Holton Vintage Sousa repair & story

[Tim Jackson]

I have a vintage Holton sousaphone that I would like to fix up. It is missing one bell flange, all three bell screws. Also missing is the receiver and one of the two braces that support the receiver.
One valve button with the original stem is missing as well.
There is no serial number but I would guess it is from the 30s-40s. Overall silver plate looks good, and I did notice the number 122 on the bell engraving. The bell measures 26” and it has the odd looking valve caps. It looks like a regular size and pitched in BBb. It looks like a satin finish with bright silver trim. I am thinking of having a Conn receiver put on as I have another Conn sousa and thought it would simplify my hardware/necks & bits. I am looking to order a bell flange and the 3 screws from Bandroom Supply since they offer them in silver and say they are Holton. My local repairman says Allied no longer has these. I think this will be a great horn and worth the costs to bring up to playing condition. My question: will the new “Holton” screws match the old treads and does the Conn receiver seem like an OK idea. Does anyone have a matching valve button or any vintage parts they could sell me?


I actually remember this horn from my old high school band days. This was one of four different sousaphones at my high school in the late 60s. There were 4 metal horns, a brass Conn, the Holton, brass king, and a Besson. As a kid I remember watching these horns go by at the football games… all somewhat different but somehow kin. Mysterious and fascinating plumbing that made wonderful low sounds- I was totally intrigued and so fascinated by this I signed up for tuba as soon as I hit the fifth grade.
I played this horn in jr high and probable shined it up a few times. By the time I was in high school we were using new fiberglass kings, but the old horns were still in the band store room. Several years ago, an old friend called me to ask if I would like to have the old tuba I played in high school. He saw it in the local second hand store! $65.00 with the case. The granddaughter/family that dedicated the horn still lives next store to my mom in Fairhope Alabama.

[Tom Coffey]

Great project, and almost certainly well worth saving. Great story, too!

[bort]

Great engraving!

[Tim Jackson]

I am restoring a Holton 122 Sousaphone listed in the story below. It belonged to a tuba player named Adam Benik that moved from Lithuania around 1915. He played for the Czar of Russia before coming to the states. It is said that his playing won him a spot in the Sousa band shorty after arriving in New York. I am looking for any info of his career with Sousa and possibly a picture of the band with him as a member. I can't afford the $50 Sousa book and have looked around the web for related info. I found the serial number on the horn 229198 which allows that he might have actually used this horn with Sousa. The Holton list I found shows 229198 to date around 1918 but the same list shows Holton moved to Elkhorn in 1938. The horn says Elkhorn. I think Adam Benik moved to Baldwin County Alabama after Sousa's death. Adam Benik played in local bands in South Alabama from around 1935 - 1950. I found a relative but sadly the family has no early photos of this character. If anyone can lend any bits and pieces to this story I would really appreciate it.
Thanks, Tim Jackson

[WilliamVance]

I would keep the holton lower leadpipe and have a new receiver installed. The bore is smaller on the Holton neck and bits plus the neck is shorter. I revived a holton Sousa last winter that was in worse shape. A repair shop should be able to install a new receiver and match it to a neck and bits that were designed to be used with this model. I would stay as close to original. A conn neck will make your holton play flat. What a great treasure.

[Paul Scott]

Interesting! There is no Adam Benik listed in the Paul Bierley book, "The Incredible Band of John Philip Sousa". There is even a section devoted to names that might have played in the band and Mr. Benik does not appear there either.

BUT, there is an entry for an Emilio Bianco and his dates and other details fit quite nicely into your story. It was not unheard of for players to change their names to make them a bit more "musical" and "Western European". Here's his entry:

Emelio Bianco, tuba.
1919-20 tour. Other positions: Russian Symphony Orchestra, Pryor's Band, Conways Band. Recorded for Victor. Sources: Various 1919-20 tour rosters; photo in Musical Truth, Oct. 1923.

The name does not appear after the 1919-20 tour: most of the band was fired at that point following a "labor dispute". I wouldn't have made any connection save for the reference to the Russian Symphony Orchestra, (which was an orchestra located in New York City). Worth looking into at any rate.

It would be unlikely that your sousaphone would have been used in the Sousa Band, however. Mr. Sousa did not use bell-front instruments, (yes, he did use at least one temporarily in 1921 but that was an exception and we even know who played that). Also, your serial number would seem to indicate a horn from the 1950s, (Holton Loyalist site and the Saxgourmet site which has lists for several brands).

I hope you can find out more and thanks for sharing this!