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I got tired of waiting for a replacement lower mouthpipe tube for this (first generation) King 2350 sousaphone (vs. OLD-OLD-style 1250).

They've changed these several times since the model # change (never for the better - imo). This was the first model whereby the "arc" brace (for the neck receiver) was employed.

The parts for this first generation arc brace are no longer available...heck, they're not even sending me a lower mouthpipe tube, which is still the same part.

Besides complete destruction of this tube (no comments on societal woes in this post, etc.) the typical destruction of the receiver brace piece of thick brass tubing - attached to the arc (brazed to the band around the receiver) was also tactically executed.

With no King lower mouthpipe tube forthcoming, I discovered that I had a brand-new Jupiter lower mouthpipe tube.
They are similar to King, but 1/4" longer and - well - goofy (funny bends 'n' stuff).

After removing the trashed tube, I began to adapt the Jupiter tube to fit King (no bending/no ovaling...just adapting/fitting).
I made a new band to go around the the receiver (.700" fit), laid everything in place, silver-brazed the brass "slip-tube" to the new band, lead-soldered everything else together, and then cleaned it up "pretty good". Once you see the picture of the current condition of the finish of the entire body, maybe you'll agree that my clean-up work (on this gig) was adequate, considering.

Anyway...It's a sousaphone, once again, and the King neck extends out from the instrument at the proper angle (sorta required...)

THEME: Not all of this work is "Check out this cute dinky-wink that I made to be able to tune this pitch 8 cents higher"...most of this stuff is nasty grunt-work.


NOPE: NO "RED-ROT"...JUST STUPID

Oh goodness. I just bought a king sousaphone valve cluster to use some of its parts, with that piece in good shape…

I'm nearly finished with the last sousaphone (have done a few more sousa's since I uploaded those pic's.

I have three tubas to do for this school.

One is the SECOND of a pliers-in-valve-casings King 2341 (old style), and then a 5J and some like YBB-105-ALIKE (Jupiter...??...JP...??)

The rest are "box" instruments (instruments with cases: marching brass and a couple of trombones).

There are a couple of bari-saxes, so (likely) Mrs. bloke will have $h!t for me to fix on those.

After that...several MORE schools...

I'm sorta proud of myself: Today, I got one of those really goofy-lookin' first-generation Jupiter sousaphones (with the sheet metal branch caps - as with European tuba bows) playing quite well (after straightening it all back out. I'm sorta wondering it if doesn't actually play better than the 594's and 1000's (neither of which impresses me...even though Mr's. Bobo, Self, and Johnson may well have played those models at some time in the past). On the goofy-lookin' 1st generation Jupiter sousaphones, EVERY upper return bow is a MOVEABLE SLIDE.

Anyway...I always like it when it get down to a school's "box instruments" and then (in particular) when I'm FINISHED with a school.

I really don't care about getting paid, anymore...

Since the last three years of bull$h!t and all that bull$h!t money-printing, money ain't worth nuthin' no mo'.

bloke wrote: ↑Fri Jun 30, 2023 8:31 pmOn the goofy-lookin' 1st generation Jupiter sousaphones, EVERY upper return bow is a MOVEABLE SLIDE.