EDITED POLL (re-vote) - satin silver sousaphone BODY: badly worn satin silver vs. faux satin silver

[bloke]

I added a third option to the poll. If offered for sale, I would circle the spots (in the pictures) where this was done.

Here's my 1930 King (very worn original finish) satin silver sousaphone AFTER I've given it a quick once-over with paint stripper (as someone or some school painted it with silver enamel paint - decades ago - due to the satin silver finish on the BODY being so worn).





Nikolas (that makes their 2105 clear lacquer, which is probably what Bach uses - or used? - on their Stradivarius line of instruments) offers an opaque metallic silver additive which looks pretty darn good...so it's not a rattle-can enamel, it's a professional/industrial-quality lacquer (though a nitrocellulose, and not as durable as epoxy). Otherwise, I suppose (??) I could get a car body shop to shoot it with metallic silver polyurethane, but they usually get carried away (thickness-wise) and charge way too much (even though there would be no masking).

I have no intention on sending it to Anderson for new silver plating.

It's just about completely dent-free and (even though never-plated COPPER valves...yes: copper) the piston-to-casing tolerances are REMARKABLY good and the instrument it plays VERY strong. (Being copper, I'm oiling them EACH AND EVERY time it's played, with rotor oil.)

The satin silver BELL dates to 1960 (again: this BODY is from 1930), 100% of the bell's exterior silver is intact, and the bell interior is either buffed down to brass, is a very worn gold, or a combination of the two...I'm having difficulty discerning, as I've found no traces of lacquer on the flare interior.

FOR THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN THINKING OF ACTUALLY PURCHASING A REALLY FINE-PLAYING/SOUNDING BRASS SOUSAPHONE (and not just someone who likes to choose answers and click them on polls - regarding things of which they have no interest in purchasing), I'll appreciate a response to the attached poll.
(I may - ?? - end up selling this and shopping for a King fiberglass - even though I already know that a King fiberglass won't sound as good as this instrument).

[donn]

Well, I guess I had better not do the poll, as I'm not in the market, but ... if you paint it, it's yours for life.

[bloke]

There was still a good big of paint and paint residue on there - when I took that picture.

I just went back and did some detail stripping work (hard-to-get places in the slide tubes, valve casings, and such...
(and did a bunch of clean-up work with gasoline, etc.)

I believe that someone who prefers that worn/original look would be happy with the remarkably small amount of paint that is left on this instrument...and I may well pick over it a bit more.

If I decide to sell it, I'll sell it BEFORE I find a good fiberglass King. I prefer "money in hand" over being some weenie, and asking someone "Will you hold this for me until I get my other one sold?" (etc.)

again: I know that no King fiberglass is going to be as good as this 1930/1960 30-lbs. brass one, but - being King - it will be the best-of-the-fiberglass.

I'm in the process of putting a (vintage - one of the old large ones) King water key on the 6th branch (as it needs one, and they weren't putting them on that spot - back in 1930.

I have some figurin' to do, because of the extra braces on this instrument...That water key needs to be able to be put on and taken off...

The only not-King parts are the Jupiter bell screws (which are nearly like the original small ones) and the Jupiter mouthpipe receiver brace parts (which I installed with great care).

There's a been-there-a-long time nice-looking oval patch on the upper #1 outside slide tube (where the palm of the hand rests). I'm sure that the spot was worn thin, and that's why someone patched it.

[TheHatTuba]

Changed my vote but not to the new option (lacquer idea grew on me). Not in the sousaphone market. Surely the kind of voter bloke was looking for

[travisd]

I've seen demos of - but have zero experience with, silver electro-plating where you kind of 'paint' on the plating (using a silver-bearing solution and the appropriate conductive tools + power supply). Curious if that would work on something like this or not?

[iiipopes]

Unless it affects playability and must be addressed, I am one to let the horn tell its own story and mojo from real, legitimate wear. I once had a souzy that you could tell was played, and played. It had wear marks on the silver plating where the heels of both palms are placed on the horn in proper playing position, and a brown ring on the main tuning slide exactly in the correct spot for playing outdoors in average midwestern weather in football season. I actually look for a little bit of wear like that on used instruments I anticipate purchasing so I know they are actually worthy of being played. Also, if the wear is not where it should be, for example, either 1) the horn looks too good for its age, or 2) obvious damage or wear where there should not be, I pass. Decades ago, on one instrument I considered the plating was completely off of the main tuning slide of an Eb tuba I once borrowed. It was apparent even before blowing a note, and confirmed upon blowing the horn, that the horn had bad intonation and scale and the player had to ride throttle continuously on that main tuning slide. It went back to its owner without comment immediately after the gig I borrowed it for.

[bloke]

I appreciate your opinions very much.

I can always OFFER to do this/that/the other, as long as it's dent-free and completely gig-ready...

[Grumpikins]

I would prefer the natural wear unless it was really bad. Even then, I'm not sure. I wish I was in a position to buy a sousa. Looks great.

Sent from my SM-S367VL using Tapatalk

[WC8KCY]

I like the "player's horn" look of worm silver and lacquer. Instruments that don't sing seldom get so worn.

I have a section mate that wants my E-flat souzy...this King looks like a nice upgrade.

[bloke]

I'm partially caught up with obligations and such after ignoring other obligations and pushing really hard on this instrument for two and a half days. I've got some more catching up to do, and then I'm going to try to swing back around and get this thing to the finish line. After that, I may well offer it for sale.
I've already stated that would rather keep it and not purchase a King fiberglass, but that's probably what I'll end up doing anyway. Also, if that's what I'm going to do, I'd rather have the money to buy the King fiberglass first, rather than selling this to recover the money spent on a fiberglass... and I've already said that as well.

[TheHatTuba]

Switched to lacquer because:
- I personally don't care how the finish looks if the horn is dent free, not hacked up, etc., BUT
- Non-musicians/Non-tuba players I've known have only voiced concerns when finish has been inconsistent (splotchy)
Ex:
Silver/Lacquer: "Wow, that one's pretty/shiny."
Raw brass: "That one has character. I like it."
Splotchy finish: "... so what happened to that one?"
- A sousaphone is pretty visible
- Not sure how important it is on a tank like this sousaphone, but I like the idea of any amount of protection on parts that have already had the finish worn through.
- I don't know how the silver lacquer stuff bloke is talking about looks, but if he says it looks good (like satin silver), that's promising.
- If having it "refinished" (or "touched up"), I'd rather bloke do it now, even if it's just fake-silver-lacquer, than find someone else later. Finish buffing scares me, and there aren't many I'd want doing it to my horn.
- I saw the new poll and thought, "eh, why not?"

[Mary Ann]

Clearly not in the market for something like that, but very curious what the silver "paint" looks like. Is there a picture of an example I can see? And compare to whatever would be its "real" alternative? And if I ever visit there before you sell it, it would be fun to set it up like we did here with the Nirschl so I can see what a good playing BBb sousa is like.

[bloke]

There are some opaque metallic lacquers and metallic enamels that blend in amazingly well with polished satin silver. They're more durable when covered with clear coat, but the clear coat tends to offer a plastic like appearance.

There's an old English Besson sousaphone that was missing all the stuff in front of the valve cluster, and I had to rebuild it with non-Besson parts two or three years ago. I hit it with some store-bought silver enamel on the raw brass parts. I just got it back two or three days ago to repair the #2 valve casing, and that paint has held up. (I sort of wish that I had paid attention when I purchased that particular brand.) Not only has it held up, but it's still sparkly and it hasn't turned that worn gray look that some of the old metallic paints would tend to do.

I think it's interesting how some people seem to abhor the idea of opaque paint on an instrument, but they're perfectly happy with clear paint on an instrument. The only difference is dye, or dye plus microscopic sized-metallic additive.

I remember when someone - who formerly lived in the south - was selling some of those 20J tubas to that college that marches with those, and spray-painted them silver prior to selling them. I never heard about the band director complaining. I'm sure they were very pleased.