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I currently own a 1950s Conn Sousaphone. I think the height of the bell from the top of the bow is shorter than the modern ones.

Would anybody here know if that's true?

Hank74 wrote: ↑Sat Apr 10, 2021 7:54 am I currently own a 1950s Conn Sousaphone. I think the height of the bell from the top of the bow is shorter than the modern ones.

Would anybody here know if that's true?

not sure that I understand your description, but accuracy of reassembly (after rebuild jobs) varies greatly.
Other lack in rebuild skills (ovaling of the bore of tapered branches during dent removal, as an example) can significantly alter dimensional relationships.

I think he's referring to the bell sitting too low relative to the person's head. (blocking their view)

I think this is how Conn Sousaphones were back then. A lot of people have had the bow with the bell tenon, adjusted to rotate the bell upward a bit.
(The biggest issue I think I have found is incorrect posture. Your sousa should not be worn parallel to your body, and your bell should not be parallel to the sousaphone body.) Let me know if that makes any sense. (This results in the bell not being so up in your face.)

Yes, that's what I was referring to. It looks like the modern Conn 20Ks have a higher bell relative to the player's head.

Hank74 wrote: ↑Tue Apr 13, 2021 7:59 am Yes, that's what I was referring to. It looks like the modern Conn 20Ks have a higher bell relative to the player's head.

not meant as snarky:

Set the sousaphone up oriented more on your body front-to-rear (completely avoiding your neck) and not side-to-side.

Have the neck and tuning bits approach your mouth from YOUR left and NOT from your right.

Reset the bell to face forward with this (actually: correct) configuration.



bloke "They have made some design changes (thinner metal, mostly), and (who knows...??) since SO MANY players assemble sousaphones and hold them (sorry, but...) 'wrong', possibly the manufacturer made a bit of an accommodation..."

Go here: http://www.thevillagetinker.com/Misc%20stuff.htm and scroll down a little more than half way to the line, "How NOT to wear a sousa!" This will explain in two pictures what everybody means by the correct way to wear a souzy (left-hand picture) and how NOT to wear a souzy (right-hand picture).