Whatever happened to Sousaphones?

[sloan]

No Sousaphone, but the show I saw recently in Birmingham had an old Martiin with the bell pointed straight at the audience.

I've seen the same Martin in a recital setting, but here the bell was rotated to be almost upright.

[Chuck(G)]

I dont see the fuss about fiberglass sousaphones being crappy- Billy Graham plays one:

...and incredibly, seems to have no need to use his fingers while playing.

[Rick Denney]

bloke "partial to the quite-lightweight 'regular size' Conn 36K (no longer in production) - excellent intonation / ideal bore size"

Am I remembering correctly that you said the 36K was the fiberglass version of the 14K?

I have finally found the comfortable position for my 14K: I use one bit. With both bits (especially those nearly straight Conn bits), I could not get the mouthpiece far enough away, and the the instrument forced too much pressure. With one bit, the mouthpiece is in the right place. The 14K fits a bit tighter than the King I played as a schoolkid, so it must be smaller.

Rick "impressed by the scale and response of the 14K, but aware that it doesn't have the bigness of sound as the Holton" Denney

[windshieldbug]

Well, just to add/subtract from the procedings, I'll add my $0.02...

I submit that any prejudice has to do with the mental association of helcons and sousaphones with marching bands, and not "serious" music. Likewise, any horn used for marching is likely to be of a "smaller" over-all bell size (actual bore regardless). My Conn 26K actually seems like a decent small-bell EEb (yes, the final flare is more, but leading up to the flare is small enough to be able to carry). If one tries decently made horns, there are many great sousaphones of both types, and helicons which are great tubas (the 1912 "Monster Bore" Holton helicon I was lucky enough to obtain as an example). I think the shape has only served to reinforce one's expectations. For sitting ensembles, it has always been more practical for a longer concert to cradle a large horn on one's lap than to wear it. I think that fiber horns only feed into this, because regardless of what the theorists may say, there is a noticable difference between the resonance of metal and plastic.

Recording bell horns only enter into the mix as one (including a music director) recalls the familiar bell-up big tuba sound. Again, directional sound only being percieved important when being outside, not indoors. Hence Sousa's attempt at recreating the bell-up sound.

My experience tends toward type of sound defining the usage. I used my raincatcher with the DSO doing an indoor pops concert of march-type music, which again tells me that the music director liked the bell-up sound, and could buy in to the visual roundness by the type of music.

[Will]

Sousaphones are also easier to play and dance with at the same time!

The Hokie Pokie IS what it's all about.

[TubaSteve]

I have little (read "zero") experience with newer models of sousaphones, but some of the older Martin/King/Reynolds models can stack up to upright tubas in terms of sound.

I was in a parade this weekend with my free-to-me 60s model Holton fiberglass sousaphone - which is similar in sound to the "funnel with a garden hose attached" model.

Another player showed up with an old Reynolds Eb sousaphone that put out some amazing sound. (He evidently purchased it after his old high school merged with another district and sold off most of thier instruments. He's had that horn since the 1950s, and has kept it in amazing shape.)[/quote]

I have two old Reynolds brass Sousaphones that can really crank. I love them. I think that they have a great sound and I use them on the 4th parade float and also when we are playing in the porta shell that has a low celing. The Meinl Weston with the bell only 3' from the celing is just noise back there.
Steve