Tuba Tuesday: American Standard, model 230, BB flat sousaphone, 3 piston, c.1932

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bisontuba
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Tuba Tuesday: American Standard, model 230, BB flat sousaphone, 3 piston, c.1932

Post by bisontuba »

Happy Tuba Tuesday. The Museum features an American Standard, model 230, BB flat sousaphone, 3 piston, c.1932.

Serial #: 20356

Bell Diameter 21 3/4”, Bore Size .691.

Model 230. “AMERICAN / STANDARD / HIGH GRADE / MADE BY / CLEVELAND MUSICAL / INSTRUMENT-CO. / CLEVELAND / O.” on bell. Floral design engraved around identification marks.



https://simonettitubacollection.com/ins ... ousaphone/
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Mark E. Chachich (Thu Feb 05, 2026 9:58 am)


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Re: Tuba Tuesday: American Standard, model 230, BB flat sousaphone, 3 piston, c.1932

Post by humBell »

21 3/4" bell? That's not that large a bell... Leastwise for a sousaphone. Same as the recording bell 1240s.

-rob
"All art is one." -Hal

"Kinds? There aren't any kinds. There's just music." said Kieth "There's always music, if you listen."
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Re: Tuba Tuesday: American Standard, model 230, BB flat sousaphone, 3 piston, c.1932

Post by Kevbach33 »

humBell wrote: Mon Feb 02, 2026 11:54 pm 21 3/4" bell? That's not that large a bell... Leastwise for a sousaphone. Same as the recording bell 1240s.

-rob
It looks slimmer than the King 1250, and researching the American Standard sub brand of the H. N. White site loosely confirms the specs. Iirc, the tenon should be about 5" — vs 6" for the 1250 — so basically a "3/4" sousaphone.

Outside the museum, it would fetch quite a high price, condition depending.
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Re: Tuba Tuesday: American Standard, model 230, BB flat sousaphone, 3 piston, c.1932

Post by hrender »

Size-wise it's similar to the King Cadet, shown below. King also made a "Symphony" sousaphone with a 22" bell around the same time.

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Re: Tuba Tuesday: American Standard, model 230, BB flat sousaphone, 3 piston, c.1932

Post by arpthark »

The specs on the Jumbo are crazy.

68” tall, 32” bell, .812” bore. Yowza!
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Re: Tuba Tuesday: American Standard, model 230, BB flat sousaphone, 3 piston, c.1932

Post by anadmai »

funny how they're called Basses and not Tubas. hmmmmm. :coffee:
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Re: Tuba Tuesday: American Standard, model 230, BB flat sousaphone, 3 piston, c.1932

Post by humBell »

"Code word: Fur"

And now i won't be able to hear "free" without thinking of a Jumbo 3 valve king sousaphone.

Especially that one song (now) about free-dom's just another word for playing the largest commercially available american made tuba ever*.

And sorry earlier for being distracted by the fact that you can cycle through a bunch of other simonette stuff with the side arrows on the image in the op.








*I figure if i put enough qualifiers it will eventually be true, being a substitute for actual research.
"All art is one." -Hal

"Kinds? There aren't any kinds. There's just music." said Kieth "There's always music, if you listen."
-Kieth (from The Amazing Maurice, by Sir Terry)
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