Tuba Tuesday: Conn BBb Rain Catcher Sousaphone

[bisontuba]

Happy Tuba Tuesday!
I have been asked by Mark to add weekly listings from the Simonetti Tuba Collection on this site.

Today, from the Museum, we feature an upright Sousaphone, a.k.a. ‘rain catcher.’ At the suggestion of Sousa, who wanted the tuba sound to spread over the band "like icing on a cake,“ the J.W. Pepper Company designed and made the very first example. Soon after, other companies, including the celebrated C. G. Conn Company of Elkhart, followed suit. This style of instrument was used in the great Sousa Band for many years.

IMG_3076 by Mark Jones, on Flickr

[humBell]

Huzzah for rain catchers.

A while back a person running a tuba xmas introduced it as just another kind of sousaphone.

I was mortified on their behalf, but seein' how busy they were running things, i didn't make the effort to set 'em straight.

[Three Valves]

Those are some cool ass things!!

[York-aholic]

I just bought Ian’s Martin helicon and sort of thought that it is a damn neat horn. Now you’ve gone and ruined it for me. Raincatchers are next level...

[Three Valves]

1. Helicon
2. Raincatcher
3. Sousaphone

[tofu]

[humBell]

1. Helicon
2. Raincatcher
3. Sousaphone

Just checking...

This is in chronological order.

Is that the intent? Or is it merely coincidental, and were you intending to order by another metric (which i'm dim enough not to have followed)?

Anyway, i have a friend who's tickled by the fact that the musician gets in these instruments to play them, and i wonder if there are any other instruments where that can be said?

[bisontuba]

Coincidence....

[Three Valves]

Rated by coolness. 1,2,3.

[humBell]

Thanks for clarifying.