Posted by tubalew on October 16, 2000 at 09:50:31:
In Reply to: Sousaphone Overhaul posted by Larry Zaidan on October 15, 2000 at 21:08:55:
If by leadpipe you mean gooseneck, these are available either from a UMI dealer for around $75, or you can get King style ones for a little less (check with DEG for example). In terms of the other restorations you have a lot of options. A total overhaul, including a valve job would cost up to $2000 or more. A relacquer alone on a sousaphone can cost up to $1000. If the valves are ok, and there aren't any leaks, you could probably get it playable for a few hundred dollars as long as you don't get into major dent work or relacquer. If you go for a total overhaul don't expect to ever be able to get your money back out of it. Those old Kings are nice playing horns so you could do a lot worse buying an old sousaphone.