sousaphone/recording bell mute

[sdloveless]

It's me again, Margaret.

Anyone have any suggestions for a mute suitable for a front facing bell?

I tried to dig up some specs on the Humes and Berg sousaphone bucket mutes, but couldn't really find any. Their website is basically garbage, with no dimension or weights, no real contact information, and their contact form repeatedly errors out when trying to submit it. My primary concern with that one, though, is that the weight might make the horn unweildy.

I've tried loosely balled up sweatshirts and even pillows. Those either affect intonation badly or even make it unplayable. The pillow was almost promising, but to get it right meant folding it in half and barely pushing it into the bell. If I moved, it would fall out.

Any other suggestions? I'm fairly handy and DIY solutions are fine. I don't need it to be silent. I'd just like to cut the decibels down a bit.

Thanks!