Posted by Rob Perelli-Minetti on September 25, 2000 at 08:29:40:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Contra tubas? posted by tubalew on September 24, 2000 at 22:32:38:
The 40K is not a jumbo, it is the 4 valve version of the old Sousaphone Grand, which was the long stroke valve predecessor of the 20K.
I strongly recommend against the MTs as well. As Leland points and others point out, all but the largest of them will not sound as good as full sized quality brass sousaphones, such as Conn 20Ks or King 2350s. The large ones are awkward and do not remove the necessity to have separate concert tubas.
I suppose it is a a matter of style, but the sousaphone, where the center of mass is lower, definitely is easier to march with and better balanced for carrying than an instrument where the entire weight is on the shoulder and the center of mass is at head level.