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2005-07-21 12:14:23

Jumpin Jim Posts: 1	Kustom Sousaphones My in-laws made the find of the century when they came home from a school surplus auction with four and a half fiberglass sousaphones they purchased for $5 each. Swingin' Sarah and I are both proud tuba players and decided to do something other than a standard restoration of the sad old school horns. Last summer we painted flames on a pre-1964 King horn (we even repainted the classic logo in red). That horn wasn't in the ultra-bargain bunch, but was still a bargain at $100. This summer we painted a Reynolds horn in a patriotic theme. I'm calling it the "Sousa of '76." Anyway here's a picture of the two horns following a community Independence Day parade. [attachmentid=54] If anyone is interested I'll add some detail pictures and a before and after look at the Reynolds sousaphone.

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2005-07-21 15:58:04

smilin_buddha_joe Moderator Posts: 82	Re: Kustom Sousaphones I like it - it's like a rockabilly tuba! So is there diference between a sousaphone and a tuba?
	Keeping it all in RetroSpective
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2005-07-22 18:15:59

uprightbassgirl1 Posts: 0	Re: Kustom Sousaphones Those are some cool looking horns, Jim. They would look great in 4th of July parade! Are you involved in any marching bands? Congratulations on the bargain find. Yeah, would be cool to see the before and after pics. I've never seen an instrument restoration before and after. Does a sousaphone weigh that much less than a tuba. I have a guitar student who also plays tuba. He's complaining about how uncomfortable it is to carry-even with the towel on the shoulder. Any suggestions?

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2005-07-24 12:18:21

Jumpin Jim Posts: 1	Re: Kustom Sousaphones smilin_buddha_joe,Jul 21 2005, 02:58 PM wrote: So is there diference between a sousaphone and a tuba? [snapback]70313[/snapback] A sousaphone is just a type of marching tuba. They can be made of brass, fiberglass, or a combination of the two. The distinctive difference is that you wear a sousaphone, it is made to rest on your shoulder and wrap around your body. Tubas are usually concert instruments that sit in your lap, but some can also be carried on a shoulder for marching. Generally, they are much more awkward to march with. As far as weight goes, sousaphones really vary in weight. The fiberglass ones like we painted are lighter weight than any tuba I've encountered, but I've also played a brass sousaphone that was the heaviest instrument I've ever held. I played in the University of Idaho Vandal Marching Band for 5 years, half of those with fiberglass horns and the other half with "40 pound brass units." Now I only march with the U of I alumni band at homecoming, a giant community marching band (about 160 people) that just gets together for the 4th of July, and another Independence Day band that plays for the parade at my parents' resort trailer park. uprightbassgirl1, is your student playing a tuba that is built only to be played on the shoulder or is it convertible for both concert playing and marching? I played a convertible horn in high school and I found the secret was to take the horn off my shoulder and carry it by my side when I wasn't playing. I worked with my section so we could all put the horn up and down crisply and uniformly so our director would approve. I've never played a shoulder mount only tuba, but I guess it would be similar as far as putting it up and down. In my experience, a towel on your shoulder just makes it harder to balance the horn. It hurts at first to play without extra padding, but after a week or so your shoulder toughens up and the horn is easy to control. Hope that helps. By the way, I'll get a few more pictures web-ready and get them posted sometime soon.

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2005-07-31 21:08:48

uprightbassgirl1 Posts: 0	Re: Kustom Sousaphones Well, Jim, I talked to my student this week. He's decided against playing in the marching band. Even though I teach guitar and bass, I always encourage the kids with their other instruments. I find those who play another instrument tend to catch on quicker than if they were just playing guitar.

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