UK made Besson sousaphones - Were any ever compensating?

[bloke]

Were any of these ever at least three valve compensating?

It's quite apparent that the valves - similar to Yamaha and Kanstul tactics - are top action valves with knuckles twisted around for front action use... this being a pertinent observation to the topic/question.

[YorkNumber3.0]

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[bloke]

For many years there sat in a music store window display near where I lived a Besson Eb sousaphone with 3 compensating valves in lacquer. They said they used it as display because they believed that no one would possibly want it. I have no idea where it is today.

pre-internet, or just epic naivete ?

[YorkNumber3.0]

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[YorkNumber3.0]

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[bloke]

I'm currently just about spent out, but - before going up into the loft, grabbing some junk, and making either a viable King or viable Conn sousaphone to replace the one I sold (Mardi Gras gig on the horizon), I would love to stumble across something like that and be able to have it be close enough geographically to give it a test run.

[jtm]

Eb tubas had long fallen out of fashion/use in the US. Brass bands weren’t even a thought yet. Internet may have been in its infancy last I was in its vicinity. It sat out in the open in a window facing a busy street and had to be occasionally dusted from being ignored. It was seasonally decorated.

When did brass bands become a thought in the U.S.?

[bloke]

Eb tubas had long fallen out of fashion/use in the US. Brass bands weren’t even a thought yet. Internet may have been in its infancy last I was in its vicinity. It sat out in the open in a window facing a busy street and had to be occasionally dusted from being ignored. It was seasonally decorated.

When did brass bands become a thought in the U.S.?

Though a few were around, the formation of British style brass bands in the USA exploded around the time that more people had "the internet - late 1990's - after the release of this movie...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brassed_Off

...just as "Scottish societies" in the USA greatly expanding in number around the same time, due to this movie having been released around the same time...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Braveheart

[DonO.]

Eb tubas had long fallen out of fashion/use in the US. Brass bands weren’t even a thought yet. Internet may have been in its infancy last I was in its vicinity. It sat out in the open in a window facing a busy street and had to be occasionally dusted from being ignored. It was seasonally decorated.

When did brass bands become a thought in the U.S.?

Though a few were around, the formation of British style brass bands in the USA exploded around the time that more people had "the internet - late 1990's - after the release of this movie...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brassed_Off

...just as "Scottish societies" in the USA greatly expanding in number around the same time, due to this movie having been released around the same time...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Braveheart

I played in a British style brass band that Phillip Catelinet directed while he was teaching at Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh PA. This would have early 70’s - maybe ‘73?

[bloke]

Yes (as pointed out), a few were around.

That Pittsburgh brass band enthusiasm was - or course - continued forward - beginning in the early 1980's - with the formation of the River City Brass Band.
James Gourlay, virtuoso tubaist, took over direction of that band - as it's third music director - in 2010.

I'd love to play in one...
There's never been one nearby...
There are some wonderful 3+1 Besson/B&H instruments - here - that could be polished up and readied for such a task (as long as I, too, could measure up.)

[Tuba1153]

I'd love to play in one...
There's never been one nearby...

@Doc and I have seat warming for you if you ever make it down our way!

[Doc]

I'd love to play in one...
There's never been one nearby...

@Doc and I have seat warming for you if you ever make it down our way!

@bloke, we DO need another player.

[bloke]

Just for a bit more clarity, this one (though odd-looking, due to repurposed top-action valves) is NOT compensating:

[Three Valves]