Posted by George in NC on August 04, 2003 at 21:23:00:
Hi everyone, this is my first post so I will give myself a brief intro. I am a professional Jazz Bass player, and I recently got a gig where I am going to be playing some Dixieland, so I pulled my tuba out (and old 3 valve Besson recording bell) and dusted off my chops, but they would rather have a sousaphone. Here is my question:
I have a Sousaphone marked "The Elkhart" I bought for $40 at a flea market. It is brass, has 3 valves, and a 24 inch bell. The bell joint is 6 inches across, and the valve stroke is 1 inch. The valve diameter is 1 1/32 (1.0312) and the spring is on the bottom. It doesn’t have a serial number or a model number.
Here is the problem. It is missing the middle valve. If I knew what company made this stencil I think I would have a better chance of finding a valve in the back of a repair shop somewhere.
Thanks
George
PS I don't know where to take the bore measurements. If anyone can tell me where to measure I will post those.