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I have a King fiberglass sousaphone from 1978. HERE: https://photos.app.goo.gl/6B1KBqNkCYsTgQEy9

What model was this? I suppose King only had one fiberglass sousaphone at any one time, so this may be an easy question. My next ones will be tougher, I promise.

Looks like a King 1280, if you are sure of the late-70’s date.

Rick “2380, post 1985, or something like that” Denney

The picture resolution is not large, but I am not seeing the big brass threaded ring that connects the valve section to the fiberglass on the early versions.
Perhaps it was converted?

I dig the color.

More info: I believe the bell is from 1975, and the colors are not quite the same. Yeah, I love the color(s), too. The King logo was put on the bell AFTER painting. I wonder if King offered this as an option. The paint job does not at all look like a DYI job!

I have added more photos to the album above.

I’m pretty sure that the gold paint was a factory option for a period of time, somewhat akin to the metallic finish plastic tubas one can found online now. From a distance, it looks close enough to brass/metal.

I’m pretty sure that slip joint connection post dates the 1970s.

The King Sousaphone I played in junior high school, and the different one I played in high school, both had slip joints. And both predated the 70's when they were bought, confirmed by the fact that I was done with both of them by 1975.

But they did not have that folded rim stiffener like I see in these pictures. It may be a replacement bell.

Rick "we also had gold-colored Conn 36K sousaphones, but in terrible condition" Denney

… so the big threaded brass connectors (that look like plumbing) maybe date back to the 60s, instead of the 70s?

Rick Denney wrote: ↑Thu Oct 21, 2021 9:26 am
Rick "we also had gold-colored Conn 36K sousaphones, but in terrible condition" Denney

We had some blue ones...