this might end up in reasonable tune for group play ?

[DHMTuba]

Well, I may be putting my foot in my mouth (again) but,
based on all the old antiques I've seen with custom slide extensions,
I would guess that low pitch is what we play in now and that you'll be just fine with what you have.

Got curious so I Googled low pitch. If the following essay is correct:

http://www.rugs-n-relics.com/Brass/bras ... Pitch.html" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank

In Germany, the bands and orchestras in the mid- to late 1800's played in a pitch where A=440 Hz. This is the standard "low pitch" of today (which later became known as "American Standard Pitch" when it finally came to use in the US).

"low pitch" is A=440 and you should be fine.
HTH

[Dean E]

I had to reduce (by about three inches total) the length of the tuning slide on my little Pan American, 3-valve, Eb peashooter (from about 1901-21). I've read of pitches lower than 440, but do not have the notes at hand. Best way to tell is to use a tuner.

[jamsav]

I ll get it on the tuner...I had an old york that had a reversible pair of slides that would convert the horn from high to low pitch, but it was A-435 and A-452 or there abouts...I ll will get it on a tuner before it comes home from the spa , its at least 10 lbs lighter and worth getting comfortable with Eb fingerings...Thanks Guys...will report back-

[Sazafaz]

I've got a Buescher BBb sous from 1924 that is a LP instrument that plays at A=440. You should be okay if it is good repair.

[imperialbari]

Wasn’t the US Low Pitch A=435Hz at some point of time (around WWI)?

Klaus

[iiipopes]

Jim -- good to hear from you. I had to ditch playing souzy a few years ago for the same reason -- the back just isn't as young anymore. If I ever go back to it, it would be for only two gigs in the same place each year where I need a front bell to get the sound off the stage (no sound shell) instead of dying in the curtains and rigging. And only with a Wenger chair. That's why I have a recording bell on my 186 as well as an upright. But I digress -- "LP" and "low pitch" probably does mean the same as it did for Besson up until the 1960's, when they finally quit making "HP" or "high pitch" or "military pitch" horns. LP is @ 435 to 440, and HP is @ 452 to 460. It was also that way for Conn before WWII, when you could get LP and HP of the same models, with the LP being even number models and HP being odd number models (yes, oversimplified, but the gist of it).

Then again, I recently played a colleagues' an Elkhart-era 36K that had patina'ed to just the right ivory color, was very light, and had really good tone and intonation....

[Dean E]

Wasn’t the US Low Pitch A=435Hz at some point of time (around WWI)?

Klaus

You are right, Klaus.

According to the Harvard Dictionary of Music (4th Ed, 1986, 2003), in 1885, a Vienna conference (not including the UK or US) urged adopting the French Diapason Normal, a' = 435 Hz. "The Viennese conference's a' = 435 remained the most widely used pitch standard until its replacement by a' = 440 in the 20th century."

This provides some insight: "In practice, by the early 17th century, organs (outside of France, at least) tended to be tuned a tone or more higher than either singers or gut strings could tolerate." See Pitch.