It braces the 6th branch to the 4th branch - with a solid one-piece (brazed) assembly (no socket flanges), and farther out from the valveset (thus: less likely to cause the flanges to dent the sheet brass, as well as being considerably stronger) than the current 90-degree-angles 3-piece socket-flange brace assembly.
I installed it on this already-dumbed-down (and thinwall - just as they are today) 1990's vintage King sousaphone, rather than ordering the "modern" brace's three pieces, because I had this "though the 1970's"-style brace in my junk drawer, and - well - it is cheaper than buying something.
Of course, it had to be fit...and - as I was bending that VERY tough-to-bend arced rod WITHOUT f'ing up the delicate brazed-on diamond flanges (and doing visual geometric "calculations" in my head as to bend-to-fit cause-and-effect), I began wondering how many people can actually do that (aside from being able to do it quickly - or even have the finger strength to do it)...and began to realize the real reasons why the design of these last-two-remaining USA-made sousaphones has been continuously "dumbed-down" over last few decades (coinciding completely with the decline and fall of America).
bloke "yeah...wonderful...Your grandson's 'great with computers (as are scores of millions of other people)'...but can he ACTUALLY DO anything...??"
