Posted by Joe S. on February 16, 2001 at 20:48:46:
In Reply to: Re: Sousas vs. Conns posted by Lew on February 16, 2001 at 15:45:27:
Currently, I have four King sousaphones on the "to overhaul and sell" shelf:
a small,
a regular - "ahhhh, JUST right!",
an extra large,
and a SUPER large.
Do you have a family of bears (Papa, Mama, Baby, etc.) that might be playing sousaphone in your band next year? (Just kidding, but I really DO have these four instruments waiting to be repaired and sold.)
KING sousaphones and CONN sousaphones are probably the best. Conn 14K sousaphones are not as expensive as the extra-big Conn 20K sousaphones, but the Conn 14K is actually larger than the King, and the 14K is my personal favorite sousaphone.
I would caution your band director not to be lured by the price of Taiwan-Jupiter sousaphones. One-time restored (not ones that have been "overhauled" three or four times) American sousaphones are superior to new Jupiter sousaphones.
As far as slightly less expensive American restored sousaphones, OLDS and REYNOLDS seem to sell for a bit less, and actually THOSE brands (both are the same size and are made of interchangable parts) are larger than standard King sousaphones, too.
As far as sousaphones vs. convertable tubas, as much damage as I see occur to metal sousaphones, convertable tubas often end up totally destroyed in 1/3 the time, simply because convertables are SLAMMED ON THE GROUND over and over, instead of constantly resting on the player's shoulder. Also, (my opinion) convertables (even larger ones) sound "grunty" when compared to sousaphones. Considering what players endure to play either the sousaphone or the convertable tuba, as bad as sousaphones are on the players' shoulders and backs, I believe that convertables are a lot worse.