so I now have a (later-vintage / thinner-wall) King brass sousaphone (as an alternate) for my King fiberglass...

[bloke]

The oem fiberglass bell is in great shape, but I suspect the brass bells (particularly the later-made thinner-gauge) ones, are slightly louder than the fiberglass/plastic bells.

I suspect that that type of sound is about the same, but (possibly?) the fiberglass bell elbow might absorb a bit more of the sound-column's vibration (and I may well be full of beans...but it seems slightly louder, for the same effort).

This was the trade that I did when in Pittsburgh, and - prior to just now - it was dented and pinged up, and the rim and collar weren't completely straight.
In exchange, the other person received a (VERY nicely smoothed out) Olds/Conn/Reynolds (??) 16" bell, as well as a new/old-stock SPECIFICALLY-FOR-FIBERGLASS King sousaphone male bell collar (tall flange for more gluing surface, as well as a wider shelf - to accommodate fiberglass vs. sheet brass). ...Their plan is to make a carbon-fiber upright bell for a detachable-bell-style King tuba body, and I wish them the best...The new male connector should work much better for them than one made for a sheet metal bell (which is why they had acquired the King sousaphone bell - to harvest the male connector), and sousaphone male connector dimensions (vs. tuba) are the same.

I just did a quick job on this bell...It's plenty good enough for me to use in Mardi Gras parades, brass band jobs, the occasional NBA game...
...and I may (??) decide to not use it consistently, because - even though this is a later-made one of thinner sheet brass - it's still ever-so-slightly top-heavy (compared to the fiberglass/plastic oem bell).

Anyway... (avoiding those that people are offering for $500 + shipping on eBay)...here 't'is...

(yeah...worn and scratchy)

me noticing: The bell throat area is subtly out-of-round (not bad...). Later, I might (??) go back over that part of it with a drum stick covered with flannel.

[Three Valves]

If you are confident with how it sounds and turns out, may you paint the glass part gold?

[bloke]

blokonservatory's school colors are gold and white.

[tofu]

.

[bloke]

Is this the wall of misfit instruments?

Is that first one a BBb Besson comp with the detachable bell? Do you use that horn or is that for a customer?

It's a tuba that's waiting on a little bit more dent removal and an enhancement. In a cardboard box is a complete four valve compensating section with really nice condition pistons and casings. Those three compensating pistons are sort of worn and ugly but the thing plays nicely as it is. Of course I have both bells. The three valve compensating version was originally lacquered, so it has those pretty nickel slide tubes, and I would probably swap out the slide tubing so I would have the nickel. Realistically, getting that instrument to the finishing line - even without putting a finish on it - would take days, so I just haven't done it. That instrument is for playing outdoor sit down concerts with the 24 inch recording bell or just in case there's ever a British style brass band around here (before I croak), and someone invites me to play in it.
With the 24 inch recording bell, the instrument has received compliments for how it sounds playing marches in a sit-down concert band by another tuba player who doesn't pass out compliments particularly often. Being that configuration, I have to trust their compliments over my own judgment, because it's not really easy to hear how a recording tuba sounds from behind it.

[bloke]

I dunno what happened to someone's else recently-created thread (related topic...??)
The carbon-fiber sousaphone bells were mentioned.
That gentleman interjected in a fb thread where I put up a pic or two of this newly-acquired (brass) bell for my fiberglass King.

I praised it, but also suggested that he might consider making 6/4 one-piece/full-length bells for frankentuba and other people whose projects might have no viable bells or their tubas might feature hopelessly-distressed bells. In his price range (though I've been wrong about predicting things before) I might predict more sales of a product such as that.
fitment:
Maybe make them slightly too long for the smallest-fitment 6/4 bottom bows (yet small enough), so that they would work with as many 6/4 models as possible...I could imagine drilling small holes in such a bell, to mount detachable mouthpipe and bell-to-body braces (even though - surely - such bells would be glued in at the bottom bow connection).

[tokuno]

blokonservatory's school colors are gold and white.

Ah, yes, the Blokonservatory Soaring Stallions, "Nulla Doctrina", "We knock the dents out of your children's ideology"

If I could afford your network streaming fees, I'd enjoy watching one of those 15 minute football games your team plays during the halftime period of your marching band's 3-hour performance.

BlokeStateUniversity.jpg (115.06 KiB) Viewed 1346 times

[bloke]

Well, if football players were actually (cardiovascularly speaking) athletes - like soccer players, they would finish their one-hour games in an hour - rather than three hours.

At blokuniversity, we offer majors in chainsawing down dead trees, raking up trailer loads of thatch, and offer a minor in striving to play the tuba with as much attention to detail as do other instrumentalists.

[bloke]

Here's a complete new model of carbon fiber sousaphone (bell and body) which is currently on display at Midwest. I follow this European jazz sousaphone player, as I consider him to be quite interesting and talented... with other interests this person has displayed, I sort of consider him to be a "renaissance man".
If this goes into production, I think they're pretty smart by not trying to jazz it up with four valves. A fourth non-compensating valve doesn't really accomplish all that much, other than adding weight, and - with a carbon fiber body and bell probably being quite lightweight - why add (considerable 4th valve) weight back?

https://www.facebook.com/reel/592279373 ... 7S9Ucbxw6v

[Three Valves]

Screw that noise, I want to know where he got those cool pants!

[bloke]

Screw that noise, I want to know where he got those cool pants!

not joking:
One of the things he does is acrobatics.

[travisd]

not joking:
One of the things he does is acrobatics.

WITH the Sousa?

[bloke]

not joking:
One of the things he does is acrobatics.

WITH the Sousa?

Find the Facebook video of him involving a rope, a harness, a hot air balloon, and his four valve 40K short action sousaphone.