An upright bell for a Besson 606

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aqualung
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An upright bell for a Besson 606

Post by aqualung »

Image
Highpitch
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Re: An upright bell for a Besson 606

Post by Highpitch »

That means someone had to drink all that Folgers... :( .

Dennis
There's a reason it wasn't Werewolves of Lubbock....
aqualung
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Re: An upright bell for a Besson 606

Post by aqualung »

If you check out the image info, you will note that the pic is titled "Mountain Groan".
aqualung
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Re: An upright bell for a Besson 606

Post by aqualung »

Good eye, Wade. You SHOULD recognize a K-90 bell, you used to carry one on your shoulder all summer long. And that IS a plastic coffeecan.

The tuba came to me off eBay with a Bundy sousaphone bell, and has served well playing parades on a flatbed and trad jazz in a low-ceilinged room. But I've been looking for an upright bell for concert apps. I missed out winning one on eBay last spring, and don't have 11 bux to score a new one from Zig.

Now Big Bessie, the Bundy bell, and the K-90 all have a 6¼" collar. So I simulated the Bundy bell axis with a chunk of Romex and estimated I needed about a 6" extension. I then rummaged through paint cans, furnace ductwork, etc. until I found a suitable component. A cuppla feet of black gaff tape holds the prototype together.

It plays just as well as it does with the Bundy bell, and tunes in the 440 zone. Disguised with a bunch of garlandage, it will get field-tested soon at an area TubaChristmas.
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