Sousaphone Bell Ringing

[Dean E]

Some more information is needed please, Statman.

Does it look like the metal may have become borderline thin from previous dent work and buffing? Look for a polished-out engraving.

What does a visual inspection of the bell for torn or cracked metal (including old repairs)--or broken solder joints at the collar--reveal?

How is the fit at the bell collar? Are all screws working with no stripped threads?

Looking at the sousa body, are there loose or missing braces, which might transmit vibrations?

[pulseczar]

I recently fixed up three 20ks, and they all had a slight ring to it. Personally I don't mind it and I think it's pretty cool in fact. Is this a common thing in 20ks or is it coincidence?

One thing you could do is play, and try to pinpoint the exact point point its ringing and put some lead golfer's tape on it.

[Stefan Kac]

Don't touch it. In high school, I played on a sousaphone whose entire bell would resonate on a middle C (first line above the bass clef staff). I could show off my range and imitate a suspended cymbal roll at the same time, which came in handy because we were always short on percussionists.


This is quite possibly my only fond memory of high school marching band (and perhaps high school cumulatively also...)

[Tubadork]

All of the 20K's I've played have done that. Normally I just leave it be, but if you really don't like it you can get a piece of rubber tubing and slice it down the middle and put it around the bell (Like the MW tubas come with, I think it's called a bell protector or something). Shouldn't cost more than a couple of dollars.
Bill Pritchard

[WilliamVance]

Is it a 26" or 24" bell? I've found that the 26" bells on most sousas, no matter the make, ring. The 24" on my old King "cleveland" doesn't rign at all, and that's why I prefer the smaller bell.

[tubamirum]

Tubadork suggested rubber tubing, I'm going to suggest aquarium tubing.

[MichaelDenney]

I played one of those 20Ks at LSU as well, in the late Sixties, and mine did not ring either. I don't know the bell diameter.

[iiipopes]

I have a friend with an MW 11 which he demonstrated the difference to me with the plastic rim protector both off and on. Definite difference in core, focus and projection, better with the rim protector on. This is probably the best solution if it works for you, and you get the added bonus of some minor additional rim protection against knocks.

I had an extreme case: my 24 inch Conn/Cav bell rang a quarter step off of everything. It was really annoying, and actually got in the way of good intonation and blend with the band. So I got a roll of golfer's lead tape and put a 1/2 inch strip completely around the bell at the rim wire, like a Miraphone or Reynolds garland. It worked great. No discernable addition of weight, as the tape was only a few ounces, and all of the overring was gone, replace by a well focused, in tune, blending tone approaching the tubesque, especially when I play it indoors with a funnel mouthpiece instead of outside with my Kelly 18 for projection. Most importantly, it is reversible. All I have to do is peel the tape off if the occasion ever calls for it to be removed.

As I said, this was an extreme case. Since we want to play all the notes, the line between desireable resonance and undesirable overring can be blurry. Good luck!

[tubatooter1940]

Sympathetic vibrations drive me nuts. I would tape up, caulk-whatever it takes to stop it.
Guitars, however, sound good doing that. My Gibson ES 330 had a natural distort at full volume that was controllable and added sustain long before I added a distortion effect.

[Dan Schultz]

Tubadork suggested rubber tubing, I'm going to suggest aquarium tubing.

Either of the above would work, but it might be more convenient for you to just too to your local Home Depot, Lowes, or other home improvement store and buy some ice maker hook-up tubing. Split it lengthwise and snap it over the bell rim.

[MaryAnn]

Before I got a better bell for my horn, I used that lead tape as a home-made garland on the tinny sounding bell. It helped. The new bell is considerably more massive than the old bell, and the horn projects like a cannon now.

MA

[Sam Gnagey]

I endorse the acquarium tubing solution. You'll need to weld the tubing together with a mildly hot heat source. An old iron will do the trick to heat up both cut ends at once. When they're together quench them under some running cold water to secure the bond. If that doesn't take damping far enough you can put a short belt around the bell just after the big flare and before it makes the 90degree bend.
One of my more interesting observations about sousaphones is that the best sounding, playing and projecting instruments are a composite of a brass body with a fiberglass bell.

[imperialbari]

This topic has been up some years ago in two related threads:

http://www.chisham.com/tips/bbs/sep2001 ... 71333.html

http://www.chisham.com/tips/bbs/sep2001 ... 71565.html

Klaus Smedegaard Bjerre

[iattp]

Hello there,

I'd like to chime in and speak to the benefits of tubing and lead tape.

I just picked up some lead tape from the golf store down the street (quite convenient, actually) then headed over to OSH to pick up tubing. I wrapped the bell of my 20J all pretty like and then used the remainder on my York Enterprise Eb sousa. Over the tape I put the tubing. It works great! I am somewhat tempted to try fuel tubing, it's heavier and might stay on more. I am just not enticed by the big black ring it would create. Who knows. I'll try this for a while and see what happens.

Thanks y'all!

Remember: The lower you go, the harder you blow!

MfG aus LA,

Nick