tuning bits

mTaUrBkA · Post by **mTaUrBkA** » Sun Dec 04, 2005 9:04 pm

Just out of curiosity....how necessary are tuning bits and mouthpieve bits on a sousaphone? At my school we don't have any that aren't squished flat.....therefor I don't use any tuning bits or mouthpiece bits. Is it really a huge deal besides the fact of straining my neck?

Allen · Post by **Allen** » Sun Dec 04, 2005 9:08 pm

I'll give you one guess why they're called "tuning bits." Normally, a sousaphone is too sharp without them. Also, when you get older you will regret straining your neck!

mTaUrBkA · Post by **mTaUrBkA** » Sun Dec 04, 2005 9:30 pm

i can play in tune fine....it's just that my neck is just a few inches shy of being considered giraffe-like

Dan Schultz · Post by **Dan Schultz** » Sun Dec 04, 2005 9:45 pm

Frankly, I don't know why they call them 'tuning bits'! You can accomplish about the same thing by pulling the main tuning slide out about and inch. The REAL purpose for the so-called 'tuning bits' is to allow the mouthpiece to be placed into a comfortable position for any player who uses the sousa. On my sousas, I usually custom-make a neck to eliminate the tuning bits. I think a one-piece neck improves intonation.

Tubaryan12 · Post by **Tubaryan12** » Sun Dec 04, 2005 10:26 pm

Not to change the subject too much, but does anyone here use tuning bits on their concert horn? And if so, for what reason?

Allen · Post by **Allen** » Sun Dec 04, 2005 10:34 pm

A section mate in band added a tuning bit to his King BBb tuba. The reason was that otherwise he had to pull his main tuning slide out all the way. The band's tuning standard is A=440, which appears to be something not everyone in the USA agrees with.

Dan Schultz · Post by **Dan Schultz** » Sun Dec 04, 2005 11:06 pm

Tubaryan12 wrote:Not to change the subject too much, but does anyone here use tuning bits on their concert horn? And if so, for what reason?

Weren't the Conn 2XJ's originally designed to be played with one bit?

Lew · Post by **Lew** » Mon Dec 05, 2005 9:21 am

TubaTinker wrote:
Tubaryan12 wrote:Not to change the subject too much, but does anyone here use tuning bits on their concert horn? And if so, for what reason?
Weren't the Conn 2XJ's originally designed to be played with one bit?

Yes, they were shipped with one bit, which is clearly shown in the early Conn catalogs that I have. In fact, my 22J came with the original bit and Conn 2 mouthpiece that the original owner said came with the horn when his father bought it for him in 1936.

Many Martin tubas came with a pair of tuning bits that needed to be used to play because the leadpipe was very short. I guess this design was to allow flexibility in adjusting to the height of different players. Even with this arrangement, they play very well.

Allen wrote:A section mate in band added a tuning bit to his King BBb tuba. The reason was that otherwise he had to pull his main tuning slide out all the way. The band's tuning standard is A=440, which appears to be something not everyone in the USA agrees with.

The first version of the 'new' one-piece King 2341 was known to play very sharp. Many people had the same problem so UMI extended the length of a couple of ferrules to lengthen the total bugle without having to change any of the other tubing. If your section mate has one of these early models it's not surprising that it plays sharp. The later horns play in tune with much less pull of the main slide.

Dan Schultz · Post by **Dan Schultz** » Mon Dec 05, 2005 12:52 pm

bloke wrote:
TubaTinker wrote:
Tubaryan12 wrote:Not to change the subject too much, but does anyone here use tuning bits on their concert horn? And if so, for what reason?
Weren't the Conn 2XJ's originally designed to be played with one bit?
I believe the phrase was

The Conn 2XJ's were originally designed to be played not one bit.

Dan Schultz · Post by **Dan Schultz** » Mon Dec 05, 2005 12:55 pm

Lew wrote: I guess this design was to allow flexibility in adjusting to the height of different players. Even with this arrangement, they play very well.

Pretty much reinforces my opinion that they aren't 'tuning bits' at all... but rather 'universal mouthpiece positioning devices'.

iiipopes · Post by **iiipopes** » Mon Dec 05, 2005 6:40 pm

Back to the original question: yes, most standard traditional BBb sousaphones are designed to be used with a shave, a haircut, and two bits for both positioning and tuning.

Steve Inman · Post by **Steve Inman** » Mon Dec 05, 2005 6:56 pm

With my Yamaha YEB-381 (5V 321) I use one tuning bit to avoid having to hold the horn on my lap turned at an odd angle. It sits more or less straight across with one bit in use, but at almost a 45 degree angle without it, making it more likely to slip off my right leg.

Regards,

Albertibass · Post by **Albertibass** » Mon Dec 05, 2005 10:32 pm

i have a similar problem....and all we do at my school, is just pull the tuning slides on our sousa's out farther...it works...

But for sousaphone, i think the bits from the mouthpiece to the leadpipe would be nessecary just for the few people that cant reach the sousa's mouthpiece when they hold it.

windshieldbug · Post by **windshieldbug** » Mon Dec 05, 2005 10:38 pm

I thought the tuning bit was always the dial on the right
or the 47th bit in a 48 bit word

Dan Schultz · Post by **Dan Schultz** » Mon Dec 05, 2005 11:35 pm

SOTStuba wrote:you need to tell your director to buy some...i tried playing without them once and its really hard...

Hmmm... maybe if students bought their own neck and bits, they would take better care of them! I'm not talking about the present user... I'm speaking of the kid who lost them LAST year. It's only fair. It's a small investment compared to the price of a horn that is provided by the school.

Art Hovey · Post by **Art Hovey** » Tue Dec 06, 2005 12:07 am

Many years ago I had a dePrins imported from Belgium by Walter Sear. It was a nice horn except for two things: it was sharp even with the main slide all the way out, and the mouthpiece receiver was at the wrong angle. I solved both problems with a Conn sousa bit. I really tried to find a downside to using the bit, (in terms of intonation, response, etc.) but I could find nothing wrong with it.
On my helicon I find that one bit is useful. When a gig gets to be long sometimes a small change in the mouthpiece position is helpful. And when I have to wear a coat or a heavy sweater an adjustment is needed. I could have set up my leadpipe to eliminate the bit, but I am glad I did not.
If you can manage the sousaphone without any bits then your life is simpler. But one or two bits can make your life more comfortable. I would suggest buying your own and keeping it; don't wait for the school to provide it. Ask Santa Claus!

imperialbari · Post by **imperialbari** » Tue Dec 06, 2005 1:13 am

Older postings in similar threads hint, that it is fairly common for marching sousa players to loose the mouthpiece and the bits while doing the drills on the field.

Iâ€™m a sit down sousa player. And still I have some problems with my bits.

When playing BBb sousaphone, I follow the advise of Joeâ€™S to let the neck and bits form a bow concentric with the main circle. But suddenly those bits will slip their grip and fall downwards. Very impractical and annoying. I have tried to scrape the lacquer off to get some brass-against-brass adhesion. Not very effective.

What do people do short of soldering the whole combo together?

Klaus

porkchopsisgood · Post by **porkchopsisgood** » Tue Dec 06, 2005 3:25 am

Two Bits....nuff said.

It's just more comfortable....maybe I just don't have a grand enough neck or somethin'.....

I bet Nat McIntosh uses two....(of course I have no basis for this statement; I just wanted to validate myself by bringing him up)....

Man...I am COOL for name dropping......

Tubaryan12 · Post by **Tubaryan12** » Tue Dec 06, 2005 8:50 am

TubaTinker wrote: Hmmm... maybe if students bought their own neck and bits, they would take better care of them! I'm not talking about the present user... I'm speaking of the kid who lost them LAST year. It's only fair. It's a small investment compared to the price of a horn that is provided by the school.

That's what we had to do back in the day (1978) on our 1st day of band camp for high school. $40 for a Benge 24aw mouthpiece and a Conn sousa neck with 2 bits....such a deal!

Dan Schultz · Post by **Dan Schultz** » Tue Dec 06, 2005 10:00 am

imperialbari wrote: What do people do short of soldering the whole combo together? Klaus

I never have that problem, Klaus. When I use bits, I put them together very tightly and often have trouble getting the darned things apart!