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New to this site and apologize is this subject is a repeat. Im new to the tuba world coming from the fiddle.
I have a York e flat sousaphone that I thought I loved until I got to try a conn e flat sousaphone. It felt so great to feel the tone and wonder if it is a better instrument or should I have my York looked over. I did have it checked out by the local music shops “tuba guy” but wonder if he knew how to get it set up . Both instruments are old mine particularly never was played but got banged up a bit. Am I selling the York short or do you get the instrument that speaks to you. The 6,000 seems pricey for a silver Conn with complete tarnish of silver.
Thanks in advance
Jim p

$6000 for a Conn Eb sousaphone is roughly an order of magnitude higher than I’d pay.

I would wonder if your York has leaky valves or an air leak somewhere else? Unless the Conn is significantly larger, I’d imagine they sound similar if in good operating condition.

I’ve seen some decent Eb sousaphones sell around here for under $1000. Feel free to search the for sale forum.

With what appeared to be economy (so-so) rebuilt pistons, about the best (four valve) E-flat sousaphone I've ever played was a Conn that I fairly recently worked on for someone, but it was after I did some stuff to it - including altering some circuit lengths.
' not sure if I could ever get $6,000 worth of good out of an E-flat sousaphone... particularly since I'm sort of hoping to get fewer and fewer sousaphone calls - regardless of whether it would be some indoor brunch-ish E-flat sousaphone gig or some outdoor boisterous B-flat sousaphone gig...

...says the silly old man who's taking his sousaphone to this weekend's season opener - in order to stand up and play the SSB. (Sitting is for cellists.)

I took my sousaphone in once, and came out significantly worse. Yours may have unrealized potential, though I really know nothing one way or the other, just a comment on repair shops.

Another point is that sousaphone is about the hardest instrument for the player to accurately assess, because you're in the worst position relative to where the sound is. Maybe can even apply if you played them side by side in the same place, inasmuch as the sound transmitted through the body of the instrument can differ a lot (and is irrelevant to the audience.)

When I'm really looking at a sousaphone to keep for myself, I take it outside to the parking area, stand about thirty feet away from the barn, and play towards it. That - I believe - gives me a pretty good idea of how it sounds.

I did that a couple of days ago with the King (B-flat) that I pulled out of the attic and fixed up.

At $6,000, I think you're looking at CC sousaphones.

Schools are more than eager to pay $12,000 for sousaphones, because it's not their money.

bloke wrote: ↑Tue Sep 12, 2023 7:34 am When I'm really looking at a sousaphone to keep for myself, I take it outside to the parking area, stand about thirty feet away from the barn, and play towards it.

I did that a couple of days ago with the King (B-flat) that I pulled out of the attic and fixed up.

What did the barn say?

The same thing I said to it, and it's reply was nearly immediate.